Like most Americans, there has been something missing from my mailbox for months now - countless credit card solicitations.

More consumers will shop online this year for holiday gifts than last year, according to a survey from e-commerce services provider MarketLive and consultancy The E-tailing Group released October 19. Of the 1,000 consumers queried for the 2009 Mindset of a Multi-Channel Shopper Survey, 55% said they plan to do their holiday shopping via the Web this year, compared to 49% last year.

In the ongoing quest to integrate marketing communications, linking mobile phones and social media is the latest frontier. One example is Sweet Leaf Tea. Music festival sponsorships are a big part of the company's marketing strategy.

Online retailers are reporting increased profitability and market-share growth despite the current economic downturn, with the biggest brands performing better than smaller rivals, according to the third report in Shop.org's "State of Online Retailing 2009" series.

Amazon.com on October 15 launched same-day delivery for thousands of items in seven major cities. The online retailer has also expanded its Saturday delivery options.

Luxury intimate apparel company La Perla Fashions Inc. recently launched a new global e-commerce site on the CTS/SELL platform from Createthe Group. La Perla hopes to both acquire new customers and retain existing ones with the revamp. One of its goals is to seamlessly integrate the brand and shopping experience, said James Gardner, CEO and founder of Createthe Group, which is La Perla's interactive agency. Another goal was to be able to provide the same online experience for customers on a global basis.

Wal-Mart will support its recent addition of thousands of personal care products to its online offerings via e-mail marketing and other direct initiatives. In its latest move to expand the selection of products at walmart.com, the company has added health and beauty items, diapers, vitamins and over-the-counter medicine.

Outdoor gear multichannel retailer Cabela's has selected Webtrends as its analytics vendor, replacing Coremetrics. A key factor in Cabela's decision to hire Webtrends was the firm's ability to give the retailer free access to its data through an open API framework.

Security, storage and systems management services provider Symantec is rolling out its own internally developed e-commerce solution. It will not extend its contract with e-commerce solutions provider Digital River beyond its June 30, 2010 expiration.

Twitter will play a larger role in retailers' marketing plans this year than in the past, and not only because the social site is much more prominent than it was last year.