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Lowe's buys online retailer ATG Stores

December 29, 2011

Home improvement retailer Lowe's acquired online retailer ATG Stores, the company said on Dec. 29. Lowe's spokesperson Karen Cobb said the acquisition closed yesterday afternoon but declined to disclose terms.
 

Staples revamps b-to-b e-commerce site, reports net sales increase

November 16, 2011

Staples, Inc. launched a new e-commerce site for its b-to-b division, Staples Advantage, said Laura Brooks, VP of b-to-b e-commerce at Staples. The new site is designed to feature faster and easier search navigation, alternative product recommendations and enhanced site customization, among other changes.
 

Amazon supports, eBay opposes new Internet sales tax bill

November 09, 2011

Senators Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and seven other senators introduced a bill Nov. 9 that would restore each state's sovereign right to enforce state and local sales and use tax laws. The "Marketplace Fairness Act" would also exempt online retailers with less than $500,000 in annual revenue from collecting and remitting sales or use tax.
 

Customer Relationship Mangling: a Netflix case study

October 25, 2011

Netflix loses 800,000 customers and changes its cocky tone.
 

Holiday shoppers to spend less on gifts, more on themselves: NRF

October 19, 2011

Shoppers will spend less money on holiday gifts and seasonal merchandise this year, according to the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2011 "Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey." Shoppers will spend an average of $704.18 this holiday season, a $14 decrease compared with last year, according to the survey.
 

Amazon.com planning e-commerce site relaunch

September 06, 2011

Amazon.com will launch a revamped e-commerce site this fall. The upgraded site will feature enhanced product search and tablet navigation, according to numerous media reports.
 

Orbitz launches Facebook sweepstakes campaign

August 22, 2011

Online travel company Orbitz Worldwide has launched a Facebook sweepstakes to increase consumer participation on its Facebook fan page. Orbitz worked with AOR BBDO and social media agency Socialbomb to create the "Orbitz 50 Faves" sweepstakes.
 

Amazon.com net sales, marketing expenses up

July 26, 2011

Amazon.com reported a net sales increase of 51% in the second quarter to $9.9 billion, compared with the second quarter of 2010. Marketing expenses increased 61.6% to $341 million in Q2 for the Seattle-based e-commerce company.
 

Amazon.com to acquire Book Depository

July 05, 2011

Amazon.com agreed to acquire online bookseller The Book Depository International, a UK-based retailer, on July 4.The Book Depository reported sales of $173.5 million in the 12 months ending in June.
 

Amazon.com, O.co terminate affiliate ad contracts in California

July 01, 2011

Amazon.com and O.co (aka Overstock.com) have canceled their California affiliate advertising contracts as a result of the state's July 1-enacted sales tax law, which requires out-of-state retailers to collect 7.25% base tax on online purchases made by in-state residents.
 

JCPenney Internet sales up in first quarter

May 16, 2011

JCPenney Co. reported May 16 that its Internet sales increased 6.6% to $376 million in the first quarter of 2011, compared with Q1 2010. The Plano, Texas-based company's first quarter net sales increased 0.4% year-over-year to $3.94 billion, and net income increased 6.7% to $64 million in the quarter.
 

Express launches social shopping catalog

May 03, 2011

Multichannel retailer Express launched a commerce tab on its Facebook page on May 3 that enables consumers to browse and make purchases from Express' entire product catalog without leaving the social network.
 

Amazon Q1 sales up, net income down, as marketing expenses balloon

April 26, 2011

Amazon.com net sales increased 38% year-over-year to $9.86 billion in the first quarter of 2011, the company said April 26 in an earnings report. However, net income decreased 33% to $201 million in the quarter, compared with the prior year, as marketing expenses increased by $126 million.
 

1800Mattress.com relaunches e-commerce portal

April 12, 2011

1800Mattress.com launched an updated e-commerce website April 12, with the goal of giving consumers a more interactive and personalized shopping experience. The enhanced site, which allows consumers to create 1800Mattress.com profiles, also features product suggestions based on past browsing history.
 

