E-Commerce

With the launch of the third generation iPad, current owners will be tempted to trade in their old generation iPads for the newer model. eBay announced a promotion in which consumers can lock in top-dollar values for tablet trade-ins, including up to $475 for the iPad 2.

The economics of internet commerce have changed so much that Alex Zhardanovsky is now taking on the once seemingly impossible challenge of selling pet food online. Zhardanovsky co-founded PetFlow.com, a Manhattan startup that's raised $10 million in venture capital and now ships 1 million pounds of pet food a month, in 2010.

American Express card holders can use the Twitter online messaging service to get exclusive discounts and other deals from more than a dozen retailers under a partnership announced yesterday.

Amazon.com is migrating sellers to a new discussion board platform, but something is missing. Sellers noticed right away that the new Amazon Seller Discussion Forums don't include a section from the old boards called Seller Soapbox, an area where sellers could chat about everything from online selling to politics.

eBay is monetizing its loyalty program through a campaign called "Merchant Offers" in which it offers participants rewards for using services from other companies. With the regular eBay Bucks program, participants earn 2 percent on every qualifying item when shopping on eBay, with a cap of $500; eBay Bucks certificates expire if unused.

Costco is moving to a new e-commerce platform that will improve the online visibility of its website. The transition is planned for this summer and "will bring users to costco.com via search engines, which our much older current system does not allow," said Costco CFO Richard Galanti during a recent conference call.

Overstock.com experienced a net loss of $19.4 million in 2011, the company said when it released fourth quarter and full-year earnings for 2011, which was a 240 percent decrease year-over-year. 

Kohl's has joined a handful of other up-and-coming masters of retailing in spreading brick-and-mortar stores nationwide during the suburban building boom. Now, however, Kohl's real estate ambitions are waning as the retailer deals with the effects of online retailing and slower growth overall in its physical stores.

iPerceptions, a provider of online voice-of-customer analytics based on actual visitor feedback, announced the release of its Retail/E-Commerce Industry Report for the fourth quarter of 2011. The report found that while more retail website visitors were ready to make a purchase compared to the previous year, only 58 percent were able to complete their purpose of visit.

Etsy's Handmade category is what gives the site its unique culture and differentiates it from sites such as eBay. But as the site grows, Etsy is forced to struggle with the definition of what exactly makes an item "handmade."