The days of countless arguments over shopping lists left on the kitchen table are numbered.

No more emotional outbursts due to disagreements in the supermarket, the whinging of our ‘beloved’ little ones holding on to a selection of chocolate bars next to the till. Instead, welcome to E-Commerce.

Consumers in Denmark are more likely to make online purchases from countries outside of the EU more than any other European country according to Eurostat, the EU’s statistic institution. Around 68 percent of the Danish population between the age of 16 and 74 (2.7m people) made a purchase on the internet last year.

South Africa's First National Bank (FNB) and global internet payment system PayPal announced their new partnership at the end of March. This means that South African internet shoppers can now carry out transactions to and from their FNB accounts, and sell and purchase services and goods with 190 markets worldwide swiftly and safely. The move highlights ecommerce opportunities for foreign markets at a time when, thanks to the World Cup, South Africa is in the spotlight, and reflects the general progress being made in SA to improve and encourage international ecommerce.

Despite the recession, e-commerce is rapidly expanding in Denmark. According to a report by FDHI, Association for Distance and Internet Commerce, e-commerce has increased by five percent from the first to the second quarter of 2009, which is 11.5 percent more than the same time last year.

One reason for this increase is a dramatic increase in internet shopping by 15-to-29-year-olds. The second quarter of this year saw a rise from 58 percent to 83 percent in online shopping in this age group, which is more than double the amount seen in other age groups.