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Joel Ronning, chief executive officer of Digital River Inc., talks about the outlook for online retail sales during the holiday season.

Merchants including Macy's, Amazon and Best Buy have added features to their Facebook pages that give users advance information on upcoming Black Friday deals, part of a social-media push to build early holiday sales.

Many shoppers are ready for the Black Friday long lines and limited stock on the best deals. They're armed not with crumpled lists and sugary snacks, but smartphones loaded with apps, URLs and social media sites designed to find the best deals and spread the word about bad experiences.

eBay and Amazon.com both announced new versions of their mobile apps that use barcode scanning to help consumers comparison shop while browsing brick-and-mortar store shelves. eBay has integrated the buying and selling processes into a new version of its main iPhone app and added RedLaser barcode scanning capability to help buyers comparison-shop and to help sellers list items for sale. Since the launch of its first mobile application in July 2008, nearly 30 million items have been bought or sold using eBay mobile apps. Amazon.com meanwhile announced a new price comparison app for the iPhone that allows customers to

'Tis officially the season! With Thanksgiving nearly upon us, to be followed immediately by Black Friday, the traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season is here — and it should be a great one for savvy shoppers and retailers alike.

Borders debuted its revamped e-commerce site Monday, offering free shipping on all of the day's orders to entice customers. In addition to discounts on more than 100,000 titles and free-shipping offers, the site incorporates more content including The New York Times best-seller lists and customer- and employee-generated book reviews.

eBay is launching a new version of its popular marketplace iPhone app, which allows users to browse, bid and buy from eBay auctions.

For over two decades, Americans bought big, bought more and stocked up. They were confident that bulk shopping, often on credit, provided the best value for their money. But the long recession — with its high unemployment, plummeting home values and depleted savings accounts — altered the way many people think about the future.

Technology upgrades that include website enhancements and the addition of WiFi capabilities in stores were part of $69 million Nordstrom invested in retail operations during the third quarter.

While Cyber Monday remains a popular day for shoppers, offering some of the best deals of the holiday season, the tradition of consumers shopping from work has changed. When shoppers were asked where they plan to do the majority of their Cyber Monday shopping this year, 87 percent stated that they plan to shop from home. The remaining 13 percent plan to do most of their Cyber Monday shopping at work.