In the third quarter of 2009, when retail sales dipped 4 percent across the board, Amazon’s sales increased by 24 percent. Its sales of electronics and general merchandise, which is the most prominent area of competition between Amazon and Walmart, were up 44 percent. And e-commerce is expected to become an increasingly large portion of total retail sales. Some estimates indicate that e-commerce could account for 15 to 20 percent of total retail in the United States within the next decade, as more and more shoppers opt to avoid the hassle of shop- ping at a physical location in favor of shopping online. If this happens, Amazon is in the best posi- tion to benefit. In the meantime, e-commerce has not suffered as much from the recession and is recovering more quickly than traditional retail, giv- ing Walmart more reason for concern.