Virtual Main Street: Disney opens an online shopping mall

The Walt Disney Co.’s Disney.com has opened an online shopping mall for Disney licensed retailers, who will sell both Disney-themed and general merchandise. Disney is planning to re-create Main Street USA of its theme parks online at Disney.com/mainstreet. Right now the site features only Disney Main Street shops and Legos, the toy manufacturer, but it is hoping to bring in others, the company says.

Disney.com says 73% of the visitors to its site have made online purchases vs. 47% of the total online population.

"Main Street Merchants creates an environment where Disney shoppers can find a breadth of family-oriented products and gives our advertisers and licensing partners an important new distribution channel," said Ken Goldstein, executive vice president and managing director of Disney Online.

Disney did a soft launch of the e-shopping mall earlier this month and a formal launch today.