Small- and medium-sized ecommerce retailers in the UK have experienced a 39 percent increase in orders along with 15 percent greater revenue in the second quarter of 2010, according to a study recently conducted by SMB research group Actinic.
While ecommerce companies have benefited greatly from the annual holiday shopping season, some industry experts believe they can use similar tactics to boost sales in the middle of year when some struggle with sales. By employing the aggressive advertising tactics normally associated with November and December, companies can help draw customers.
In its recently released Mobile Access 2010 report, Pew Research found 38 percent of adults who own a mobile device use it as a web browser, which represents a 13 percent increase from the same study conducted in 2009. The survey polled 2,252 adults in the United States by telephone between April 29 and May 30.
The Direct Marketing Association recently reported ecommerce companies can boost branding initiatives by ensuring their social media presence is well-received and unrivaled by competiting companies. A number of recent studies have found branding to be imperative in terms of successful marketing and advertising campaigns, and social media offers a far-reaching, inexpensive method of brand development.
A report recently released by Forbes magazine states ecommerce is likely to receive 8.5 percent of its sales from purchases made on smartphones by 2015. With this is mind, the report states companies such as Amazon can boost their ecommerce performance by establishing virtual storefronts for smartphones and other mobile devices.
A white paper recently released by global business solutions provider CDS states ecommerce companies must maximize their distribution methods in order to excel. Successful ecommerce companies understand there are no limitations to potential customer bases, so offering a number of shipping and payment methods will improve the chances of success.
One aspect of ecommerce many companies don't understand is there are no geographical limitations to the customer base, as anyone can access any website with their web connection. With this in mind, ecommerce-guide.com recently released a number of suggestions aimed at helping ecommerce companies target international customers.
Ecommerce applications running on SaaS platforms have become one of the most successful forms in recent years as companies move into online sales. Most report the benefits of cloud computing, including cost savings and flexibility, have helped employees focus more on driving ecommerce sales without spending time with a difficult ecommerce software.
ShopFactory recently reported a number of small- and medium-sized business owners have turned to ecommerce for the first time to boost lagging sales as the world recovers from the economic recession. A number of these companies view the web and ecommerce in general as the best method of expanding their sales and reaching new customers.
When Spain captured its first World Cup championship on Sunday night in South Africa, it capped off a successful month for ecommerce stores selling world soccer paraphernalia. The event looked very promising for ecommerce companies as May yielded 22 percent greater sales in Europe than the previous May, which many attributed to anticipation for the event.
A number of luxury goods retailers have turned to ecommerce to recoup the sales and revenue they lost during the global economic recession. Despite their success prior to the economic collapse, most luxury retailers resisted the growing ecommerce trend as it rarely yielded particularly large sales for them.
In recent years, ecommerce companies have developed applications to act as virtual storefronts so consumers can make purchases directly from their smartphone. A majority of the applications were designed for Apple's iPhone or various BlackBerry smartphones, however, the growth of phones running on the Android operating system has forced ecommerce companies to design new applications.
A bill currently working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives would no longer allow ecommerce companies to avoid charging a sales tax to customers. The bill would require them to tax customers in accordance with the sales tax rate of the customer's home state, which opponents of the bill and ecommerce experts believe will be difficult to enforce.
A report recently released by AuctionBytes.com found ecommerce companies based on the Gulf Coast of the United States have avoided major effects of the oil spill at Deepwater Horizon. BoatersOnTop.com, an ecommerce retailer, has reported that while sales have fallen as a result of the spill, they are not likely to suffer the results some expected.
According to iStockAnalyst.com, the adoption of the iPad and other modern tablet devices will have major effects on the marketing practices of ecommerce marketing teams at online companies of all sizes. With SaaS applications acting as the primary software for for these devices, companies will likely find themselves marketing their apps rather than their products.
After announcing last week that its new SaaS application Chatter had already attracted 6,000 customers, Salesforce.com said today it had reached 10,000 users with its popular application designed to resemble popular social networking websites.
Barnes & Noble has experienced a sales increase in the first quarter of 2010, which the company has attributed directly to an increased focus on ecommerce and the rise in use of eBooks, according to Media Bistro. Barnes & Noble also reported the increase represented a 19-percent rise in sales from the final three months of 2009, Media Bisto relays.
A new report recently released by Practical eCommerce states many small business' ecommerce websites should consider online backup as a top priority in the future. As these websites store more and more information about their customers, it is imperative they back the information up to prevent data loss.
Walmart has altered its approach to ecommerce to leverage its growth to boost its revenue. As part of the move, the Wall Street Journal recently reported Walmart has moved Eduardo Castro-Wright from head of ecommerce operations in the U.S. to global ecommerce.
