392 posts and columns on eMoney
A Day in the Life of a Salesperson on the Front Lines of the Group-Buying Frenzy
Groupon and LivingSocial have ballooned into major corporations over the past year, hiring thousands of local salespeople who try to convince local merchants into participating in the latest fad: group buying. While other sales positions have been hit hard by the recession, it turns out not every one is losing out. The daily deal phenomenon is creating thousands of new sales opportunities–and the hunt is on for trained workers with the contacts and experience.VeriFone Claims Victory Now That Square Is Adding Encryption to Its Card Readers
A day after Square announced it had received an investment from Visa, it said it would be adding an additional level of encryption into its card reader that plugs into smartphones. But, it insisted, the decision had nothing to do with the accusations of security flaws that VeriFone raised last month.Casual Game Maker PopCap Buys Social Games Studio ZipZapPlay
Looking to expand beyond casual game titles such as Bejeweled, PopCap Games has acquired ZipZapPlay, a social games company based in San Francisco.PayPal Acquisition Hints at Company's Approach to the Mobile Wallet
EBay-owned PayPal said in February it will conduct several pilot programs over the next year to enable consumers to use their PayPal accounts–at the register. Today, it announced an acquisition that may help them get there.News Byte
Expedia's First-Quarter Profits Sink Despite Strong Hotel Bookings
Expedia reported mixed first-quarter earnings today, following the announcement earlier this month that the online travel agency was going to spin-off TripAdvisor, its fastest growing division. In the first quarter, profits sank 12 percent to $52 million, or 19 cents a share, on revenues of $822 million, which increased 15 percent compared to the year-ago period. The Bellevue, Wash.-based company said higher revenues were attributable to a jump in hotel room bookings and strong growth from its advertising and media business, including TripAdvisor. The company’s stock is down 78 cents, or 3.2 percent in after-hours trading.News Byte