eCommerce Merchants Community

Control Your Own Destiny

eBay Ink » post — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:06:15 GMT

Do you have a pen and paper handy? I’ll give you time to find them… OK, make sure the pen works. Now, click on the following media file to listen to a conversation between Randy Smythe of Buy.com & John Lawson of ColderICE.com. THE CONVERSATION Sure, they’re are some moments in the discussion that are less than [...]...(read more)

Keep Information Consistent Across All Selling Channels

Practical eCommerce Podcasts — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:59:11 GMT

To ensure cross-channel consistency, SKUs, prices and product information should be the same online and in-store so they can be treated exactly the same from a fulfillment and service perspective. The result is less work, higher customer satisfaction and a reduced need to develop separate staff or procedures for online sales....(read more)

Facebook Provides Insight Into D.C. Employees' Jobs

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:26:56 GMT

Last week, we reported that Facebook wanted to hire two people in Washington, D.C., and then dissected the official descriptions of the positions as best we could. Still, the bullet points left a lot unclear, so it's noteworthy that Facebook provided some clarifying paragraphs today. Adam Conner was the first member of Facebook's D.C. team, and a post he wrote for the company's internal blog was actually promoted to its public blog this afternoon. Conner - who also deserves applause for...(read more)

The Smythe Files: Randy from Buy.com Drops In For eCommerce Talk

ColderICE eCommerce Video Blog — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:27:24 GMT

Who’s that guy with the reflective shades? Is he a cop? Nope, but he will give you a ticket if you move too slow with your delivery times, LOL. This guy is Randy Smythe and I need to introduce him to some in our audience and reacquaint him to others. Since I got started in [...] Post from: ColderICE eCommerce Video Blog The Smythe Files: Randy from Buy.com Drops In For eCommerce Talk Related posts: Randy Smythe Speaks eCommerce in Buy.com Language Share It is that time again…yeah time...(read more)

YouTube Solicits Ideas For Partner Program

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:11:17 GMT

YouTube Partners are, pretty much by definition, some of YouTube's most important users. They create original content, don't violate copyright laws, and have huge audiences. It makes sense, then, that YouTube is now looking hard for ways to improve its Partner Program. The hunt has taken the form of a crowdsourced project. Just as the Ideas Page for YouTube was created not too long ago for the sake of the whole site, the new Product Ideas Page for the YouTube Partner Program covers this single...(read more)

Google Product Search for Mobile Showing When Items are in Stock

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:20:01 GMT

Users of the mobile version of Google Product Search can now see if items are in stock at a local store from select retailers. These retailers include: Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm. Product listings from these retailers will have blue dots that can be tapped to see an "in stock nearby" link, which takes you to a seller's page where it will either say "in stock" or "limited availability". In addition, these pages will show you how far...(read more)

Unpaid Item Assistant Available to All Sellers Soon

eBay Ink » post — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:12:27 GMT

An update to the eBay Announcement Board went up yesterday afternoon that I wanted to share with folks: Improvements to the process when you open an unpaid item claim manually * If a buyer doesn’t pay and you cancel the transaction, the buyer will no longer be able to pay for the item. [...]...(read more)

Gowalla 2.0 Launches for iPhone

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:43:11 GMT

Gowalla is a service that has been getting a lot of buzz lately. If you're not familiar with it, it's a location-based social networksing service that comes in the form of mobile apps. Gowalla announced today, the availability of Gowalla 2.0 for the iPhone 3G and 3GS platforms. Gowalla highlights the following new features with this version: - Design – Gowalla developers have created a fresh new experience that is more flexible, readable and usable. - Photos – Gowalla 2.0 gives...(read more)

Abercrombie to Vacate 100 Underperforming Stores

Retailer Daily — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:00:41 GMT

Specialty youth apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has identified more than 200 underperforming stores. According to the Wall Street Journal, about half of those stores will have a lease expire in the next three years, at which point Abercrombie will vacate them....(read more)