Companies specializing in SEO consulting and advising have experienced considerable growth for most of 2010. SEO Services, an advising company in Phoenix, Arizona, recently reported its business had doubled in the first half of 2010 as compared to the first six months of 2009.
Alibaba.com, a global leader in ecommerce solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses recently annouced the acquisition of Vendio, an ecommerce solutions provider allowing SMBs to manage sales across multiple platforms.
A recently released report from Practical eCommerce found the two biggest guidelines for the creation of ecommerce websites are to the keep page simple and update it regularly.
A report recently released by IMRG and Capgemini found that the number of purchases made on ecommerce websites has increased by 25 percent in May 2010, according to BluHalo. The numbers reported were the highest they have been since June 2008, before the global economic recession was in its worst days.
Companies that have started their relationship with cloud computing through a series of small projects have found it easier to make larger implementations down the road, according to Network World.
Shop.org and ForSee Results recently announced they will soon open a think tank aimed specifically at analyzing ecommerce data to provide valuable insight for newcomers and experienced members of the industry.
InterCall recently announced the development of an ecommerce platform designed specifically to help small- and medium-sized businesses looking to move to the web. The company also devised a package that includes conferencing that can help SMBs adopt the same capability as larger companies with greater resources.
The impending release of Apple's iPhone 4G has those ready for an upgrade excited over the capability of the company's newest smartphone. According to ZippyCart, it has also ecommerce companies prepared to unleash a series of new SaaS applications designed to connect them directly with their customers.
As the global economy recovers and companies plan to spend more money, Salesforce.com plans to leverage this trend by hiring more sales staff. Salesforce.com chief financial officer Graham Smith said at the annual shareholders' meeting that the company has redirected funds toward hiring and is making aggressive pushes throughout the U.S. to hire more salespeople, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In years past, an in-depth product inventory was all companies really needed to experience ecommerce success. According to ZippyCart, the growth of search-engine optimization and increased knowledge of the web among average Americans has made it important for ecommerce companies to market their products well with original content.
Manufacturers that target retailers using ecommerce will be more successful in recovering from the global economic recession than those that rely solely on traditional methods, according to a study recently released by IDC.
Demandware recently announced the development of its seasonal ecommerce platform for summer 2010, which is the latest update for the company's clients. Current customers will receive the update automatically, including all 40 new features aimed at boosting ecommerce sales and capability.
Companies that offer their most frequent customers discounts or other offers for their loyalty are likely to see better overall sales figures, according to E-CommerceGuide.com.
Ovum Analysts, in conjunction with Verdict Research, recently released a study that found mobile ecommerce will double in the UK by 2013. Currently, 2.1 percent of adults in the UK use smartphones to browse and purchase items from ecommerce companies[,] and the ease of making purchases from the mobile storefronts has led to the increased use.
The slow migration of many small businesses to the web has made the next 10 years a critical juncture for the economic future in both the United States and Europe, according to RetailMoves.com. As more companies turn to ecommerce to improve sales and expand their customer base, it's imperative for them to develop new innovations within the retail industry to succeed.
MasterCard recently announced that it has released a new SaaS application, MoneySend, that allows cardholders to transfer funds using their Apple iPhone or iPad. The program is available for free on either platform, and the company believes it will help its customers manage their finances better.
Small businesses do not properly leverage the expansion of the internet and the ecommerce market to improve the growth of their company, according to the Irish Times. While the story deals specifically with Ireland, David Curtin, chief executive of IE Domain Registry, reports that small businesses in general leave a lot of money on the table by failing to establish a web presence.
The success of Groupon, a service that offers discounted prices for products or services in a certain city, depending on the number of those interested, has led eBay CEO John Donahoe to consider a similar business plan, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Several small business have reported increased ecommerce sales after leveraging new tools on popular social networking websites like Facebook, according to the Wall Street Journal. Guitar Syndicate, a small company that sells instruments and music paraphernalia, reports that its Facebook presence has boosted sales by 17 percent.
Etelos and Yahoo recently announced that Etelos will become a reseller of Yahoo's small business ecommerce development tools. The move comes as more small businesses in the United States look to the web to improve their sales and brand recognition with a reliable, high-performance website.
The staff at Apple recently selected fflap, a SaaS application that combines social networking with ecommerce, as a must-have product in the software's first week of availability. The iPhone version of the program, ifflap, helps iPhone users keep track of eBay postings on their mobile phone.
