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The channel changers
Description: At my house, the remote control typically produces more TV channel surfing than actual TV watching. Were not big TV viewers to begin with. But many nights, our search for mutually pleasing programming leads us to a series of five-minute segments from a half-dozen networksand an early lights out. We fall asleep with these scattered visions dancing in our heads: polar bears in mid-hunt, half-shingled houses, Lucy and Ethel stuffing themselves with chocolates in order to keep up with the conveyor belt in the candy factory. Good thing Ive already seen the ending to that one.
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Site performance makes or breaks an e-business; Monitoring software helps you stay
Description: But such measures arent enough. Newport Group Inc., a Barnstable, Mass.-based information technology consulting company, estimates that almost 52% of site crashes could be prevented if Web companies did a better job of troubleshooting potential problems.
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When Eight Is Not Enough
Description: The Webs long-term promise lies in delivering personalized, one-to-one service to customers at a fraction of the cost in other channels. Industry statistics put the cost of a phone call at about $4 per customer and IVR at 10 cents to $1 per call. Handling e-mail can cost even less. But the startup investments in Web-based customer-service technologies are anything but low budget. Between 60 to 70% of the cost of an interactive customer service Web site will be labor, Fluss adds, for deployment, maintenance, training and integration.
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No longer landlocked on Main Street
Description: You cant blame the fading of Main Street merchants on the Internet. After all, the corner five-and-dime has been disappearing for years, thanks to discounters and changing demographics. But there are plenty of spunky survivors. And as online giants like Amazon.com compete with new product linesits latest is kitchen appliancessmall retailers are making their own online moves via community portals.
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The price vise: e-retailers in the discount squeeze
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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This is Living.com: A fun, slightly buggy and almost purchase-less visit into a den of décor
Description: Bagging the lamp project, I headed for accessories. A huge, handled basket filled the frame. I mean big. This baby looked perfect for holding my alarming pile of unread magazines. I checked the price: $69.95. For magazines?
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The Big Catch
Description: BeFree
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Summertime
and the toy sales are high
Description: Dark woods sparkling with fireflies, the enchanted face of a young boy and a contraption for capturing lightning in a bottle: EToys TV campaign for its new summer shopestimated at $8 millionbelies the drop of its stock in the terrifying NASDAQ dive.
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Trading Up
Description: Janet Seuleski, an industry analyst with AMR Research, Boston, estimates that at least 600 Internet-based trading exchanges currently are operating within various industries, most of them formed in the past two years. The retail industry spawned three separate exchanges in March alone, with each one listing some of the industrys biggest names among its members.
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A shakeout you can`t take with a grain of salt
Description: The consolidation in e-retailing is bound to shake out some good companies, but analysts say most great ideas stand to get the funding they need. At the same time, once-distant rumbles of a clash between the cash-burn rate of e-retailers and the availability of investment funding have grown louder. During the first quarter, for instance, venture capital flowing to business-to-business Internet firms pulled ahead of investments in business-to-consumer companies. As funding migrates away from B2C companies, e-retailers are beginning to seek safety in numbers.
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The march of technology---and your competitors---keep upping the ante on customer service
Description: A growing selection of real-time support software and services is available, and companies pioneering new customer support technologies are attracting heaps of venture capital. FaceTime Communications recently raised $30 million from investors including Compaq and Novell.
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Take me out to the cleaners
Description: A baseball autographed by Mother Theresa? Cyber pirates continue to fly a black flag over online auctions, and victims have begun fighting back by suing auction sites for failing to root out fraud.
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Pages yet unturned for catalogers
Description: Just a year ago, Sharper Image Corp. and Lands End were speaking blasphemy about cutting catalog pages to fund expansion on the Web. But Internet sales, though soaring, represent just 10% of both companies revenues today. And the cutbacks have proved harder to pull off in the face of declining revenue.
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Net shoppers begin to think---even buy---big
Description: Computer and software sales are already well-established on the Internet, accounting for nearly 20% of the market. Now, research shows that consumers not only browse but increasingly are buying big-ticket goods such as furniture, fridges and even VW Beetles online.
