Amazon’s Key to Beating Groupon in the Daily Deals Space Is Its 164 Million Paying Customers

Amazon’s online catalog offers millions of everyday items for sale, but how many consumers think of visiting Amazon to buy a meal in a restaurant or a haircut at the local salon?
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Amazon Will Pay Shoppers $5 to Walk Out of Stores Empty-Handed

If retailers weren’t terrified of Amazon before, the online giant’s move to pay customers up to $5 to shop on their mobile phone while in a physical store should do the trick.
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Discounts Website One Kings Lane Raises $40 Million

Flash-sale website One Kings Lane has raised $40 million from venture-capital and private-equity firms led by Tiger Global Management, the latest sign of growth for an online-shopping genre that is upending traditional fashion and home retailers.

PayPal’s Response to Google’s Payment Plans: A Wallet in the Cloud (Offers Not Included!)

PayPal unveiled its plan for mobile payments space for the first time yesterday. In an interview, PayPal’s president explained why he believes the space will take off “faster than you ever imagined.”
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Amazon Taps LivingSocial to Enter Daily Deals Space — For Now

Amazon has begun its steady march into the daily deals business by tapping the expertise of LivingSocial, the second-largest provider in the space behind Groupon.
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Overstock's Travel Site Takes Flight With Heavily Discounted Hotels

Overstock, which has focused on liquidating unsold inventory for the past 12 years, is branching out into offering discounts on hotel rooms around the world.

Nordstrom Acquires Flash Sales Site HauteLook for Up to $270 Million

Nordstrom has agreed to acquire four-year-old HauteLook, marking the department store’s first foray into online private sales.

Thank William Shatner as Priceline's Stock Price Negotiates a Five-Year High

As Priceline trades at five-year highs today, and shares nearly triple in value over the past year alone, the company re-ups on its advertising campaign with William Shatner–a.k.a. “the Price Negotiator.”

Exclusive: LivingSocial Adding Real-Time Discounts Soon to Mobile Apps

Over the next couple of weeks, LivingSocial tells us, it will be adding real-time discounts to its mobile applications to enable consumers to search for discounts at nearby restaurants on the fly.

Google Latitude Adds Check-Ins (How 2009!)

Today Google Latitude will give users the ability to share their location with friends and strangers by “checking in” to a particular establishment.

Windows 7 to Harry Potter: Expelliarmus