E-Commerce

Some retailers have the practical policy that if the price advertised on their website for a product, that price will be matched in a physical store. Not so with Gap, apparently, as Consumerist reader Cara says she tried to get a price adjustment recently and was denied.

M&S Solutions, an e-commerce retailer of organic products, has introduced a new online store. "We're excited to start selling organic products online," said a managing member of M&S Solutions. "Through e-commerce and the boundless reach of the internet, we're now able to share our wonderful selection of products with everyone."

Shoppers spent 14 percent more online during the week ending Dec. 18, according to comScore. Online spending totaled $6.4 billion for the week, the most ever spent in one week. Shoppers have spent almost $32 billion online for the holiday season to date, a 15 percent increase from a year ago.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the convergence of retail and publishing and how media brands are hoping to replace lost advertising revenue by getting in on some e-commerce action. So when you see established media brands creeping onto your turf, one reaction is to try and further monetize your own website traffic by using some page real estate for display advertising. Before accepting advertising for your homepage, product pages or anywhere on your website, there’s some basic information you should know that will help you decide if getting into the advertising business is for you.

Dreams, a technology-driven, multichannel retailer focused on the licensed sports products industry, has launched Indiana University’s online merchandise store at www.indianauniversitystore.com. The site consists of an assortment of hard and soft goods, including apparel, headwear, gifts, novelties, home décor and collectibles. The site is supported by Dreams’ online marketing and proprietary e-commerce technology.

You know those holiday gift lists populating the media right now — e.g., top 10 gifts for dad, the kids and so on? In an ideal world, shoppers would be presented with the most perfect, on-target gift suggestions for all of their recipients every time they visited an e-commerce site. While retailers aren't quite at the point where they can read shoppers’ minds and extract items their loved ones will swoon over as soon as they come to their website, the process of personalizing the shopping experience, particularly during the holidays, can be much better.

While some have their shopping completed and presents wrapped under the tree, the holiday shopping season isn't over yet. There are a few critical shopping days remaining that savvy online retailers can take advantage of by following these tips:

eBay is partnering with three major retailers to get online shoppers to also buy at brick-and-mortar stores. The partnership is an obvious comeback to last weekend’s promotion by Amazon, which motivated consumers to browse in a retail store — but to walk out empty-handed.

The final six weeks of the year — Thanksgiving through Dec. 31 — are the most important for retailers, as robust sales can result in many closing their books in the black. For those who depend on an e-commerce site to deliver added holiday revenue throughout the season, ensuring that your site continues to operate effectively is of the utmost importance.

Millions of Americans are turning to Amazon.com to put the finishing touches on their holiday shopping. But don’t count the celebrity super couple of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie among the throngs browsing the virtual aisles of Amazon.