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From eyeballs to buy buttons
Description: Much like assembling Mr. Potato Head, identifying a winning customer profile is often an exercise in mixing and matching the obvious. Its pretty clear what doesnt fit. According to a report from McKinsey & Co. and Media Metrix, shoppers motivated by e-retailers that make their lives simpler are marketers sweet spot. What isnt so simple, unfortunately, is making them happy.
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Adam Walker`s CUShopper links big-ticket merchandise with the means to pay for it
Description: CUShopper also represents a way for credit unions to boost their share of the consumer lending market, which stands at about 3%, according to company data. One barrier we can help break down is to prompt credit unions to remind their members of the benefits of transacting with them, adds Walker. The less credit unions offer their members, the faster theyre forgotten.
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Spidering`s web could be trespass law
Description: Wither spidering? Thats one possible outcome of the computer trespassing dispute involving eBay and auction aggregator Bidders Edge, a case in the hands of Federal Court Judge Ronald M. Whyte at press time.
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Flooz Flies High
Description: Flooz Flies High Flooz.com Inc., an online stored-value gift currency for consumers and businesses is flying high. The company reports a 273% increase in online transactions for
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MP3.com and BMG and Warner Music Group Shake Hands
Description: MP3.com and BMG and Warner Music Group Shake Hands MP3.com, an online company that promotes and distributes music files online and BMG Entertainment and Warner Music Group two
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Taking E-Commerce To The Next Level
Description: Taking E-Commerce To The Next Level Open Solutions, a provider e-commerce solutions for community banks and credit unions, has launched Level II of its Open Community Network
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Auction Portal Reveals Post-Spidering Strategy
Description: Auction Portal Reveals Post-Spidering Strategy Auction portal Bidderâs Edge has unveiled a way the company can legally search eBay. The change results from a preliminary
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It's DealTime for AOL
Description: It's DealTime for AOL An agreement between America Online and comparison shopping site DealTime will allow AOL users to compare prices for products sold over the Internet. The
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Webvan Plugs in Electronics
Description: Webvan Plugs in Electronics Following moves earlier this year to expand its offerings to include books and videos as well as groceries, Webvan is adding consumer electronics to
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Nordstrom.com Leaps for Mankind
Description: Nordstrom.com Leaps for Mankind Nordstrom.com, Seattle, has made two major expansions into the online men's clothing market, launching a business casual guide and and a new men's
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Expansion "R" Them
Description: Expansion "R" Them As a few online toy retailers pack their bags, Toys "R" Us is expanding its administrative and warehouse operations. The company says it will add more staff
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Visa International Brands Digital Certificates
Description: Visa International Brands Digital Certificates Visa International is introducing its own Visa-branded digital certificates that will provide secure, protected and authenticated
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An $8 Million Buzz
Description: An $8 Million Buzz FanBuzz.com, a provider of e-commerce solutions to the sports team and league licensed industry, has closed an $8 million round of financing led by Housatonic
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Ariba, AmEx Adopt VeriSign Software
Description: Ariba, AmEx Adopt VeriSign Software VeriSign Inc.'s business-to-business connectivity software will be integrated in Ariba Inc.'s and American Express Co.'s software, tentatively
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Alloy In Pocket
Description: Alloy In Pocket PocketCard Inc., an issuer of sponsored offline Visa debit cards for teens, has signed a deal to become the preferred payment mechanism for New York City-based
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Study Tracks Dip in Online Shoppers
Description: Study Tracks Dip in Online Shoppers As e-retailers tighten up on free shipping offers, fewer online users are shopping on the Web, according to a report by Greenfield Online,
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$39.5 Million Is A Lot Of Beenz
Description: $39.5 Million Is A Lot Of Beenz Web currency creator beenz.com inc. has received an additional $39.5 million in its latest round of private funding, in the form of Series "B"
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Live Customer Service Boosts Satisfaction