Pure eCommerce recently announced that it will begin selling a line of organic and eco-friendly products as part of the company's plan to promote sustainability in the business world. The company cited an increased demand for natural products, specifically in households with small children and pets.
As more companies commit to the growth of their own ecommerce presence, many are starting to realize that they need a similar approach to Facebook, according to Practical eCommerce. With the growth of Facebook as an ecommerce tool, there are a series of applications that have become business-critical tools for organizations that use the popular social networking website.
EMarketer recently reported that ecommerce websites have started leveraging the constantly growing capability of websites to support video as a way to improve their own marketing and visibility. Demonstrating the uses of a product or placing commercials on a website increases the likelihood of a sales, according to eMarketer's study.
A report recently released by comScore found that ecommerce spending in the United States rose by 10 percent in the first quarter of 2010, compared to the first quarter of 2010. Americans spent nearly $34 billion on the web in the year's first three months compared to just over $31 billion during the same time last year.
Rakuten, a Japanese internet group, recently announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire United States-based ecommerce company Buy.com for a reported $250 million. The move is especially important for Rakuten because it provides its first direct-to-customer platform, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Ecommerce sales in the United States grew for the second consecutive quarter as the nation's economy continues its recovery, according to a report recently released by the United States Department of Commerce. Ecommerce retail sales grew by 14.3 percent in the first quarter of 2010 after rising 14.6 percent in the final quarter of 2009.
Facebook ecommerce application Payvment recently received $1.5 million in funding from BlueRun Ventures and angel investor Dave McClure. The application provides companies with tools to create a virtual storefront directly on their Facebook page rather than linking them back to the company's website.
The market for the buying and selling of small- to medium-sized ecommerce businesses has improved, BizBuySell.com general manager Mike Handelsman said in an interview with Practical eCommerce. As the economy recovers in the early stages of 2010, Handelsman believes that former employees of larger ecommerce firms and successful small ecommerce company owners are the most likely people to buy these ecommerce companies.
AmeriCommerce, a full-service ecommerce solution provider founded in 2000, recently announced that it had received a CODiE award for the best ecommerce software. The CODiE awards recognize companies that develop innovative technology in several industries.
Premera Companies in Washington, Oregon and Alaska have licensed eHealth to manage their ecommerce sales of medical supplements, the company recently announced. eHealth's ecommerce On Demand technology provides health insurance companies with SaaS solutions designed specifically for the industry.
A recent survey conducted by Practical eCommerce found that 95 percent of businesses believe that SEO is a crucial aspect of ecommerce success, according to RICG. Without SEO, organizations will struggle to draw both impulse online shoppers and those who use search engines to find the best prices for planned online purchases.
Small business owners looking to develop a web presence in hopes of leveraging the growing popularity of ecommerce have used Apples 2 Apples, a Colorado-based web development agency, to implement ecommerce applications.
With the methods of reaching customer expanding rapidly, ecommerce companies must learn to leverage all of them by integrating numerous platforms into their marketing plan, according to OnWindows.com. Customers know that ecommerce provides them options that they've never had before, so appealing to them on multiple channels is the best way to boost sales.
eBay and Young Bae Ku, founder of South Korea's largest online market Gmarket, recently announced a joint venture to expand Gmarket's market in both Japan and Singapore. eBay acquired Gmarket in 2009, and the companies believe that increasing business throughout Asia is crucial to maintaining their place as the ecommerce industry's most valuable partnership.
There was no question that Google was going to make a move into ecommerce at some point. However, with the February hire of Stephanie Tilenius, a former senior vice president at eBay, the company seems poised to make a major splash in the ecommerce industry as it did as a search engine, cloud computing vendor and planned broadband service provider.
BigCommerce, a leading provider of ecommerce solutions to small businesses, recently announced that its new SocialShop application has been deployed by 20 percent of its clients and all of them have reported substantial traffic increases since making the move. The program allows merchants to sell their products directly from their Facebook page.
According to a survey recently conducted by the e-tailing group, 59 percent of major retailers plan to increase their ecommerce budgets in 2010 to turn increased online shopping into better sales. The 9th annual Merchant Survey polled 152 merchants on 45 questions in the first quarter of 2010 on their plans and goals for the remainder of the year.
More than 50 percent of adults in the United Kingdom regularly used ecommerce websites in the first quarter of 2010, according to the first British Population Survey E-Shopping Report conducted by IMRG. The company believes it is an especially important result because it is the first time ecommerce use has broken 50 percent of the population.
Nearly 60 percent of major retailers plan to invest more money into their ecommerce operations and web presence in 2010 than they did in 2009, as the ninth annual Merchant Survey conducted by the e-tailing group found that most companies with major spending increases. Most expect that the growth will be by about 15 percent, while others place it at a more modest 5 percent compared to 2009.
