While planned rollouts of Web-based procurement systems continue to grow, many companies are taking a much slower, cautious approach toward selling online.

“The cost and complexity of selling online, even through e-marketplaces, is such that a lot of companies are not in a rush to do it,’’ said Steve Butler, a business analyst at research firm eMarketer.

“Buying online is fairly straightforward, but there is a lot of integration work that has to be done on the sell side.’’

An eMarketer research study reported that 80 percent to 90 percent of companies plan to procure goods and services with their business partners online by 2003. They intend to use a variety of methods, including private exchanges and vertical trading hubs, the report said.