Description: Live Customer Service Boosts Satisfaction Phone interaction with customer service has a more positive impact on Internet shopping than e-mail messages or Internet service
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Online Valet Service Launches
Description: Online Valet Service Launches e-Valet Inc., a new Web management service for completing routine errands and tasks online, has officially launched its Web site today. In a variety
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Ailing CDNow Nears Merger
Description: Ailing CDNow Nears Merger CDnow, Port Washington, Pa., says it will announce a merger partner by June 30, a move that boosted its stock price and quelled concerns that the online
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Deja.com in IPO DZj Vu
Description: Deja.com in IPO DZj Vu New York-based Deja.com, a site that offers targeted shopping as well as a forum for consumers to swap information, has withdrawn its plans for an initial
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It May Take More Than An iVillage
Description: It May Take More Than An iVillage iVillage Inc., a producer of women's Web sites, is reportedly in talks to sell its iBaby Inc. e-commerce unit, which analysts say indicates a
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Spiegel, Yahoo! Launch Free ISP
Description: Spiegel, Yahoo! Launch Free ISP Fashion and home furnishings cataloger and e-retailer Spiegel is the latest Web merchant to begin offering free cobranded Internet service to its
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Fashionmall Buys Boo Name, Content
Description: Fashionmall Buys Boo Name, Content The other shoe has dropped for insolvent fashion e-retailer Boo.com. Following the sale of the site's order fullfillment technology,
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Amazon picks up a recommendation service patent
Description: Amazon picks up a recommendation service patent As if Amazon.com does not already have enough of an advantage in the online marketplace, the giant online retailer has now snagged
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Good News, Bad News On Teens Online
Description: Good News, Bad News On Teens Online Teens frequently access the Internet, spend a significant amount of time online and hold sizeable purchasing power; however, they rarely go
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Hilton Hotels and SkyMall are new bedfellows for corporate e-commerce
Description: Hilton Hotels and SkyMall are new bedfellows for corporate e-commerce Hilton Hotels Corp. and cataloguer SkyMall Inc. are planning to develop cobranded retail and custom shopping
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SmarterKids Gets Smarter
Description: SmarterKids Gets Smarter SmarterKids.com, a major educational e-commerce Web site, has created a partnership with ChildU Inc., a provider of Internet-based distance learning for
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Kmart Kicks Off BlueLight Promo
Description: Kmart Kicks Off BlueLight Promo Following the introduction of its BlueLight private-label credit card, Troy, Mich.-based Kmart Corp. plans a massive promotion for its relaunched
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Study confirms bulk of Net users are Net shoppers
Description: Study confirms bulk of Net users are Net shoppers Echoing earlier findings, a survey by Greenfield Online and Parade magazine shows that 85% of Internet users have become online
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Amex To Drop Online Adult Merchants
Description: Amex To Drop Online Adult Merchants American Express Co. will no longer allow online sellers of adult content to accept its cards due to persistently high levels of disputed
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Give The Gift Of Ecount
Description: Give The Gift Of Ecount Ecount, a provider of personal Web account and online gift certificates, has announced a new online customer acquisition model, Ecount Incentives, a
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Shoppers drawn to brand, convenience more likely profitable
Description: Shoppers drawn to brand, convenience more likely profitable Few segments of online customers are proving to be profitable for Web merchants, according to a new study by Bain &
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DoughNET, USABancShares Offering ATM Card
Description: DoughNET, USABancShares Offering ATM Card Kids' e-commerce company DoughNET.com has joined forces with virtual financial institution USABancShares.com to launch what they say is
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Summer School at bn.com
Description: Summer School at bn.com Barnes & Noble.com has acquired a minority stake in notHarvard.com, a developer of online universities, for an undisclosed amount. The companies say they
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Webvan Heads for Sacramento
Description: Webvan Heads for Sacramento Webvan, whose expansion to Atlanta on May 1 marked its first foray beyond Northern California and its second market push, has broadened its reach on
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