E-Commerce

By now it's well known that Hispanic consumers overindex for most digital behaviors. An August 2012 study from Acosta Sales & Marketing found that Hispanic consumers, in particular, were more likely than the average shopper to use a smartphone, as well as text, stream music and video, and use mobile apps. But what truly sets Hispanics apart, studies suggest, is their mobile internet shopping habits.

Slightly fewer than half of U.S. business-to-business marketers plan to increase overall marketing budgets in 2013, according to a November survey conducted by BtoB magazine. But an even larger number, 67.2 percent, will up digital investment, according to the survey. Web development was the most widely shared digital priority: seventy percent of respondents planned to increase spending on websites this year. Email marketing also received attention: sixty-two percent said they'll be spending more on this outreach. 

Now that Google Catalogs is integrated into Google Shopping, the catalog platform is more relevant than ever to merchants. Google has reformatted the Google Shopping homepage. The redesign includes prominent placement for Google Catalogs, with "Featured Catalogs" on a banner at the bottom of the above-the-scroll page. Google's reintroduction of Google Catalogs includes more and better ways for merchants to connect with consumers.

Google announced earnings this week, and Wall Street analysts were trying to gauge the impact Product Listing Ads had on the company's advertising business. Where online merchants were previously able to send Google a product listing feed to get free...

DSW Spokeswoman Christina Cheng explains it this way: "If you happen to be in a store and it didn't have your size, store associates can look up the store within the nearest proximity and complete the sale for you from that location in a seamless transaction." VendorNet, a web-based supply chain management firm, and its StoreNet software represent the engine behind the online sales concept.

Groupon is ducking for cover, canceling gun deals until it sees how the post-Sandy Hook environment shakes out, according to Crain's Chicago Business. "All scheduled and current gun-related deals featured on Groupon North America, including shooting ranges, conceal-and-carry and clay shooting, have been placed on hiatus while we review internal standards that shape the deal inventory we feature," the company said in a statement Saturday. "The category is under review following recent consumer and merchant feedback."

The holidays are over, but retailers’ websites need to operate optimally throughout the year for maximum revenue. SmartBear's AlertSite checks how retailers’ websites perform with respect to availability and response times, two critical elements I hope retailers have on their list of New Year's resolutions. So far, while there's always room for improvement, I like what I'm seeing in terms of site availability for many of the retailers. For response times, I hope many listen up and heed the warnings.

Target has debuted six brands that will be available exclusively online. The one-stop shop is not taking its e-commerce site Target.com for granted. While continuing to draw people into its physical stores with sales and other incentives, the retailer acknowledges the need to change as shoppers' habits change. Target divisional merchandise manager Theresa Schmidt recognizes that consumers are going online more often to shop from the comfort of their own homes, and the need to not only draw new consumers to its online site but also retain existing online consumers...

Voxware, a provider of voice solutions, yesterday released research highlighting why consumers return items purchased online or by phone and how their experiences with the return process affect their future purchase intentions with retailers.  Highlights from the survey, which collected responses from 600 consumers, include the following:

In December, American Apparel achieved the highest sales month for its online business in the company's history, besting December 2011's sales by 59 percent. The company, which both manufactures and distributes merchandise and operates retail stores, had moved its multisite e-commerce operations to Oracle's ATG Web Commerce in October. American Apparel is using the platform, a component of Oracle Commerce, to operate multiple integrated e-commerce sites for different customer groups and geographic regions. The retailer is using the solution to present customers with personalized content and customized search options, helping to accelerate selections by presenting items that the shopper prefers.