The fun side of being thrown in at the deep end of the internet has been the trial and error involved in learning to live online. In my attempts to adapt to all the latest gizmos and gadgets, I have myself become Apple-ised. On a daily basis I rely on my iPhone, my iPod, my i-docking station, my Macbook, my ability to shop online, and I am excitedly waiting to purchase an iPad as soon as possible. It seems that although the electronic developments crept up on me unexpectedly and without my gaining formal training, I am able to work within the 'i' system.

In my professional world, recognition of the importance of e-commerce, e-tailing and the online market is essential for success. My research has greatly enhanced my own knowledge of e-commerce, or 'selling goods online', and given me a new appreciation for the processes involved in online retailing.

When launching an online shop, what tactics are employed to attract a consumer following? Digital PR is vital for launching and continuing to publicise a site. Blogs, social networking and advertising on affiliate sites drive online traffic in your site's direction and maintain search engine optimisation, and the next step is to ensure the content on the home page is interesting enough to make site visitors into online consumers. The brilliance of e-tailing is the ability to track online campaigns; traffic to the site is instantly measurable, so the site can be altered in response to audience reaction.

The crossover that exists when a company or label has both physical shops and a website is known as multi-channel retailing. It is essential to ensure that consistency is provided and the same brand messages are put across. As John Bovill, Aurora group IT director told me: "It is important to remember that while customers are increasingly cross-channel shopping (that is shopping in-store, online or through both 'clicks and bricks'), they must be provided with the same brand experience. Our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system will allow us to track where customers have interacted with our brand and keep a history of customer purchases, so we develop a positive relationship with customers, knowing and delivering their needs and wants across our multiple shopping channels."

Mothercare, Argos, Clarks and Halfords are up to the minute with these trends and are already using these online methods to cater to their customers' needs across all channels, whether in-store, online, or through catalogues. Aurora Brands and Thomas Pink are collaborating to 'go live' later this year with a cross-channel and 'single view of the customer' CRM system, which will be one of the first times British fashion retail groups offer this customer experience.

Since the launch of the iPhone, international fashion brands have launched scores of e-commerce apps, but Gucci recently went further, creating a 24-hour music channel for the iPhone which went live last October.

In December 2008, Oasis launched an iApp service for customers to access Oasis news, products, services and images to their mobile phones in an instant. Now, all four Aurora brands will offer this service, and it is clear that mobile phones are becoming yet another channel for retailers to engage with customers. Oasis was the first to market mobile gift vouchers, where customers can be sent gift vouchers through texts and redeem them in-store.

Dolce & Gabbana has been known for staying in the lead of the e-commerce race: the brand has embraced the internet age in all its glory. The designers are also no strangers to the mobile phone market, with two phone models and an iPhone app of their own. Now both the D&G and Dolce & Gabbana women's autumn/winter shows will be available for viewing live on mobile phones.

The power of the mobile phone will increase in the future, with contactless payment options and mobile tills. Mobile contactless payment is already being trialled at Eat and Pret A Manger restaurants in Britain and by Apple, which is using mobile tills in its American and British shops. It won't be long before others catch on.

Ishan Patel, Aurora's strategic development director, shed some light on the success of e-tailing in recent years. "2009 saw a 30% growth rate in internet sales for the group, with 2010 predicted to grow at a slower rate of 20%, which is still ahead of the industry sector average of 15% growth. Although the steep climb in web-based sales is beginning to slow, e-commerce is a vital retail channel," he said.

Knowing the detrimental effect the bad winter weather had on this year's Christmas retail sales, I assumed a saving grace came in that shoppers could still purchase from inside their own homes via websites, but in fact the weather interfered even with this, in that home delivery would also be affected by the ice and snow.

At a meeting I once attended, John and Ishan laid some future predictions of where technology and e-commerce will take the retail industry. They both agreed there is a challenge for all sectors when it comes to creating a commercial entity through e-tailing. Blogging and social networking will continue to grow in popularity and in importance as a communication channel, but a problem with these sites is that there is no control over what is said about your brand. The discussions on these sites could be as disastrous as they are useful.

However mind-blowing it is to think about what the future of shopping will be, it will happen, and we will have to learn as we go along. Maybe rather than taking the two-fingered approach, we should let our fingers do the learning for us.