Amazon.com

The latest social media benchmark results from eDigitalResearch found that Facebook remains the most popular site for retailers to connect with online consumers. F-commerce pioneer ASOS has added over a third of its total current following in the past three months alone after opening the world’s first Facebook store back in January 2011.

When you think about e-commerce, you think about Amazon.com. But how did a company that started with online books come to dominate an estimated one-third of e-commerce sales in the U.S.? Global consulting boutique faberNovel breaks down Amazon’s business and strategy.

After six years of leading the e-commerce industry in customer satisfaction, Netflix has dropped and Amazon has narrowly taken the lead, according to a new report from ForeSee Results. Amazon, also the e-tailer with the largest sales volume, got a score of 86, edging out Netflix’s score of 85 in the annual survey.

A coalition of hotels, casinos and small businesses is launching a $50,000 advertising campaign to build support for a change in tax laws so Amazon.com and dozens of other e-commerce companies would have to collect state taxes when they sell goods to Nevadans. 

A coalition of hotel/casinos and small businesses is launching a $50,000 advertising campaign to build support for a change in tax laws so Amazon.com and dozens of other e-commerce companies would have to collect state sales taxes when they sell goods to Nevadans. Leaders of the Retail Association of Nevada and the Nevada Resort Association planned a formal announcement detailing the proposals they hope to persuade state lawmakers to consider as amendments to pending legislation as early as this week.

The days of handmade coupon books for Mother’s Day are dwindling as consumers are using online retailer coupons to spoil mom this year. FTD promoted a floral deal through LivingSocial, and Amazon.com is selling Kindles with a bonus gift card to the site.

From Groupon to Ikea, these companies are changing how we buy. 

Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is about to propose sweeping legislation that would impose a tax on all online purchases in a move aimed at closing states' budget shortfalls. Durbin's bill, dubbed the Main Street Fairness Act, intends to push online retailers to collect state sales tax on items purchased out of state. For more than a decade internet shoppers have enjoyed a sales tax holiday as a result of sales tax moratoriums established in 1998 to foster growth in the digital sales business. But with e-commerce businesses like Amazon.com no longer fledgling entities, and with states' budget deficits growing, imposing an e-commerce sales tax has become a hot-button issue.

The key to success on Amazon is understanding and abiding by best practices to make sure your product listings aren't only found by shoppers, but also appeal to shoppers. Most importantly, learn how to optimize search terms, product descriptions, details, images and more to position your products to sell on Amazon.

Ever since the first e-commerce website appeared, manufacturers have been smitten with the idea of transacting directly with consumers in the digital realm. However, some of their early attempts at online retailing offered poor customer experiences and didn't support their relationships with retailers. These days it's a different story.