Internet World: Yahoo chief predicts e-commerce boom in health, clothes and toys

Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang predicts that the next industries to take advantage of the online commerce revolution will be healthcare, toys, sporting goods and clothes because they benefit from a direct, continually-updated relationship with the consumer.

Delivering a keynote speech at Spring Internet World in Los Angeles, Yang said: "Things that need a direct relationship with the consumer suit the Web. News, sport and financial services have flourished because of their real-time nature. These other industries suit the Web."

Yang, whose job title at the Web media giant is chief Yahoo, also hinted that Yahoo may change its advertising method from simple banners with hyperlinks to more complicated marketing tools.

"People can ignore them [banner ads] and they do not have their own space, like TV ads," Yang said. "We can now compare Yahoo?s reach and demographic splits with traditional media? we have to add value, though."

Yang stressed that Yahoo?s move from search engine to Web media company, echoed strongly by rival Excite, was crucial to the company?s success and its advertising strategy should evolve in a similar way.

Yang also said that while the Web is a global medium, yet it is local too. "It is not a US-dominated medium even if it is mostly here now."

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