E-Commerce

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments in an intellectual-property case involving an eBay seller that could define the scope of the first-sale doctrine, or the right to resell copyrighted works purchased in a legitimate transaction without first obtaining permission from the rights owner.

Fashion is the fastest-growing segment of e-commerce, and its growth is being propelled by men. While women's share of the online clothing market is still more than double that of men's, the guys' market is growing faster - at a 13 percent annual rate, compared with 10 percent for women, according to NPD Group. And that gap may widen.

The most skillful marketing efforts, ad campaigns, and site statistic analysis means little if one's online visitors slam into an unwelcoming 404 error page, their desired destination nowhere to be seen.

How many times have you started searching for a new pair of shoes on your smartphone while waiting in line, continued your research on your laptop when you got home and then searched online to find a local store that has those shoes in stock? Today's consumers no longer see a line between online and offline shopping, and neither do smart retailers. This year, online and offline shopping experiences are more seamless than ever before across pricing, functionality and promotions, making this the first "nonline" holiday season.

It's no secret that Kate Spade New York is an all-star in digital competence, so perhaps it also shouldn't come as a surprise that its new, lower-priced brand dubbed Saturday will launch online as well as in brick-and-mortar stores come spring. "This is not a diffusion line," said Craig Leavitt, president of Kate Spade. "The entire brand is a vertical proposition; Saturday will stand alone in its own stores and online." 

Last Wednesday, eBay unveiled "The New eBay," a completely redesigned website that is slowly being rolled out to all users, and released same-day delivery service eBay Now in San Francisco. We got the chance to talk about product vision with President Devin Wenig and Chief Technology Officer Mark Carges.

Shoppers are savvier than ever. They use social recommendations, web searches and smartphone apps to make informed purchase decisions. So how can a retailer stand out and get a shopper's attention? Today, we're rolling out a new way for retailers to reach shoppers at the moment of interest. Retailers can now add promotions to their product listings on Google Shopping to make them stand out. In addition, they can distribute their promotions on other Google properties such as Google Maps for Android and the Google Offers app, and attract shoppers to their store.

According to a recent article in eCommerceBytes, online merchants are increasingly feeling the pressure to offer free shipping. But will they, given the fact that last week the U.S. Postal Service announced it would raise postage rates on Jan. 27, 2013, pending review by the Postal Regulatory Commission. The popular Priority Mail service will increase overall an average of 6.3 percent. Retail prices will increase an average of 9 percent, but approximately 3 percent of the increase is for free tracking visibility which will now be included at no charge.

On the heels of the new site redesign it launched earlier this week, Reuters reports eBay has also been quietly testing out a new service called eBay Lifestyle Deals that puts it squarely in competition with Groupon. The service, which is doing limited runs in metro areas including the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., is another example of a large company targeting the local deals market. In that sense, eBay is more making a direct play at Google Offers and AmazonLocal than at Groupon itself.

Back in May, Target announced that it would no longer be selling the Amazon Kindle. Earlier this month, Wal-Mart followed suit. While neither big-box retailer explained exactly why they've declared war on Amazon.com's tablet, the motive is clear. Every time Target or Wal-Mart sells a Kindle, they put their brick-and-mortar stores in jeopardy by providing Amazon even greater reach in its digital retail power grab. Viewed in this context, the tandem moves are direct, sharp-shooter responses aimed directly across the bow of a major competitor.