E-Commerce

Online merchants who advertise their products via Google must adjust their product feeds to comply with new requirements. There are several changes, but one that may break the bank for some sellers is Google's new "image quality recommendations." Google Shopping now states on its products feed specs page: "The main image should be taken on a solid white, gray or light-colored background. It should not include borders." Some online sellers object to such requirements — particularly for all-white products. Others object simply because it will be costly for them to take new photographs for all of their inventory.

Rumors have yet again surfaced that eBay will abandon its ProStores and Magento Go services — both designed to make it easy for small sellers to set up their own e-commerce storefronts — as it focuses on large retailers and brands. On Friday, an eBay spokesperson told EcommerceBytes it wasn't commenting on rumors regarding ProStores. In March, eBay spokesperson Kelly Henry told EcommerceBytes the same thing, and added, "We're a customer-centric organization and any changes to our products and services will be directly communicated to our clients at the appropriate time and with their best interest in mind." 

When Target's CEO, Gregg Steinhafel resigned in early May, we wrote with some confidence that the data breach was the least of Target's problems, and likely the most minor reason for his departure. We did think that the retailer's disastrous entrée into the Canadian market was a more significant issue. As it turns out, the story is worse and more contentious than that. According to a

It looks like more consumers prefer to do their back-to-school and back-to-college shopping online. According to a study from e-commerce marketing technology provider HookLogic and polling company Qriously, 35 percent of consumers shop for back-to-school supplies online, while 34 percent shop in-store and 33 percent shop both channels. Figures for back-to-college shopping tilt more strongly in the favor of online, with 38 percent of consumers going online to purchase back-to-college items, compared to 30 percent who shop in-store and 32 percent who shop both channels.

Amazon.com's Health & Beauty category has turned ugly for third-party sellers, and some say it's risky to sell in the category. In October, we wrote about the challenges sellers faced in selling cosmetics and certain beauty products, with Amazon banning sellers from listing many name brands. This month, some sellers say Amazon is again cracking down in Health & Beauty. In one discussion thread, a seller said Amazon had recently been removing many, many products in the health section for being "prescription," including Visine, Nyquil, Afrin, generic Benadryl and Gyne-Lotrimin. 

The field of players offering same-day delivery of orders placed online is getting increasingly crowded. But only a handful are likely to succeed in wringing a profit from this high-cost service. Many of the biggest names in e-commerce have already launched some form of same-day or expedited delivery, including Amazon Fresh, eBay Now, Uber Rush and Google Shopping Express. In addition, a number of smaller entities are trying to squeeze into service niches that will allow them to survive among the giants. 

Is that television-size box of graham crackers at Costco really a better deal than a standard box at Wal-Mart? Soon, online consumers won't have to do the math to figure it out. Some of the country's largest supermarkets and drugstores have agreed to display prices by unit of measurement, as well as by item, on their websites and mobile apps, to help shoppers slice though the confusion that sometimes arises from different packaging and discounts. Major retailers including Wal-Mart, CVS and Costco have agreed to the deal.

With immodest pride, Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce powerhouse, announced it would launch 11Main.com. This will be the first time American customers will be able to buy merchandise from an Alibaba affiliate. The site is now in a beta stage and will soon open its doors to customers. The offerings will be strong competition to Amazon.com and eBay. According to reports the site will offer "hundreds of thousands of products" from 1,000 to 2,000 upscale specialty fashion shops for women, men and children. 

How has Joyus, the San Francisco-based video shopping platform startup that's raised more than $19 million in funding, been able to realize success from its use of online video? Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, chairman and founder of Joyus, explained how via three lessons during her keynote presentation at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition in Chicago yesterday.

Amazon.com has found a new place to sell and it doesn't have anything to do with books, DVDs or physical products. Later this year, the Seattle company will dive into local services, launching a marketplace that will connect regional professionals and businesses to consumers who could need anything from vocal lessons to a kitchen remodel. The company will unveil the new development, which was first reported by Reuters, on a city-by-city basis, similar to what's being done for its grocery delivery service, Amazon Fresh. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.