Online offerings in Latvia increasing bit by byte

RIGA - E-commerce is cutting a bigger slice of the Latvian retail market. Last year e-commerce increased by approximately 500,000 lats ($806,000) and is planned to grow to 1 million lats by the end of this year.

The number of Internet users increased 40 percent to 50 percent last year, according to estimates.

Last spring only a few banks had e-banking services, and it was considered something extra. Now the service is standard at many banks.

Last week a new online shopping mall opened in Latvia, and it's not the first one. There's online auctions, online shopping, online ticket and hotel room booking, online courier services, online florists, etc.

Practically whatever you want, you can get it online.

To prove that it is possible a few companies have started a project - survive online "eWorld."

A couple, Jura and Diana, were put into an apartment two weeks ago with nothing but a few uplinked computers and were supposed to survive there for a month. The apartment was wired with Web cams and on the special Web site www.eworld.lv you could follow their activities.

But after 14 days the project is starting to backfire. Participants claim that it is not an experiment, it is just a giant show where they are the main clowns.

"We are disappointed. Everything is different from what was promised," said Jura. "A few days ago the organizers promised they would give us credit cards, and they did, but ... empty ones," said Diana.

When the organizers hired a stripper without asking the participants, Diana seriously considered leaving the experiment, but she's still in and they both are determined to survive until May 9.

Projects like that are nothing new. For example in Moscow three girls are doing the same. There also have been negative examples, when a guy living like that in the end didn't get paid the money he was promised.

Web cams also have been developed in the world and in Latvia. From the first Web cam – Oxford coffee machine in the U.K. – to some in Riga, including Center of Riga on fundamental.lv and online TV on tv.lv as well as tvnet.lv.

Still you have to watch your phone line, because it might not work with dial-ups and slow connections.

There is one more new feature in Latvia's range of e-commerce offerings. On April 10 the delivery company DHL presented the new solution, DHL Connect, an Internet-adapted program package which provides clients the opportunity to follow their shipments and control them around the clock and store all the information on their computer without being online constantly.

It is especially user-friendly to small clients who use dial-up connections. It also offers a great variety of templates, providing the opportunity to check out customs laws in 220 countries, get a courier, summarize all orders and so on. Basically it is a constantly updating Web-based service with a wide variety of things available offline.

The company believes it will contribute to the development of Latvia's information society.

Not long ago a new retail Web site opened, www.shop.lv. It is a Latvian online shopping guide and lists 25 different retailers. The site's most positive aspect is its product listing. When choosing mobile phones, for example, you can see all the sites where they are available.

The most interesting choices for English-speaking surfers in Latvian cyberspace include:

balticshop.com - It offers original merchandise from the Baltic countries. Most of the products are custom-made and shipped from the Baltic countries, although there are products made in the United States because the store itself is located there.

iTirgus.lv - Offers up to 4,500 items, from CDs to mobile phones. The English version is limited, but a full version is expected soon.

cosmetics.lv - Just what the name says.

rigashop.lv - For visitors to Riga and Latvia. Souvenirs, tickets for Riga 800 happenings and other stuff. If it's your first time coming to Riga or you don't have time to buy a souvenir while being here, this is your life jacket.

janis-roze.lv - Online bookstore with a few advanced options, like price available in U.S. dollars, but still mostly for Latvians.

akvadizains.lv - Do you want to have an indoor fountain or waterfall? It is possible to get it online. Extreme and cool (indoor and outdoor fountains, waterfalls).

Sites with limited or no English:

yes.lv - Online shopping with a few extras, like a Latvian hockey jersey with an option to put your name on its back. You can also use an SMS service.

karjera.lv - Online job market with consulting services include aptitude tests, psychology tests, books on topic and so on.

workingday.lv - Online job market. Your CV will circulate and you will receive job offers via e-mail.

abrakadabra.lv - A gift shop with different stuff for parties. My friend Zane says that it's her favorite. If so, then it's worth checking out.

home.delfi.lv/pirotehnika/ - Fireworks, lots of them to make your celebration more colorful.

platformacd.lv - Music from one of the largest record companies in Latvia, Platforma Records. Mostly Latvian pop music.

musicshop.lv - Music, both Latvian and foreign. Also DVD available.

eauto.lv - Buy new or used cars, or sell your car online. Also get information about leasing and addresses for miscellaneous services.

perc.lv - Online auction. You can buy anything people want to sell. From CDs to beds, kitchens, garages, small stuff – name just about anything and it's there.

tirdznieciba.lv - Household appliances, big and useful stuff if you want to fill your kitchen with modern white goods: fridges, dishwashers, gas and microwave ovens, etc..

24.lv - Mobile phones, audio, video and TV. Leasing available. A favorite among companies buying mobile phones for their employees.

passage.lv - One of the first online malls. One thing available nowhere else are flags and accessories. Another interesting feature is online car insurance.

hercs.lv - Flowers, bouquets, ceramic pots, plants.

lulu.lv - Food, pizzas, salads, dressings, muffins. Free delivery in Riga. Be advised that muffins are all gone by the end of the day!

e-online.lv - A wide range of hard and soft drinks, both domestic and foreign.

bode.lv - Food market business system, a great help to food distributors. More than 150 members, mostly Latvian food producers but still missing some of the large ones. Great place if you are looking for something extra Latvian.

When checking out large Internet portals, like delfi.lv, the list of Web sites about different subjects is overwhelming. The list of miscellaneous databases online includes 150 names, and it is still not everything. The development of this sphere of the market is so rapid that the user that checks online just once a week may miss out on some pretty exciting things. But if you follow everything that happens online you might miss the spring outside.