Online retail was the holiday season's big winner, MasterCard says
E-commerce gained 15.5% from Nov. 1-Dec. 24, the strongest performance among the 10 retail sectors tracked by the MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse report. Online retail sales gained 18% since the Friday after Thanksgiving, MasterCard says.
Electronic books outsell paper volumes at Amazon for the first time
Amazon shoppers bought more e-books on Christmas Day than they did paper books, Amazon.com Inc. says. Many consumers likely were filling up their newly unwrapped Kindle e-book readers, as Amazon says the Kindle was the most gifted item in its history.
Holiday shopping via eBay mobile apps triples
Consumers bought 1.5 million items using Internet retailing giant eBay Inc.'s mobile apps worldwide from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve, three times the number purchased during the same period a year ago, says eBay.
The average ship time decreased 15% this holiday season
The average time it took to receive an order dropped to 4.05 days, down 15% from 4.76 days a year ago, according to data gathered by e-commerce consultancy The E-tailing Group.
Drugstore.com agrees to acquire beauty products e-retailer
Drugstore.com Inc. agreed to acquire Salu Inc., owner of online beauty retailer SkinStore.com, in a stock-and-cash deal valued at $36 million. The acquisition is aimed at creating one of the largest online skin-care and beauty-products retailers.
PC Mall acquires assets to improve its SARCOM division
A unit of PC Mall Inc., a multichannel computer and electronics products retailer, acquired certain assets of Data Systems Worldwide Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
A new fit guide helps 7 For All Mankind zip up 300% more revenue per visit
7 For All Mankind saw a 300% increase in revenue per visit though mid-November after implementing the Allurent Fit Guide in late September. The widget speeds up shoppers' ability to navigate among product styles and exposes them to more products faster.
Estée Lauder launches a web and mobile wish list site
Cosmetics, fragrance and skin care product manufacturer Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. launched a web and mobile storefront where shoppers could send last-minute gift ideas to friends' and relatives' mobile phones during the holidays.
An Internet attack blocks some California consumers from reaching Amazon.com
A denial of service attack on Christmas Eve left consumers in northern California unable to access web sites that use the Internet domain name system operated by Neustar, the company says. The sites included Amazon.com, according to the retailer.
Department store web sites see large traffic increases, says comScore
Nearly four out of five consumers who went online in November visited an online retail site, and the web sites of department stores and toy stores saw the biggest traffic increases, according to comScore.
Online retail sales will grow by nearly 10% a year through 2013, says eMarketer
Online retail sales this year will be 0.6% lower than in 2008, but they will grow in 2010 and return to double-digit growth by 2011, predicts research firm eMarketer Inc.
Search marketers are ignoring an important Google opportunity, expert says
There is money to be made by advertising on the Google Content Network, which places ads on information and entertainment sites, says Clix Marketing CEO David Szetela. But it's important to craft the copy properly, he says.
Wealthy Americans are shopping for a range of goods online, says survey
61% of Americans in households that earn more than $100,000 have visited an online retail site in the past 30 days, according to a new survey. Among those affluent consumers, 43% have bought a book online in the past year and 33% have bought electronics.
For some U.K. online retailers, holiday sales peak after Christmas
In the U.K. sales launched on Christmas and the days that follow make many retail sites as busy, if not busier, than the days before Christmas, according to Interactive Media in Retail Group, a U.K.-based e-commerce trade group. Overall, IMRG anticipates online retail sales in December will grow about 14% over December sales a year ago.
E-commerce is the third-fastest growing industry, according to study
Revenue from e-commerce and online auctions grew at a cumulative rate of 468.9% from 2000 to 2009, according to a new study, making the category the third-fastest growing industry behind voice-over Internet protocol and search engines. |
