P&G spokeswoman Tressie Long said the company sees the new online store as more of a “learning lab,” where it can study consumers’ online buying habits, rather than as a direct source of sales growth. P&G, which already sells its products online through the Web sites of such retailers as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., says it will share what it learns with retailers that carry its brands.

P&G’s new “eStore” will start as a pilot using 5,000 consumers in coming days, expanding beyond that user base in the second quarter. There will be a flat US$5 shipping fee for all orders.

Despite P&G’s push into the online medium, sales at traditional retailers will remain key to its business. P&G gets about half a billion dollars in online sales, a fraction of its roughly $79 billion in annual sales. Nielsen estimates online sales of consumer packaged goods including food, beverage, health and beauty aids and household cleaners increased 20% to 25% between 2004 and 2008, hitting roughly $10 billion in 2008.

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