Google's Blogger Users Can Now Customize Their Designs

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:00:26 GMT

Google has launched the Blogger Template Designer , a way to customize the look and feel of your Blogger blog. "Over the past few years we've worked to scale Blogger and ensure that it is capable of handling hundreds of millions of pageviews per day," Google says. "But we also believe that blogging is about self expression and that an important part of expression is creating a custom design that expresses your unique voice. So last year we started working on a tool that would allow...(read more)

The sad abandonment of online shopping carts - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"online retail" - Google News — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:49:55 GMT

The sad abandonment of online shopping carts St. Louis Post-Dispatch OK, I'll admit it right up front: I've abandoned more than my share of shopping carts at various online retail sites without so much as a twinge of ......(read more)

Online retail goods 'less likely to be returned' - Parcel2Go

"online retail" - Google News — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:49:51 GMT

Online retail goods 'less likely to be returned' Parcel2Go Consumers who purchase goods via online retail are less likely to return them, new research has found. A survey by the Department for Business, ......(read more)

Ann McBrien Joins Michelle's Miracle Board

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:22:00 GMT

LELAND, Mich., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelle's Miracle, Inc. the leading provider of tart cherry nutraceutical products announced today that Ann E. McBrien, former Vice President of CBD Global Healthcare at Procter and Gamble, was elected to the Michelle's Miracle board of directors. "Ann is an...(read more)

Target Offers Scannable Mobile Coupons

Retailer Daily — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:02:08 GMT

Discount retailer Target is entering the increasingly crowded retail mobile coupon arena. Target is launching a new national mobile coupon program that allows customers to receive mobile coupons directly on their mobile phones and redeem them by scanning a barcode at checkout....(read more)

buySAFE, Inc. Releases a Breakthrough White Paper that is a Must Read for Every Internet Retailer Interested in Increasing Website Conversion

buySAFE blog — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:55:46 GMT

The Consumer Confidence Problem: Turning Online Shopper Uncertainty into a New Source of Sales and Profits. ARLINGTON, VA (March 11, 2010) — buySAFE, Inc., the leading provider of consumer confidence and website conversion solutions, announced the release of a free white paper that provides new insights into the consumer confidence problem faced by all online retailers: Online shoppers have a confidence problem, which translates into a conversion problem for online merchants. Eliminating consumer...(read more)

Leading eCommerce Retailer EyeBuyDirect Sees Substantial Website Conversion Rate Rise with buySAFE Bonding

buySAFE blog — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:50:28 GMT

ARLINGTON, VA and ONTARIO, CA (February 23, 2010) — buySAFE Bonding increased web site conversion by nearly 10% for EyeBuyDirect.com, a 2010 Internet Retailer "Hot 100" Merchant and leading provider of prescription and non-prescription frames, lens and other eyewear, during a recent A/B website conversion test. EyeBuyDirect recently conducted an A/B website conversion impact test to measure the conversion and financial impact of using the buySAFE solution. The test was conducted over a...(read more)

Twitter Changes the Update Button to "Tweet"

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:48:07 GMT

When Twitter users go to post a new tweet, they have in the past used a button that says "update" (at least from Twitter.com...that varies when you get into all the different apps Twitter users use). Now, that button says "Tweet". We're not sure exactly when the change was made, but it appears to have been very recently, as there is quite an outpour of Tweets from users mentioning that they are now seeing the "tweet" button. Perhaps this is Twitter way of asserting...(read more)

Twitter Location Features Rolling Out

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:21:10 GMT

Last fall, Twitter started including geolocation information in its API, but it was not available through Twitter.com. That appears to be in the process of changing now. This week, Twitter has been rolling out (it appears to still be in the process) geolocation info on tweets at Twitter.com. Various reports from users have been circulating, with those who have access to the feature pointing to a little blue icon by the tweet source on individual tweets, which when clicked, shows location information...(read more)

Street View Nears Omniscience In The UK

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:09:59 GMT

Pick a road, any road. So long as it's in the UK, there's a good chance Google will be able to provide you with pictures taken from it. Today, the search giant made much more Street View imagery available, meaning its photographs now cover about 238,000 miles - or 96 percent - of British roads. The figure below tells most of the story if those numbers don't do it for you. As you can see, just about every street in the UK has been navigated by camera-equipped cars (along with an assortment...(read more)

