This month CNN’s technology show Spark takes a closer look at e-shopping and key online players including UK’s supermarket chain Tesco and E-bay in the US, as they override businesses of traditional retailers. With improved online software facilities, multi-channel retailing has become a reality across the Internet.

The show airs on 26 December at 6 pm with a repeat on 1 January 2005 at 5 pm. Hosted by Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, the programme kicks off with analysis on how niche online players are fighting to survive. One Italian online fashion retailer sells end-of-season and exclusive goods from designers such as Armani and Prada, proving e-tailers can succeed internationally. CEO Federico Marchetti tells CNN what he did right and how he is planning to expand virtually.

Additionally, the half-hour show travels to the Australian outback to look at the Anna Creek Station, one of the biggest farms worldwide. Spark examines how solar power and broadband can help run such a massive enterprise with 16 thousand head of cattle.

Finally, CNN looks at the Cybertracker, a new method pioneered in South Africa’s Kruger National Park giving incredible insight into the flora and fauna of the Park as well as environmental trends. This edition of SPARK looks at the success of the Cybertracker and how it is also being used to fight crime.