A shopping revolution is taking Sussex by storm as more and more businesses start using the Internet to sell goods and services.

Soon, shopping on the net will be as common as a trip down the high street or local supermarket. Shops ranging from giant chains to individual small producers will be getting in on the act.

Newsquest, which owns the Argus, has set up a nationwide network of virtual malls, called Shoppers' World where on-line shoppers can search for a specific shop or item or simply browse. Each regional Newsquest newspaper has its own virtual mall, in our case the Sussex Mall, so Internet users can choose to shop locally or check what is on offer in other malls as far away as Wiltshire or the Lake District.

There are even special offers available only to Internet customers and some products that cannot be bought in the shops. Over the coming months the Sussex Mall is looking to expand until it rivals the biggest shopping centre in the country.

But unlike conventional shopping there are no long journeys, traffic jams or wasted trips, no crowded changing rooms or parking problems. All you have to do is sit down and og on. Buying and selling on the Internet - or e-commerce - is here to stay. In 1998 on-line sales reached £406 million, double the previous year.

Many Sussex shops, determined to use the new technology to their advantage, are already becoming e-commerce success stories. One of these is Elaine and Paul Davis's Shoreham-based Hi Fi Cables, which has been a massive success since going on-line at www.hificables.co.uk in April last year.

Within 12 hours of the site going live they received an order from Kuwait, showing how an e-commerce site makes a business instantly international. And within three weeks the company received orders worth tens of thousands of pounds.

For smaller businesses, who lack the necessary funds or know-how to set themselves up as "e-tailers", the notion of going on-line might seem daunting. But with Shoppers' World, becoming an on-line trader is much simpler than you think.

Those who set up virtual shops in the Sussex mall will pay absolutely nothing until they start selling items. Only then will they be asked to pay a small percentage of the profits to Newsquest.

The virtual shop will be constructed for free by Newsquest experts.Each Shoppers' World e-tailer can display 200 to 300 different items on the shelves of their virtual store 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Banners advertising Shoppers' World and the individual stores are currently appearing regularly on all Newsquest websites, which include the "Thisis.." regional series, including thisisbrighton.co.uk, thisiseastbourne.co.uk, thisisworthing.co.uk and thisismidsussex.co.uk

The Argus websites had 140,000 page views during January this year - and figures increase every month.

To find out more go to www.shoppersworld.co.uk

Wired Sussex's new publication, E-commerce Know-How, is a layman's guide to on-line retailing for small businesses, costing £9.99, plus p&p. e-mail info@wiredsussex.com or go to www.wiredsussex. com

All you have to do is get in touch with the Argus digital media department and we will do the rest. Retailers who want to become e-tailers should contact Helen Grant on 01273 544404 or Trevor Hogg on 01273 544449.

Logging on

First, go to www.shoppersworld.co.uk

There you can choose whether to browse through one of the regional malls. There are full descriptions and colour pictures of the products. Payment can be made on-line with most credit cards using the latest technology to ensure security.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.