Global credit card company Visa recently announced its first quarter 2010 earnings stood at $2 billion, which is a 19 percent increase over the same time in 2009. The company also announced that its pending acquisition of ecommerce solutions vendor CyberSource is part of the reason it expects to continue growth throughout 2010.
Craft hobby retailer Michaels recently announced that it has hired Demandware to handle its ecommerce operations as the company attempts to reconfigure and expand its web presence. The initial steps in the process will include an entire website redesign and branding program.
Von Maur, a department store operator in the Midwestern United States, recently announced that it has hired Kiva to improve its warehouse operations and overall ecommerce needs. Kiva specializes in improving the order fufillment needs of organizations that hope to augment their ecommerce sales.
There are a number of ways to effectively market a company using the web. One of the best, according to Drop Ship Access, is through email marketing. The company cites a report from Internet Retailer that finds all of the top 20 ecommerce websites use email marketing. Four of them, including the No. 1 company, sent email marketing blasts at least 20 times per month.
The Los Angeles Times recently announced that it will adopt a program established by the Chicago Tribune and place ecommerce links into the text of stories, according to LAObserved.com. The move is part of the company's plan to improve revenue generated from its website as the demand for newspapers continues to fall.
Part of the reason ecommerce has become such a lucrative industry is because it allows businesses to reach people all around the world. Even the smallest ecommerce websites can reach the other side of the world with a few strategically placed advertisements. To encourage international business, Drop Ship Access reports that ecommerce websites must attempt to improve their currency conversion rate.
Companies hoping to capitalize on the growth of the ecommerce market must understand that no matter how strong their product is, they must develop a website that captures the customer's eye and encourages them to make a purchase, according to Drop Ship Access.
Consumers like ecommerce shopping because of the convenience it allows them. There are no long waiting lines or rush-hour commutes involved, so eliminating any other hassles related to the buying process will make it even easier for businesses to have success. One way to do that is to install an internal search feature on a website that is reliable and customizable, according to Drop Ship Access.
Ecommerce companies looking to experience success must understand that people shopping online are hesitant to buy anything from a website even if they know it is a reputable company. The most important aspect of an company's web-based storefront is conveying a sense of trust with customers, according to Drop Ship Access.
Luxury goods manufacturer and seller Gucci Group recently announced that it has selected Demandware to handle the company's planned ecommerce expansion. The primary targets of the company's planned ecommerce initiatives are web users in both the United States and Europe.
Amazon.com, the retail and cloud computing giant, recently released its financial statement for the first quarter of 2010, and it reported that sales greatly increased over the first quarter of 2009. CEO Jeffrey Bezos cited the popularity of the company's book tablet, the Kindle, as one of the primary factors in its success.
Leading SaaS vendor Salesforce.com and cloud-based business directory Jigsaw.com recently announced that Salesforce has purchased Jigsaw for $142 million. The deal will be finalized in the second quarter of 2011 as both companies adhere to closing conditions of the agreement.
Arrow Electronics recently announced a pair of acquisition of agreements which will likely improve the company's ecommerce presence and its brand visibility. The companies, Verical and Converge, both provide Arrow with information that will help it lure more customers in two very different ways.
Visa recently announced that it will acquire CyberSource, an ecommerce payment solution provider, in hopes of improving its ecommerce presence. CyberSource was as especially attractive option because of its dedication to web security and ecommerce integration along with its advanced payment options.
Salesforce.com platform sales engineer Clayton Brown told Computer World Australia that the most important thing for cloud computing vendors is multi-tenancy. Brown believes that cloud computing must be public, scalable and reach as many customers as possible to succeed like it has the potential to.
Facebook ecommerce platform Payvment, which allows businesses to make offers to users that become fans of their page, launched on April 20. When users "Like" their page or become a fan of it, businesses can instantly send them coupons or provide them exclusive offers for online shopping.
O.C. Beverages recently announced that it has developed an ecommerce presence to help customers that are unable to purchase its products in area stores. The company sells bottled water, flavor-enhanced water and teas that promote health and good living.
Ecommerce companies that regularly update and maintain a blog are likely to experience improved sales, according to Drop Ship Access. The growing importance of SEO in web presence and visibility makes keeping a blog an easy way to attract new customers and interact with loyal customers.
Between caring for eight-year-old twins and running a household, Kara English had enough to occupy her time. She wanted a little more, though. While helping a friend sell homemade candles, English realized that creating a website to sell the products to people throughout the world was an easy way to earn some money and provide an outlet from her responsibilities as a mother.