Three Days in San Francisco: Innovate ‘10 Recap

Shop.org Blog — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:54:26 GMT

It’s been a week since digital commerce and advertising executives descended on San Francisco for the inaugural (and sold out) Retail Innovation & Marketing Conference. It was a whirlwind, but boy, did we learn a lot. First up, one of the hottest topics to hit retail in many years: Mobile. We kicked off our time in [...]...(read more)

Motorola Goes Bing on Android-Based Devices

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:19:50 GMT

Motorola has announced a "global" alliance with Microsoft, which will see Bing used as the default search engine on Motorola Android-based devices. The move begins in China, where obviously there is some turmoil between Google and that country , but again, this is being called a "global" alliance that is "launching" in China. Motorola says that users will get a pre-loaded Bing bookmark on their mobile browser, and an enhanced search widget with Bing integration, though...(read more)

Accessibility Review: Target.com

Practical eCommerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:14:43 GMT

Target.com is well known in the world of web accessibility. It was sued in 2006 by the National Federation of the Blind, Bruce F. Sexton, Jr., and the National Federation of the Blind of California because its website was not accessible to visually impaired shoppers. The lawsuit was ultimately settled in 2009, and Target Corporation was required to make its website accessible to the blind. How Target.com Fares Today In February 2010, the National Federation of the Blind granted Target.com “Nonvisual...(read more)

Critical: Improve Your Mobile Search and Advertising Strategy

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:54:56 GMT

A Google exec recently said , "In three years' time, desktops will be irrelevant." That's debatable, but there's no question that mobile use will have grown much more than it already has. Based on comments in a recent keynote , Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer doesn't seem to think PC use is going to drop too much, but he did say, "Mobile queries are just going to keep going up and up and up." Do you think desktops will be irrelevant in 3 years? Share your thoughts...(read more)

Developing a Web-to-Store Strategy - PR-USA.net (press release)

"online retail" - Google News — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:53:02 GMT

Developing a Web-to-Store Strategy PR-USA.net (press release) Online retail shopping is transforming the way in which consumers purchase products and goods. Why is Web2Store important to a retailer's "bricks & mortar" ......(read more)

FTC Takes Closer Look At Google's AdMob Deal

WebProNews Feed — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:45:10 GMT

The "Facts about Google's acquisition of AdMob" page Google established in November of last year apparently hasn't satisfied the Federal Trade Commission's curiosity. A fresh report indicates that the FTC has stepped up its investigation of the deal by seeking sworn declarations from third parties. This isn't a good sign for Google. Todd Shields and Dina Bass heard about the FTC's move from "people with direct knowledge of the matter," so the affair appears...(read more)

‘The Daily Wrap:’ Amazon, Sears, Gymboree

Retailer Daily — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:29:17 GMT

Amazon Confirms 1-Click Patent Following a four-year re-examination, the U.S. Patent Office is confirming online retailer Amazon.com’s patent on its single-click purchase technology. The patent, set to expire in 2017, has been challenged by multiple parties since it was initially filed in 1997. Source: TechFlash...(read more)

UK Mail Signs Agreement With Royal Mail - Hell Mail

"online retail" - Google News — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:21:22 GMT

Mirror.co.uk (blog) UK Mail Signs Agreement With Royal Mail Hell Mail Recession, aside online retail is a rising phenomenon with sales growing at a rate of 12% in 2010 and online shopping accounting for around 10% of all ... PAY RISE AND BONUSES FOR STRIKING POSTMEN UK Express all 157 news articles »...(read more)

Research – tax refund spending plans

Shop.org Blog — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:20:16 GMT

If you didn’t see it last week, do check out some brand new information about consumers and how they plan to file their return and spend (some of) their tax refund this year. Conducted in early February 2010 in partnership with BIGresearch, this NRF consumer survey found that: 61% of US taxpayers expected to file their taxes by the [...]...(read more)

Beyond Commerce, Inc Announces New Website and Business Strategy

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:08:00 GMT

HENDERSON, Nev., March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The newly redesigned website of Beyond Commerce, Inc (OTC Bulletin Board: BYOC) www.beyondcommerce.com is live today on the World Wide Web and provides the latest news and information about the Company, its products and technologies. The new redesi...(read more)

