Dell Computers, the $4 million-a-day leader in online computer sales, is planning to increase the proportion of business users buying PCs online. Chief executive officer Mr Michael Dell is quoted in Internet Week magazine as saying he wants online sales to reflect the company's overall sales, where only 12 per cent are to consumers, the rest being to business users. Currently, half of online sales are to consumers.

The company is to target the business user through customised Websites and repair and spare parts services on the Internet. Dell is planning to test a new customised Internet sales specification called Open Buying on the Internet (OBI) over the summer, which is linked to electronic commerce standards.

The company, which employs 2,500 people in Limerick and Wicklow, wants to achieve half its sales online within a couple of years. About 15 per cent of current sales originate online.