SpendingPulse, a market advisory firm for MasterCard, reported that while spending has increased from March 2009, overall spending is still down from March 2008. Luxury shopping and ecommerce demonstrated the largest growth in the last 12 months, and trends indicate that the totals will continue to increase.
Ecommerce companies in the United States fail to take advantage of SEO techniques that drive pages views and lead to sales. A report recently released by Conductor reports that among the top 500 ecommerce firms based in the U.S., the average grade for their use of SEO was a D.
Consumers are increasingly less likely to let a difference in in-store and ecommerce prices affect their purchase, Forrester recently found in a study. The market research firm found that consumers generally understand the need for differing prices; the news is important for companies that have struggled to find a price that is both cost-effective for them and attractive to consumers across both channels.
Bidz.com, one of the largest jewelry vendors on the web, and CDC software recently announced a partnership that will allow Bidz to leverage CDC's industry-leading cloud-based ecommerce platforms to improve its website performance.
Ecommerce businesses hoping for a new option to process payments found one recently when Adyen announced its newest release, according to Benzinga. The company also recently announced an expanded effort to sign American companies as clients after becoming the leading provider of ecommerce payment solutions in Europe.
Among the ecommerce companies that enjoyed the most success in late 2009 and the earliest stages of 2010, social media was a primary tool in digital marketing, according to AdvanSys. The usual procedure of posting product offerings on Facebook and Twitter was effective for these businesses, but they also use blogs to discuss products at length and deal directly with potential customers.
The United States 2nd Court of Appeals ruled earlier this week that ecommerce giant eBay was not in violation of copyright law because thousands of counterfeit pieces of jewelry bearing the Tiffany's logo were sold on the website, according to Ecommerce-Guide.com.
More Americans spend money online to purchase clothes than ever before. With that in mind, ecommerce giant eBay announced its Fashion Vault feature, which aggregates its clothing options and allows customers to search the website for clothing faster, according to ZippyCart.
Despite losses last week, stock of ecommerce companies are still considered good investments and will continue to rise throughout 2010, according to InternetRetailer.com. For the year, the Online Retail Index is up 8.3 percent as compared to the Dow Jones, which has swelled 4.3 percent in the same time period.
Ecommerce company Esurance recently announced that it has been named one of the best places to work in Florida by the St. Petersburg Times. The newspaper conducted a survey of 111 companies; it targeted only non-managerial employees to properly gauge a businesses commitment to employees.
Citing an overall increase in sales and pressure from its 3,000 largest sellers, eBay recently announced that expansion to target overseas consumers is part of its major plans for 2010, according ITWire.com.
It's not surprising that millenials, defined as anyone born between 1977 and 1994, are the most frequent online shoppers. However, a recent survey conducted Nielsen found that millenials in general do not enjoy shopping at all. They also use lists the most, but still report the most unplanned purchasing.
A policy that requires people hoping to sell goods using ecommerce giant eBay to verify their identity using a telephone has the company facing a lawsuit. A deaf woman who found several rare books in her home attempted to sell them on eBay but was unable to do so because of her disability.
Columbia Sportswear, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, recently announced that it has launched a mobile storefront that will allow customers to access the company's website and makes purchases from their mobile phones. Demandware, an on-demand ecommerce company, created the application for Columbia.
There really is no dollar on the web that cyber criminals haven't thought about stealing. The money spent on ecommerce sites and the customer information available are the primary motives for distributed denial of services attacks, according to PracticalEcommerce.com.
Demonstrating the ability to reduce costs with a product is the best way for an organization specializing in business-to-business sales to transform a strong social media presence into real dollars, according to WebProNews.
American businesses looking to increase online sales have a new weapon at their disposal, according to WebProNews.com. Many businesses have started posting product offerings on their Facebook pages, and the social networking giant will soon allow for purchases to be made directly on their site.
The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation recently reported that ecommerce grew more than 400 percent from January 2000 to December 2009. At the beginning of the decade, ecommerce sales resulted in less than 1 percent of dollars spent by Americans. By the end of 2009, ecommerce accounted for more than 4 percent of total consumer sales in the United States.
While it's clear that the medical world has struggled to adopt certain technologies in their record keeping practices, InterentAdSales.com recently reported that 95 percent of acute-care hospitals rely on ecommerce to purchase medical devices and surgical supply.
On Sunday, March 21, GSI Commerce CEO Michael Rubin appeared on the CBS program Undercover Boss, where he played an entry-level employee working during the holiday shopping season. Rubin's appearance on the program shows him working as a call center operator and a storeroom worker.
