Internet Retailer: Online spending will hit $16.7 billion this holiday season, eMarketer says

eMarketer reports that holiday shoppers will spend almost $17 billion this year, up almost a third from last year. Crediting a combination of more sophisticated buyers and better executed websites, eMarketer's Jeffrey Grau predicts growth to $16.7 billion from 2003's $12.95 billion. According to Grau, previous years were plagued with "site crashes, poor customer service, inventory problems, poor customer services, etc." He said this year's e-commerce sites are ready for the challenge.