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Little Rock, Ark. -- Dillard’s said Wednesday it has made a strategic investment in e-commerce company Acumen Brands in a move toward enhancing the department store retailer’s website dillards.com, as well as Acumen’s 12 e-commerce sites. Dillard’s invested $4 million in Series B preferred stock of Acumen Brands, leading a $5 million round of growth financing which also included participation from existing investors Noro-Moseley Partners, BLH Venture Partners, the Gravity Fund and the Arkansas Risk Capital Matching Fund. Acumen, based in Fayetteville, Ark., offers branded storefronts for a variety of professions and lifestyles including medical uniforms, work wear and

About 40 percent of the men and women in relationships expect to get engaged on Valentine's Day this year, according to a new study. Sears, hoping to profit from the findings, has expanded its assortment of jewelry by 60 percent this year to feature a wider selection of watches, pendants and engagement rings.

Back in January 2007, Tesco pledged to develop a program that would place carbon labels on the more than 50,000 products the retailer sold. Now comes word from the company that it's decided to end the program, saying it's too complicated and costly.

For most brands, the decision to participate in social media was made because the audience numbers on platforms like Facebook or Twitter made it an alluring marketing opportunity. This opportunity, coupled with competitive brands setting up an official presence, pushed a vast majority of fashion brands to now be present on the most popular platforms.

A magazine advertisement for a L'Oreal anti-wrinkle product featuring Hollywood star Rachel Weisz has been banned by Britain's industry watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority for "misleadingly" exaggerating its performance.

Amazon has launched its service in India, marking the entry of one of the world's largest online retailers into the $550 billion retail market. Though the website, called Junglee.com, doesn't yet offer consumers the option to directly purchase from Amazon, it allows them to compare prices and visit the websites of suppliers for purchases. 

Emails have been pouring in to EcommerceBytes Wednesday afternoon from sellers who are unable to login to eBay. The eBay login won't recognize seller IDs and passwords, many users are reporting, although a few have reported they are having no problems at all. eBay customer service representatives are telling sellers who call the company that the problem is occurring in the U.S., Canada and the UK. One seller was told by a rep that the problem was a "major technical issue," another was told as many as 50% of eBay users were unable to log-in. The first report to

Dillard's has made a strategic investment in e-commerce company Acumen Brands in a move toward enhancing the department store retailer's website, as well as Acumen's 12 e-commerce sites.

Amazon.com, a backer of LivingSocial, said the daily-deal startup had more than $500 million in losses last year and pegged its stake at $208 million, implying the company's book value is $671 million.

Nothing is made in this country anymore. In terms of actual manufacturing, the United States is increasingly at a disadvantage. Bayard Winthrop wants to bring apparel manufacturing back to the U.S. His clothing startup, American Giant, launched yesterday.