McCain, Kerry to introduce privacy 'bill of rights'

April 11, 2011

In the latest salvo of the hot-button information privacy issue, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) said April 11 they will introduce a "bill of rights" intended to protect US citizens' personal information both off- and online.
 

Online Easter spending to increase this year: NRF

April 07, 2011

The average online shopper will spend $225 on Easter items this year, about $96 more than offline shoppers, according to a study released by the National Retail Federation on April 7. However, only 14.8% of consumers will make Easter purchases online, according to the survey.
 

EBay to acquire GSI Commerce

March 28, 2011

EBay has agreed to acquire e-commerce and interactive marketing services provider GSI Commerce for approximately $2.4 billion, the companies said March 28. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter.
 

Walgreens acquires Drugstore.com

March 24, 2011

Walgreens has agreed to acquire online pharmacy retailer Drugstore.com for $409 million, the drug store chain said March 24. Drugstore.com will continue to operate independently in the near term. Dawn Lepore, Drugstore.com CEO and chairman, will report directly to Walgreen's president of e-commerce, Sona Chawla.
 

J. Hilburn launches first e-commerce portal

March 23, 2011

Custom clothing company J. Hilburn launched its first e-commerce website on March 23. The site, which the company created in-house, features sophisticated social media and e-mail sharing mechanisms. Prior to the launch, J. Hilburn's products were available exclusively through more than 800 personal style advisors nationwide who would meet with customers to take measurements and provide fashion suggestions.
 

Women more likely to shop, research products online after giving birth: report

March 22, 2011

Women are more likely to begin shopping and researching products online after becoming a parent, according to the findings of Totsy's first annual "Mom Shopping Trends" report.
 

JCPenney's sales increase in 2010 as retailer shifts focus toward e-commerce

February 25, 2011

Retailer JCPenney's 2010 fiscal year net sales increased 1.2% compared with fiscal 2009, the company said February 25. The company's Internet sales increased 4.4% to $1.5 billion in fiscal 2010, compared with the prior fiscal year.
 

Seafood e-commerce: 'Crappie' idea? Or downright 'fintastic?'

February 14, 2011

Should consumers order fish on the Internet? Maybe. Maybe not. But there are purchases we should definitely reserve for offline channels.
 

Amazon holiday sales fuel 36% growth in Q4

January 27, 2011

Amazon.com's fourth-quarter 2010 sales increased 36% year-over-year to $12.95 billion, the company said January 27 in an earnings report. Net income in the quarter, which includes the holiday shopping season, improved by 8% to $416 million, while operating income dropped 2.5% to $494 million, compared with Q4 2009.
 

Cabela's launches redesigned e-commerce site

January 20, 2011

Cabela's, a mail-order, bricks-and-mortar and Internet outdoors outfitter, launched a redesigned website this week. The company's goal is to provide a more personalized and simple user experience on the e-commerce portal. Micros Systems subsidiary Fry Inc. built and designed the site.
 

Buy.com launches Wine.com online store

January 05, 2011

Buy.com, an online retail marketplace, launched a wine store January 5 with fellow Internet retailer Wine.com. The partnership will allow Buy.com to offer about 1,500 new products.
 

Ziff Davis acquires LogicBuy.com

January 04, 2011

Technology media company Ziff Davis acquired LogicBuy.com, a provider of online coupons and deals, on January 4.
 

Buy.com launches shopping app for iPhone

December 20, 2010

Online retailer Buy.com launched an app for Apple's iPhone and iPod mobile devices on December 20. The app uses barcode and voice-recognition technology to help shoppers compare bricks-and-mortar store pricing.
 

Next year's online holiday strategy begins now

Zephrin Lasker, CEO, Pontiflex December 13, 2010

Retailers that started offering online discounts and promotions early are better positioned to grab consumers' attention as more of them shop online and earlier for the holidays.
 

Report: Retail ads perform worse than most other online ads

December 08, 2010

A new study by Dynamic Logic offers several tips for retail marketers on how to deliver effective holiday ads.
 

Analytics experts peer deeper into social to gather timely customer information

Alex Palmer November 01, 2010

A number of technology providers have launched services, or expanded their existing ones, to help marketers sort through it the massive amounts of consumer data generated on a daily basis on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets.