Despite being the nation’s largest retailer, Walmart still lags behind Amazon and others when it comes to online shopping. The company has spent billions of dollars in just the last year, buying Jet.com and ShoeBuy, so maybe it’s time for Walmart to finally get serious about sorting out e-commerce. [More]
ecommerce
Perhaps You Would Like To Try A 30-Day Trial Of Walmart’s 2-Day Shipping Service
By 6.29.16
Walmart’s ShippingPass service has always been intended as a competitor for Amazon’s Prime membership, and now the program has formally launched to the public. After recently cutting down its shipping window to two days to match its competitor, Walmart is celebrating the public opening by matching Amazon in another way: by offering a 30-day free trial, perhaps hoping that shoppers will come to depend on the service and never want to leave. [More]
This Year’s Avalanche Of Online Orders Won’t Be So Great For Retailers When Everyone Starts Returning Gifts
By 12.30.15
While many retailers were surely over the moon with an increase of online sales this year, that same burst in orders will have one effect that likely won’t make companies happy. Because when it comes time to return gifts purchased online, retailers are often on the hook to cover the costs involved. [More]
Report: Holiday Shoppers Saved So Much On Gas, They Spent 8% More This Year
By 12.28.15
If you felt like you reached into your wallet a few more times this holiday season than last year, or that you were forking over bigger chunks of change, you’re not alone: a new report says retail sales were up 7.9% over 2014’s numbers. [More]
Pinterest Launches “The Pinterest Shop” To Buy All That Stuff You See Pinned
By 11.3.15
With Pinterest’s “buy” buttons now rolling out on the social network’s iOS and Android mobile apps, the company has decided to expand its e-commerce business a bit: launching a new store call The Pinterest Shop. [More]
Apple Eliminates Its Online Store, Moves “Buy” Buttons To Product Pages
By 8.7.15
Before you start to panic at the headline, no, you will not have to physically go to an Apple store to get whatever gadgets your heart desires. Although Apple did remove its online store directory from its previous home of “store.apple.com,” you can still purchase products from the company on the web. It just looks a bit different now. [More]
Twitter Adds “Buy Now” Button For Limited Set Of Musical Artists, Nonprofits And Brands
By 9.8.14
Twitter is dipping its toes in the waters of ecommerce with a new “Buy Now” button rolling out today, and it’s doing so without trying to make a huge splash. The feature will only be available to just 26 handpicked musical artists and nonprofit organizations at the start, and just brands. [More]
Is eBay Purging Small And Medium Sellers? Why?
By 10.11.13
Is eBay purging accounts from their system? Some sellers report on forums and in e-mails that their accounts have been restricted with no warning, taking away important sources of income and/or fun. “My account, that I’ve had for twelve years, has been essentially closed. My wife’s income is now severely restricted, and I’m starting to panic,” writes reader Michael. [More]
California Court: Online Merchants Can Demand Personal Info To Verify Credit Card Purchases
By 2.4.13
While a California consumer protection law dating back 22 years is all good when it comes to brick-and-mortar stores, the state’s Supreme Court ruled today that online merchants can collect personal information from buyers using credit cards. Companies like Apple and Ticketmaster had argued that they need data like home addresses and phone numbers to verify credit card purchases and prevent fraud, and the court agreed in a 4-3 decision. [More]
Google Buzz Subject Of Class Action Lawsuit
By 2.18.10
We had a feeling it would come to this. Lawyers in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., have filed a class action lawsuit against Google for, among other allegations, violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act with its recently launched Google Buzz social networking tool. [More]
Redbox Bows To WB's Demand It Wait 4 Weeks To Rent Its DVDs
By 2.17.10
Warner Bros. has already gotten Netflix to wait four weeks before renting the studio’s DVDs, and now it’s worked out a similar deal with Redbox, Deadline Hollywood Daily reports: [More]
By 7.6.09
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Hershey is closing its online store (www.hersheygifts.com) at the end of the month, saying they can’t keep it running in this economy. If you like their “chocolate” products, everything on the site is on sale for 25% off. [LA Times] (Thanks to Robert!)
Systemax Wants To Buy Circuit City Website For $6.5 Million
By 4.13.09
Systemax, the company behind Tiger Direct (and the buyer of CompUSA’s remains when it went out of business over a year ago) has announced it plans to buy the Circuit City e-commerce business for $6.5 million cash plus a share of the revenue over a 30 month period.
