E-Commerce

Chinese E-Commerce Site Alibaba Reports Fraud Probe
February 21, 2011

Chinese e-commerce supplier Alibaba says two of its top executives are resigning to take responsibility after a probe discovered more 2,326 suppliers had defrauded online customers. Alibaba said in a notice this morning that its chief executive and chief operating officers, who were not implicated by the investigation, were resigning to take responsibility for the company's "breakdown in integrity."

Anti-Amazons Invade E-Commerce Scene
February 21, 2011

While traditional e-commerce retailers like Amazon and eBay tout their massive catalogs with millions of products as selling points for consumers, a host of new start-ups are looking to do just the opposite: make buying decisions easier by limiting choice.

Groupon and FTD Offer Refunds After Valentine's Day Snafu
February 17, 2011

If you bought a Groupon deal for $20 for $40 worth of flowers from FTD and suspected you were being overcharged, you thought right. Seems a glitch in the system charged Groupon users full price on sale items, but both Groupon and FTD seem eager to resolve the issue, although there were probably some burned and spurned flowerless customers this Valentine's Day

Augmented Reality Presents Many Opportunities for Retailers
February 17, 2011

So-called "augmented reality" is the overlaying of digital information onto the real world, and everyone from game designers to retailers to health care companies to estate agents are gearing up to use it. While the potential for such technology to change the world is vast, the biggest challenge for its backers will be to convert this virtual revolution into rock-solid profits. Fortunately, there are countless ways this can be achieved, but not all are immediately obvious.

Retailers Need to Address Significant Website Task Completion Issues, Study Finds
February 16, 2011

iPerceptions has announced the release of its Retail/E-Commerce Industry Report for Q4 2010. The report reveals that 40 percent of ‘Buy’ visitors reported the inability to complete their task. As Q4 represents the highest traffic volume of the year for most e-tail sites and that the share of ‘Shop’ visitors are at their peak, addressing issues that improve task completion for this fiercely sought-after group is essential.

How Retailers Can Use Video More Effectively
February 16, 2011

Adding video to e-commerce sites is a way for retailers to provide consumers a better look at products, an explanation of how they work and other information. Research shows video increases conversion on retail sites, and even decreases the number of items returned. And it’s one of the fastest-growing content types for online merchants.

Survey: Live Chat Increasing in Importance
February 16, 2011

Bold Software surveyed more than 200 of its customers about their experiences with live chat over the holidays, and 77 percent cited the customer communication channel as critical (up 8 percent from last year), with 34 percent saying it was very or extremely critical.