A new system allows customers to make purchases by taking a photo of a bar code with their iPhone and sending it to MoBee, the company that developed the system. The process, which was developed to add another point of sale for companies, is also expected to help small businesses without websites that publish advertisements in local publications, according to TMCNet.com.
Soren von Varchmin, vice president of ePages - a provider of web space and ecommerce solutions for small businesses - reported on Thursday that 89 percent of small business in Germany do not sell their products online. The comment, which von Varchmin made during a speech at WebHostingDay 2010 in Germany, displays the hesitance and unwillingness of organizations to move online, according to Web Host Industry Review.
The Federal Communications Commission announced its intention to expand high-speed internet access throughout the United States on Wednesday morning in the National Broadband Plan. According to Internet Retailer, the increased availability of high-speed internet will aid ecommerce on two fronts.
Retailers in the UK are struggling to keep up with competitors from overseas in terms of ecommerce, according to Finlay Clark, a retail strategist for digital marketing company bigmouthmedia, as reported by Quest.
The search engine and cloud computing giant Google recently announced the opening of its cloud computing applications marketplace. The products available are designed to make companies more flexible within the cloud. The applications offered range from calendars that customers can view and use to request appointments to eFax.
The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation recently reported that ecommerce grew by more than 400 percent in the United States from 2000 to 2009. At the beginning of the decade, it accounted for roughly 1 percent of sales in the U.S. By the end of 2009, nearly 4 percent of consumers' sales were on the internet.
Internet access in the small African nation of Zimbabwe is hardly adequate, but small business owners are cosidering ecommerce as internet access in the nation slowly develops, according to the Ecommerce Journal.
Businesses in Madagascar are considering developing ecommerce platforms to improve sales and help the small nation's struggling economy, according to the Jakarta Post. In recent months, mobile networks have expanded to cover 90 percent of the nation while only 14 percent of the country must rely on fixed land lines.
Ecommerce companies most frequently use Facebook and Twitter in their digital marketing campaigns rather than other popular social networking sites such as MySpace, according to the Wall Street Journal. Even as average time spent using Facebook and Twitter has fallen in recent months, the sites continue to grow in terms of total users and the demographics of users.
The increased use of ecommerce in China has led certain political leaders to consider implementing taxes on the companies who start businesses and sell items online, according to People's Daily Online.
Forrester Research, an independent research company, expects ecommerce sales in the United States to compound annually by 10 percent until 2014. At that point, sales will likely reach $250 billion spent per year.
Citing unprecedented losses in 2009, the United States Postal Service has considered reducing its delivery to a five-day week, eliminating its Saturday service. The potential redaction of Saturday service would extend delivery periods by one full day, which is likely to prevent consumers from making certain purchases, according to AuctionBytes.com.
Though Facebook began as a free social network, but since becoming profitable in 2009 due to advertising revenue, the site has begun a slow trajectory toward ecommerce. Advertising Age recently reported on Facebook's sales-oriented updates.
Smartphone shopping is a rapidly expanding form of ecommerce for many online merchants. But another, rarely addressed capability of the mobile commerce is person-to-person sales.
Any internet user has experienced frustration with poorly designed web services. A new study has found that these types of experiences have the potential to negatively affect ecommerce, suggesting that merchants may do well to evaluate the clarity of online shopping procedures.
One advantage to ecommerce is its ability to track consumer activity and target marketing directly to individual customers. New analysis finds that in spite of some discomfort with the process on the part of customers with privacy concerns, use of the practice is expected to increase in the near future.
Global exchange is a powerful step for the world economy, but is also not without risks. Though the threat of fraud has made some ecommerce merchants and analysts cautious in the past, new data shows that ecommerce has met the challenge and developed its reach throughout the world.
Consumer demand for convenience in ecommerce has led to startling growth in mobile phone shopping. ABI Research has recently released a mobile commerce study showing that shopping on smartphones is rapidly becoming a significant segment of ecommerce in general.
Though some analysts have questioned the ability of online shopping to match consumer habits applicable to store-based retail, ecommerce has proved itself up to the challenge. In a striking new example, recent data shows that digital coupon use is not only thriving online, it is overtaking its print equivalent.
With unemployment still high, the American retail economy has taken some blows over the past couple years. However, judging by customer sentiments towards ecommerce, the consumer economy may be headed for brighter days on the web.
Ecommerce looks more and more like real-world retail in many ways, but new technology can bring new uncertainties. For example, what do customers want from ecommerce customer service? A new report from Genesys contributes some answers.
