WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 1999 -- Consumers aren't in the market for excuses as the holiday shopping season comes to the Web.

Poor customer service, inventory problems and sluggish Web sites are no longer acceptable in the highly competitive retail market, Nielsen/NetRatings Vice President Allen Weiner said in a CBS MarketWatch.com interview.

"This is now ground zero for e-commerce, to show people it works," Weiner said.  He called it "the season of no more excuses."

Weiner said "pure" Internet companies no longer have the field to themselves.  Traditional retailers like Circuit City and Toys 'R Us are increasingly playing to the strengths of the Web and providing "seamless" service while spreading marketing costs across the stores and the Web.

As traditional retailers learn to integrate their brick-and-mortar and Web operations to speed deliveries and expedite repair and return services they may begin to pull ahead of the Web-only sites that have had the early advantage, he said.