SiteJabber & LegitScript Launch Partnership to Improve Transparency Around Online Pharmacies

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. and SAN FRANCISCO, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- SiteJabber.com, a leading consumer protection service which helps people avoid fraudulent websites and find good sites, and LegitScript.com, the world's largest online pharmacy verification program, have announced a partnership to help Inter...(read more)

Piper Jaffray Maintains an 'Overweight' on eBay (EBAY); PayPal & BillMeLater ... - StreetInsider.com (subscription)

"online retail" - Google News — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:46:43 GMT

Piper Jaffray Maintains an 'Overweight' on eBay (EBAY); PayPal & BillMeLater ... StreetInsider.com (subscription) Piper analyst says, "Two months through the March quarter, we are confident that PayPal (37% of total revenue) growth is tracking to plan, based on two data ... and more »...(read more)

Predicted online retail growth likely to benefit media sales jobs market - PFJ Media Recruitment Agency (blog)

"online retail" - Google News — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:31:03 GMT

International Business Times Predicted online retail growth likely to benefit media sales jobs market PFJ Media Recruitment Agency (blog) According to a new report from Forrester Research, online retail sales across the European Union are likely to grow by around 11 per cent between now and ... Online retail poised for double-digit growth in US, Western Europe, says ... Computer Business Review Report: E-Commerce Poised for Double-Digit ... PC Magazine Online Retail Sales: Double-digit annual Growth...(read more)

Planet Payment Announces TSYS Certification of iPAY Gateway

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:23:00 GMT

LONG BEACH, N.Y., March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Planet Payment (LSE: AIM: PPT and PPTR; OTCQX: PLPM), a leading multi-currency and data processor, is pleased to announce that it has completed and received certification of the Company's iPAY® payment gateway on the TSYS Acquiring Solutions...(read more)

ARAcontent Now Preferred Provider of Lifestyle Articles for 1up! Media Web Sites

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:06:00 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- ARAcontent, a leading provider of feature articles to Web sites and newspapers across the country, has reached an agreement with 1up! to become the preferred provider of lifestyle article content for the 1up! network of newspaper and other media Web sites. 1up!...(read more)

Champlain Health Supply Services Selects GHX Connectivity, Software Solutions to Enhance Supply Chain Services for 11 Hospitals

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:24:00 GMT

TORONTO, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Champlain Health Supply Services (CHSS), a newly formed shared service organization that provides integrated supply chain services to 11 hospitals in the greater Ottawa area, has chosen a combination of GHX connectivity and software solutions to increase efficiencie...(read more)

Hitler and Cloud Computing Security

Get Elastic Ecommerce Blog — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:08:25 GMT

Came across this humorous video via Storefront Backtalk. Check out Hitler’s reaction to cloud computing security problems: Can’t see video? View it on Youtube....(read more)

IBM 89 | The #1 Motivator for Achieving Internet Business Success

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:05:38 GMT

Download audio file (IBM089.mp3) In this episode of Internet Business Mastery, We are going to talk about The #1 Motivator for Achieving Internet Business Success. Plus, in the quick tip, we have a resource to help you quickly find broken links on your site. CLICK HERE to get immediate access to your 30 Day, no risk, trial [...] Thank you for subscribing to Internet Business Mastery feed. For instant access to your free audio gift and a risk-free trial of our proven step-by-step program for starting...(read more)

uVuMobile and Sonic Solutions Collaborate on Mobile Video Applications

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:05:00 GMT

ATLANTA, March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- uVuMobile™, Inc. (Pink Sheets: UVUM), a mobility solutions and content aggregator today announced that they are collaborating with and building a number of mobile applications for Sonic Solutions® (Nasdaq: SNIC). The partnership will allow consu...(read more)

Signature Styles Deploys Allurent on Demand to Enhance Its Online Shopping Experiences

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:00:00 GMT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Allurent™, the market leader in powering superior online shopping experiences, today announced that Signature Styles LLC., has deployed Allurent on Demand to create more interactive and engaging shopping experiences on Spiegel.com and NewportNews.com....(read more)