Local stores have always had the advantage of knowing their customers, whether in the literal sense of the neighborhood shop, or in general awareness of the area's demographic makeup. This kind of hands-on service may not have seemed possible in ecommerce, but a new Nielsen report suggests that it is.
Ecommerce is gradually catching up to brick and mortar retail as more vendors are able to offer free and quick shipping. But another form of ecommerce takes place wholly electronically, with sales of online content and digital downloads. The question is, are consumers willing to pay for products that don't physically exist?
User-generated content can be a gamble - there is always the risk of negative or abusive comments, while spamming is, as with most network-oriented media, a frequent concern. But new data from Search Engine Land shows that the payoff for user generated content in terms of search engine optimization may make it worthwhile.
Ecommerce, like most forms of retail, took a hit during the economic downturn. But comScore's recently released fourth quarter 2009 sales estimates report finds that total online retail spending is up 3 percent from 2008, reaching $39 billion in total.
Deutsche Card Services, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank, released a recent study showing that women have become the predominant ecommerce customers in Europe. Women initiated more than 60 percent of overall transactions in European online stores.
The recession may have held back ecommerce to an extent, but a comScore report finds that 2009 was a year of further integration of the internet into the activity of consumers and businesses.
A recent study by Wunderman, BrandAsset Consulting, ZAAZ and Compete shows that ecommerce is as influenced by its setting as mall shopping. The locations in question? Search engines.
Though personalized product recommendations are an increasingly important part of ecommerce, customers are not impressed. According to a survey by recommendation service provider ChoiceStream, 59 percent of online shoppers reported receiving poor quality recommendations in 2009 - a 31 percent increase from 2008.
Japanese ecommerce operator Rakuten and Chinese search engine Baidu.com have announced a joint venture to establish an integrated B2C online shopping mall, according to Chinese news website People's Daily Online. This investment will total approximately 4.3 billion yen over the next three years.
A study by Eyeblaster Research finds that online holiday shoppers retain many of the same behaviors that typify shoppers at brick-and-mortar retailers.
Apple's new tablet device has been the subject of seemingly ceaseless buzz, but a piece at Zippyzcart.com points out that its potential application to ecommerce has been largely overlooked.
The new Apple tablet computer could make a major impact on ecommerce by allowing media companies such as Time magazine and the New York Times to place their content behind a pay wall, one ecommerce consultant wrote in a recent blog post.
An Apple spokesman confirmed Sunday that the company acquired SaaS music streaming firm Lala, in what could be the first step toward a new Apple online music or cloud storage service, according to a recent report.
Enterprise cloud computing provider Salesforce.com announced the release Thursday of Kindle and audio versions of chief executive Marc Benioff's book Behind the Cloud.
Enterprise cloud computing company Salesforce.com won four customer relations management awards this week from CRM Magazine for the quality of its CRM suite, as well as the leadership of company founder and chief executive Marc Benioff.
Enterprise software developer CDC acquired Truition, a SaaS ecommerce platform for brand manufacturers and retailers, in a deal the developer said would help complement its on-premise solutions.
Sales performance management software developer Callidus unveiled a new expansion of its suite of SaaS solutions for the Force.com platform this week at Salesforce.com's Dreamforce user and development conference in San Francisco.
Internet search and cloud computing giant Google cut the price of hosted data storage for its Picasa and Gmail applications to $5 per year for 20 gigabytes.
Salesforce.com founder and chief executive Marc Benioff argued in a debate on Tuesday that cloud computing will eventually replace the old model of client/server technology because it offers greater innovation at lower cost and complexity.
Marc Benioff, chief executive of enterprise cloud computing company Salesforce.com, won InternetNews.com's 2009 CEO Vision Award on Tuesday for his company's innovations with the Force.com platform and the service cloud.
Global revenue from SaaS will grow 17.7 percent this year to $7.5 billion, up from $6.8 billion in 2008, according to technology research firm Gartner.
Search engine and web-based service provider Google announced the release of Google Commerce Search on Thursday, a SaaS-based enterprise search application for online retailers and ecommerce websites.
Cloud computing and service oriented architecture developer Vordel announced Thursday the release early next year of Vordel Cloud Service Broker, a solution that aggregates and manages multi-domain services.
Computer networking company Cisco Systems and data storage firm EMC will collaborate to develop new computers, networking gear and storage equipment for use with cloud computing.
Enterprise cloud computing company Salesforce.com announced that its Dreamforce 2009 conference will take place November 17-20 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.
Salesforce.com founder and chief executive Marc Benioff released a new book detailing the rise of his cloud computing business and offering advice for entrepreneurs.
