The percentage of US small businesses that use the internet to conduct e-business rose between 2003 and 2004, from 22 percent to 73 percent, and the figure is expected to reach 82 percent in 2005; moreover, nearly three-fourths of US adults believe that the internet has made it easier to start a small business, and over 80 percent of small businesses use the internet to conduct business activities, reports eMarketer, citing various studies.