Voices

How $10 Million Can Lose You $250 Million

Mobile is the connective tissue that binds together all marketing efforts.

Eight Percent of Amazon’s Sales Are Coming From Mobile

That’s really not all that great.

Best Buy’s New E-Commerce Head Aims to Unify Bricks and Clicks

Scott Durchslag is joining the electronics retailer at a tough time, but he sees an opportunity to create a unified shopping experience online and off.

Voices

Living Without a Cellphone

The nation’s big phone companies face a growing challenge: How do you keep customers on high-cost contract plans as the weak economy puts pressure on household budgets?

Voices

The Sales-Tax Effect on Amazon: Nada

Amazon has long drawn hackles from bricks-and-mortar retailers that allege the Seattle Web giant enjoyed an unfair advantage in states where it didn’t have to collect sales tax. That advantage came to an end recently when Amazon began collecting sales tax in Pennsylvania and Texas and in California starting over the past weekend.

Walmart’s Homegrown Search Engine Already Paying Dividends

Typing the word “house” into Walmart’s search engine used to deliver results for doghouses and dollhouses. Now the refined search also shows results for the hit TV series.

Voices

eBay to Target Under-18 Set

EBay Inc. is exploring ways to harness an untapped class of buyers: Kids.

Voices

The Eyes Have It: Marketers Now Track Shoppers’ Retinas

Consumer-products companies are turning to new technology to overcome the biggest obstacle to learning what shoppers really think: What the shoppers say.

Cisco Backpedals From Creepy Privacy Position on Linksys Upgrade

Thank attentive consumers who actually read their terms-of-service statements.

News Byte

Google Ventures Backs Scvngr’s Mobile Payments App

Boston-based Scvngr has raised $12 million in new funding to support the nationwide rollout of LevelUp, an app that allows consumers to use their phone to pay at the cash register. So far, the service has signed up 200,000 users who spend $2 million a month at 3,000 merchants in eight cities. Investors include Highland Capital, Google Ventures, Balderton Capital, Continental Advisors and Transmedia Capital.