In spite of what seems to be never-ending gloom and doom about the economy and consumer spending, people seem loathe parting with their credit cards. More than 80 percent of everything bought online is paid for using a credit card and that number is forecast to increase steadily in the coming years. Internet sites with an ecommerce merchant account capability are poised to reap the rewards. While today’s e-shopper is aware of identity fraud and credit card theft, it has not dissuaded them from sitting down at their laptops to do a little shopping, credit card locked and loaded. These days consumers are embracing the speed and convenience of online shopping – so much so that they now look at any e-business that doesn’t have credit card merchant services as less than trustworthy. And with the growing throng of companies competing to offer merchant services, it’s never been a more cost-effective time to add credit card processing to your e-business.