Report: Trade Flows Through Internet and Across Borders

The new spice route

A study shows that internet-powered shopping across national borders has created "modern spice routes" holding wealth for local merchants who tap into the booming trend.

Hong Kong, Canada, Australia, Germany, China, Britain and the United States will see a combined total of US$105 billion ($131 billion) in "cross-border online shopping" this year and that figure should nearly triple to US$307 billion in the next five years, says Nielsen research commissioned by internet financial transactions service PayPal.