Consumers Look for Voucher Codes for Mother's Day - PR Newswire (press release)

"online retail" - Google News — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:19:55 GMT

Consumers Look for Voucher Codes for Mother's Day PR Newswire (press release) When it comes to holidays and retail events the online retail market sees increased interest and traffic. Both Christmas and Valentines Day saw a jump in ... and more »...(read more)

High Gear Media Launches All-New Used Car Listings Marketplace

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:15:00 GMT

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- High Gear Media, (www.highgearmedia.com), publisher of more premium automotive content than anyone on the Web through websites targeting key buyer and vehicle segments, today announced the addition of all-new auto marketplaces across it's network of leadin...(read more)

Direct Fed Payment Solutions Launches CheckAlt; New Program Providing Businesses a Cost-Effective, Simple, Secure Interface for Electronic Check Processing

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:05:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Fed Payment Solutions today announced a new addition to it's suite of Payment Solutions, CheckAlt, the company's proprietary e-check transaction processor engine that provides the fastest and most secure form of electronic payment for businesses. In addit...(read more)

Two Years and Over 30 Publishing Partners: Seven B2B Publishers join BBN: High Plains Journal, Jobson Optical Group, Journal of Commerce, National Association of Home Builders, MerchantCircle, Stamats Business Media, and Summit Business Media

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost two years after BBN launched in April 2008 with Charter Partners Cygnus Business Media, Nielsen Business Media, Reed Business Media, and The McGraw-Hill Companies, BBN continues to attract a growing list of media companies in the B2B space. With the addit...(read more)

Texas Instruments' technologies and GetFugu mobile applications will change how consumers interact with mobile devices

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT

DALLAS, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- With investments from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) and GetFugu, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: GFGU), the MobileLab research group at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) stands at the forefront of enabling next-generation human device interact...(read more)

Akvelon's New Web Analytics Solution Boosts Large Electronics Retailer's ROI

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:30:00 GMT

BELLEVUE, Wash., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- When a major regional electronics retailer approached Akvelon Inc. with a request for a method to collect real-time statistics on the traffic to its e-commerce portal, it mandated specific constraints: security, technology requirements and cost. Today, Akvel...(read more)

Smart Card Readers Cleaned Quickly and Effectively

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

AUBURN, Maine, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Dirt, oils and other contaminants are introduced into a card reader every time a credit card is inserted. For the read contacts to properly access the smart chip, it is critical that these contaminants are regularly removed to help avoid card reader errors. Th...(read more)

Social Commerce Leader LivingSocial Raises $25 Million Series B Round, Led by U.S. Venture Partners

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:30:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- LivingSocial, the social commerce leader behind LivingSocial Deals and top Facebook applications Visual Bookshelf and Pick Your Five, today announced that it has completed a $25 million Series B round of venture funding led by U.S. Venture Partners, with Grotech...(read more)

The X-Change Corporation Adjusts Strategic Direction

Electronic Commerce — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES, March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The X-Change Corporation (Pink Sheets: XCHC), a multimedia and e-commerce venture serving the diverse and growing Hispanic markets, today announced adjustments in the company's strategic direction. Under the direction of President and Chief Executive...(read more)

links for 2010-03-11

Steve Woda's blog — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:02:04 GMT

Michael Gerson - What happened to Obama's middle path on health reform? - washingtonpost.com Whatever the legislative fate of health reform -- now in the hands of a few besieged House Democrats -- the reformers have failed in their argument. Their proposal has divided Democrats while uniting Republicans, returned American politics to well-worn ideological ruts, employed legislative tactics that smack of corruption, squandered the president's public standing, lowered public regard for Congress...(read more)

Drugstore.com Sees Takeovers After 'Permanent' Consumer Shift - BusinessWeek

"online retail" - Google News — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:21:46 GMT

Drugstore.com Sees Takeovers After 'Permanent' Consumer Shift BusinessWeek Drugstore.com runs online retail sites for those companies and ships products to their customers. The recession changed consumer behavior permanently, ......(read more)