A research group has just concluded that e-commerce in the US will most likely climb back to last year’s levels by 2010 after experiencing slowing growth in 2009 due to the recent economic recession. Online sales in 2010 could reach approximately $176.9 billion, representing a 13% growth.

Only last week, the group released other data, stating the online retail channel was expected to grow 11 percent to $156 billion in 2009, below the 13% growth seen in 2008, and the 15 percent one it had earlier predicted for 2009. It’s clear for everyone that the every-day deteriorating economy led to tepid online sales in 2008 as consumers cut back on all but the most necessary of purchases.

Furthermore, online retailers also faced competition from brick-and-mortar establishments that were discounting merchandise, and that’s while giants such as Amazon.com or eBay knew the challenging macroeconomic conditions spooked everyone, including consumers and financial markets around the globe.

However, after acceleration in 2010, the group predicts the growth will slow down, with 10 percent, 9 percent, and 8 percent growth expected for the following three years, respectively. At the same time, e-commerce will pick up a greater piece of overall US retail sales. For now, despite the deceleration in growth, online commerce continues to capture market share from brick-and-mortar stores, given Web shopping’s convenience and the ability for consumers to search for low prices.

It’s interesting to see the not all Internet companies are set to benefit equally, as last month, e-commerce giant eBay posted its first-ever quarterly revenue decline, while Amazon reported a sales surge of 18%. It remains to be seen if the predictions will actually come true.