According to reports, the latest JK Rowling release, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is expected to break all previous advance sales records - even the 1.3 million set by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

But what is really significant here is that more than 60 per cent have been ordered online. The advantage of ordering on-line is that the customer receives the book through the mail on the official release date of July 9. When you look at the actual figures and see that more than 1.4 million copies have been ordered through Amazon.com, it becomes clear how technology has changed, and will continue to change, our purchasing habits.

It only seems like yesterday that all purchases were made in shops or by mail order. Times have certainly changed, both in terms of the quality of the service and the variety of items available to us thanks to technology.

The extent of what you can order online these days is mind-boggling. A click of the mouse can feed, entertain, relax or educate, with any item you care - or dare - to mention being available online.

Just about everyone we know has probably ordered something on the web - but why the big change?

Obviously, access has improved as more and more people join the broadband revolution and log on at home. Early concerns over security seem to have relaxed as the nation becomes more accustomed to using credit cards to make purchases on secure websites.

But the main reason for the explosion in Internet shopping is the sheer convenience of 24-hour home shopping and the access to a truly global marketplace.

With the technology in place, the retailers switched on, and the consumers logged on, the opportunities are endless.

* Michael McMeekin is managing director of Wisdom IT. Log on to www.wisdomit.co.uk

Published: 19/07/2005