180 posts and columns on shopping

A Look at Walmart’s Plans for Making Commerce High-Tech (Video)

in Commerce on February 3 at 6:00 am PT

Walmart is typically associated with its everyday low prices, not with technology. But the mega-retailer is trying to change that by building a tech center just south of San Francisco.
walmart_truck

News Byte

An Online Marketplace for Everyday Household Items Snags $3.6 Million

in Commerce on January 31 at 9:00 am PT

Alice.com, an online marketplace for household goods ranging from diapers to dog food to toothpaste, has raised $3.6 million in funding. A bit like Amazon-owned Diapers.com, the Middleton, Wis.-based company allows big brands to use the platform to connect with consumers and offer coupons. The round, coming from a group of Spanish investors, closely follows Alice’s expansion to Europe through Alice.es. The company has raised $18.2 million to date.

Online Commerce Trend: More Spending, Smaller Purchases

in Commerce on January 20 at 12:22 pm PT

The average checkout size is shrinking, even though more people spent more money online. Why? Here are three reasons.
amazonboxes_thisisbossi

eBay Reports Better Than Expected Revenues for Holiday Quarter

in Commerce on January 18 at 1:55 pm PT

EBay, the e-commerce and digital payments giant, exceeded analyst expectations in the fourth-quarter with revenues totaling $3.4 billion, or 35 percent higher than the year ago period.
Three of eBay's four major business divisions

Did Kindle Gift Cards Outsell iTunes Gift Cards This Holiday?

in Commerce on January 2 at 10:16 am PT

It’s possible Kindle gift cards outperformed iTunes gift cards this holiday — if what people were searching for is any indication.
kindle gift cards

The Best Retail Ads of the Holiday Season Get the Ugly Sweater Treatment

in Commerce on January 2 at 6:00 am PT

Here are some of the best retail spots of the holiday season, the ones that motivated throngs of people to shop and spend record amounts online.
walmart_uglychristmassweater

Can We Say Damage Control? Amazon Talks Up Its Role in the Success of Independent Businesses.

in Commerce on December 29, 2011 at 2:30 pm PT

Amazon is not all about squashing the little guy, or at least that is what it wants you to believe this holiday season.
damagecontrol

Holy Cow, You Spent $35.3 Billion Online This Holiday Season

in News on December 28, 2011 at 12:51 pm PT

Online spending this holiday season is 15 percent higher than last year, says comScore.
harry_caray_santa

Best Buy Apologizes for Web Sales Blunder

in Voices on December 24, 2011 at 7:06 am PT

Best Buy Co. is scrambling to stem the public-relations damage after it was forced to tell some customers in recent days that it couldn’t deliver the merchandise they ordered online last month.

Apps for Last-Minute Holiday Shoppers

in Commerce on December 21, 2011 at 2:09 pm PT

Here are 10 mobile shopping apps for the holiday procrastinators out there.
santa_phone

Better Hurry, the Shipping Deadline for Christmas Is Approaching Fast

in Commerce, December 19, 2011 at 4:04 pm PT

Use Your AmEx, Scan a Bar Code, Get an iPod?

in Commerce, December 13, 2011 at 6:00 am PT

Youth Is Wasted on the Young, and So Are Consumer Electronics

in Commerce, December 12, 2011 at 9:46 am PT

Retailers vs. Amazon: A Brick-and-Moral Dilemma

in Commerce, December 8, 2011 at 1:38 pm PT

SteelHouse Raises $6.3 Million to Be the eHarmony of E-Commerce

in Commerce, December 2, 2011 at 10:33 am PT

Don’t Trust Your Instincts? Wal-Mart Uses Algorithms to Find Gifts People Want.

in Commerce, November 30, 2011 at 7:00 pm PT

Cyber Monday Sales Set Record, Hitting $1.25 Billion

in Commerce, November 29, 2011 at 12:17 pm PT

Retailers Expecting Another $1 Billion-Plus Cyber-Shopping Spree Today

in Commerce, November 28, 2011 at 12:01 am PT

Why Open Stores Early, When the Internet Is Open 24 Hours a Day?

in Commerce, November 17, 2011 at 6:30 am PT

Forget About Black Friday and Cyber Monday — Catalog Spree Is Ready for Sofa Sunday

in Commerce, November 16, 2011 at 2:03 pm PT

Can Microsoft’s Xbox Have Another Kinect Christmas, or Will It Be Coal All Around?

in Commerce, November 14, 2011 at 7:00 am PT

Wal-Mart’s New Apps Will Integrate Coupons and Voice Recognition

in Commerce, November 8, 2011 at 9:00 pm PT

Refinery29 Adds Shopping After Drawing an Audience in With Content

in Commerce, November 2, 2011 at 7:47 am PT

Facebook-Funded Sociable Labs Helps Retailers Be More Friendly

in Commerce, October 26, 2011 at 5:30 am PT

Excerpts From the MasterCard Documents

in Commerce, October 25, 2011 at 12:00 am PT