According to market research firm ActivMedia's new report, "Top 100 Retail E-Commerce Websites," the upper half of the top 100 had revenues above $50 million annually, while sites at the bottom of the list reported sales of approximately $12 million.

The Top 100 sites varied widely, and included such diverse industries as books, stocks, travel, computers, auction houses, computer equipment resellers, and entertainment.

"The 'Top of the Top' 100 retail e-commerce sites -- generating over $100 million in online revenues -- outshine their competition in both revenues and site dynamics," said Harry Wolhandler, ActivMedia's vice president of market research.

"A much touted concern over download speed is rebuffed by these findings, and consumers flock to order based on site navigation, product selection and price."

The high-end of the list includes well-known Web-only sites, like Amazon.com, Outpost.com and AutoWeb as well as Dell Computer Corp., Ticketmaster, Egghead.com, Gateway and Walt Disney.

"Every one of the Top 100 finds their sweet spot in the marketing mix, thereby establishing a unique online presence. They tend to stick to their niches, and often use multiple Web sites to address the needs of various markets to better personalize information and sell more effectively," Wolhandler said.

The "Top 100 Retail E-Commerce Websites" study is available for purchase as a single copy for $1,295 or as a multi-user site license for $5,000. It details the leader's strategies, marketing techniques, revenues, site performance statistics (data provided by SiteMetrics), and corporate addresses.