Netflix

Until now, larger, resource-rich retailers have had the upper hand over their smaller counterparts due to the millions of dollars they invest in people and the latest technologies to improve the shopping experience for consumers. After decades of limited access to critical tools and techniques, several new classes of technology have emerged, offering smaller retailers an opportunity to level the playing field against the Amazon.com's of the world.

B-to-B commerce organizations have always operated in a complex multichannel world. Engaging customers in this world remains increasingly complicated. It requires a focus first on breaking down barriers — i.e., taking the necessary steps to minimize channel conflict with internal sales teams and outside partners and then going directly to the business buyer. For companies that can move nimbly to navigate the channel complexities and bring value directly to the business buyer, the future has never looked brighter for B-to-B online commerce.

We picked 23 of Internet Retailer's top 25 companies (from the IR 500) and looked at 50 brands that these companies own to find the best overall inbox delivery and open rates over the last 90 days. Piperlime.com, with 99 percent inbox delivery, and Banana Republic and iTunes at 98 percent, were at the absolute top of the inbox delivery range. Kmart, HP, Gap, Netflix, Old Navy, Best Buy and Bath & Body Works all follow closely behind with delivery in the 97th percentile.

As the internet matures and expands, the number of choices available to users grows exponentially. Invariably, more solutions arise to tame the clutter. In the early days of the web, portals like Yahoo touted handpicked sites bundled into browsable categories.

In only two years, retailers are expected to spend an estimated $4 billion on affiliate marketing, according to Forrester. Here are some trends to watch for to stay ahead of the competition as get you ready for 2014.

Customer experience analytics company ForeSee recently released data on which e-commerce companies had the most customer satisfaction in 2011. Amazon and Apple proved to be among the winners, with Netflix falling last year in terms of sentiment.

Customer experience analytics firm ForeSee released the results of its annual Holiday E-Retail Satisfaction Index, showing that after seven years spent jockeying for first place in the Index, Amazon and Netflix are headed in divergent directions.

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This summer the U.S. Postal Service provided cross-channel retailers with its January 2012 software release overview for customer-facing postage systems such as PostalOne after hearing from mailers and service providers that software changes need to be made in a more stable, scheduled manner so they could better plan for said changes.

Blockbuster is finally trying to lure back the millions of customers it's lost over the years by asking shoppers to give it another chance. First on the list to sway consumers is pricing. Blockbuser says it's reduced its in-store DVD rental prices by as much as 38 percent. It then compares this to other companies, which have raised prices by as much as 60 percent (a clear jab at Netflix).