The latest development in the world of ecommerce - building on the increasingly popular mobile commerce sector - is the Monday release of Amazon's Mobile Payments Services (Amazon MPS), which allows developers, third-party merchants and mobile application distributors to process payments from mobile devices using Amazon's 1-Click checkout service.
As many businesses search for ways to reduce their costs and boost their sales, on-demand options such as software-as-a-service (SaaS) have continued to experience strong growth and revenues despite the economic downturn.
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) has become a valuable IT strategy not just for large corporations, but also for small and midsize businesses with ecommerce platforms, according to Internet Retailer.
Following in Wal-Mart's footsteps, Sears recently announced the launch of Sears Marketplace, which will allow third-party merchants to sell their products on Sears' ecommerce platform.
The benefits of cloud computing have not been limited to large corporations - small businesses, entrepreneurs and even the federal government have all seen steadily growing cloud adoption rates.
When retail giant TJX Companies wanted to launch a new ecommerce site, they were concerned about cost-efficiency and deployment time. To address these concerns, the company turned to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform.
There may be a new addition to the cloud computing family of services - with the unveiling of Wal-Mart's Marketplace, which allows third-party retailers to sell off of the Wal-Mart e-commerce platform, the usual categories of software-as-a-service (SaaS), infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) may have to make room for process-as-a-service, or PRaaS.
With the recent outages of Twitter and Gmail raising doubts about the accessibility and reliability of cloud computing solutions, Online Tech has released a multi-probe monitoring service for collocation and dedicated servers to let SaaS ecommerce users know when their server is at risk for an outage.
EDL Consulting, an ecommerce, CRM and business intelligence consulting firm, recently announced the launch of CloudCraze, an ecommerce solution based on a cloud computing platform.
For small businesses that are looking to trim the fat from their budgets due to the economic downturn, one expense they should consider investigating is their wireless cell phone bill.
When launching a revolutionary new website that could change the face of an entire industry, it is no surprise that Buildabrand.com founders Justin Champney and Dave Shanley turned to a similarly innovative technology - cloud computing.
Enterprise cloud computing company Salesforce.com announced this week that it has invested in Practice Fusion, a provider of free web-based physician practice applications.
Video network provider Delve Networks has partnered with Akamai Technologies, a managed services provider for online media, transactions and enterprise applications, to enable cloud-based video publishing and management, the companies announced this week.
As part of a promotion for its line of food, mega-coffee chain Starbucks appears to have gotten some help from Salesforce.com to give out a free pastry to all customers with a coupon who purchased a drink today.
A growing number of companies are using a CRM or sales force automation system to help manage their customer relations, but a new study finds that companies using Salesforce.com are happier with their experience than those using similar tools.
Having a website is critical to building a successful business given the sheer number of consumers that hunt the web for products, research, coupons and directions.
Online shoppers shouldn't be thinking about what goes into managing the virtual storefront associated with their favorite retail brands. Most retailers probably hope that customers are simply enjoying the product selection and able to easily navigate the site.
Virtual storefronts may seem like a common web staple to online shoppers, but they stem from cloud computing technology which is set to leave a lasting impact on the ecommerce scene.
To stay relevant with customers and keep ecommerce interactive experiences cutting-edge, one retailer is turning to cloud computing technology for a boost.
Ensuring the end user of a website is pleased with their overall experience and perhaps more importantly did not suffer any systems disruptions while online is important to many companies with clients using their web portals to gain information or conduct business.
Technology departments in businesses large and small are being forced to make tough decisions about buying new software, hardware and other necessary tools.
Traditional retailers have largely been hard hit with the wrath of the economic storm over the last 12 to 18 months. Some industry experts say multi-channel retailers and online only shops have fared somewhat better given consumers increased time spent on the web.
Consumers are increasingly using the internet to find bargains on shopping, but security experts frequently warn about protecting personal information when using the web.
Some users learning about the benefits of cloud computing are surprised to find out that on-demand solutions can be integrated and deployed relatively quickly. It is commonly cited as one of its top benefits.
Retailers are facing a number of tough challenges in the current economy - most notably a decline in consumer spending - which are having an impact on their bottom line.
An increasingly important goal for retailers is to increase consumer traffic to their websites with many relying on natural search - or search engine optimization - instead of paid search features to draw visitors.
A number of retailers use SaaS solutions to help improve ecommerce sites, to tailor recommendations to shoppers and even to solicit feedback and reviews.
As sluggish sales plague the auto industry, car dealers may be looking for new ways to better serve customers, build brand loyalty and increase marketing effort to reach new buyers.
