E-Commerce

As far as celebrity stylists go, Rachel Zoe has done an unparalleled job of disseminating her taste to the masses. Between her reality show on Bravo, that stint at Halston, her editorial site and daily newsletter The Zoe Report, her books, and her eponymous clothing line, Zoe is both accessible at every level and nearly impossible to ignore. But in case you hadn't gotten enough, The Zoe Report is now launching a subscription service as well, delivering to members’ doors a selection of Zoe-approved goods four times a year. The first batch will start shipping late this month.

Hear how some of m-commerce’s leaders are driving revenue through mobile based on survey results and a newly published white paper.

Retailers took spending on product listing ads (PLAs) to another level at the end of 2014. According to data from Adobe Digital Index, Google Shopping ad spending in the retail sector grew 47 percent year-over-year and 53 percent quarter-over-quarter in last year's fourth quarter. Meanwhile, spending on Google text ads was down 6 percent year-over-year. PLAs accounted for one-fifth of U.S. retail search ad clicks in the fourth quarter of 2014. Despite their decline in spend, Google text ads led in share of search engine marketing clicks, grabbing two-thirds of the total. 

Alibaba Group Executive Chairman Jack Ma urged employees to relax about U.S. lawsuits against the firm over possible failure to disclose information to investors, in a letter to staff posted on his official microblog on Friday. A series of lawsuits have been filed in the United States after an unusually public fracas with a Chinese regulator last month over the issue of fakes being sold on Alibaba's websites. "As for the lawsuits that came about from recent events, I ask that Alibaba employees be at ease," Ma said in his annual letter, sent out before Lunar New Year. 

Pinterest soon will be more than a site for inspiration, with users able to buy certain items through a "buy button," according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The online-scrapbooking company is working on an e-commerce button that advertisers could use to drive purchases of their products from the site, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Technology blog Re/Code earlier reported on the buy button. Advertisers have long pressured Pinterest to introduce the feature. 

Best Buy wants to be that something blue in your wedding. The Richfield, Minn.-based electronics retailer is leaping into the lucrative wedding industry by launching its first gift registry, catching up to couples whose lives at home center around multimedia family rooms instead of dining rooms filled with the traditional bounty of crystal and china. Wedding registry kiosks, in the company's signature blue color, will begin rolling out to stores next month. Best Buy already quietly added a registry page to its website earlier this year and its mobile app will be updated with it next week.

Amazon.com announced a new self-service tool yesterday that allows customers to host giveaways on its website. Anyone is eligible to run these sorts of promotions on the platform, though in Amazon's case, the feature will likely attract authors, marketers, brands, bloggers, sellers and others looking to raise awareness about themselves, their products or those who want to engage their audience using promotions. The new system will leverage Amazon's shipping capabilities, as the company says it will handle the distribution of giveaway prizes directly to the winners.

When it comes to migrating all of your current e-commerce site's data to a new platform, "quick and efficient" isn't usually your first thought. Transitioning can be messy, time consuming and incredibly challenging if you haven't done your research. However, with the right plan in place, the process of moving all your store's data can certainly be quick and efficient — and help prepare your business for future growth. To make the transition process quick and easy, here are several tips to consider before you begin your last-minute migration:

Target revealed plans on Tuesday to shutter its online streaming service Target Ticket, which launched in 2013. Comparable to Amazon.com, Wal-Mart's Vudu and Apple's iTunes, the retail giant's cloud-based video provider offers up everything from television series like AMC's "The Walking Dead" to big-budget movies like Disney's "Big Hero 6." But services will be discontinued for good on March 7. Target announced the development on its website, explaining it intends to focus its "efforts on other entertainment offerings."

Yahoo is casting off its e-commerce business, including Yahoo Stores, later this year when it spins off its Yahoo Small Business (YSB) unit. YSB will move over to a new public company, currently referred to as "SpinCo," along with Yahoo's approximately 384 million shares of Alibaba. Amer Akhtar, head of YSB, announced the news on the unit's blog. "With this new opportunity, we can invest even more in our platform and chart our own course," he said. However, Yahoo had just launched a "next generation" Yahoo Stores platform in August under Akhtar's predecessor, Amit Kumar.