E-Commerce

Elle, H&M Launch E-Commerce Venture
September 1, 2011

Elle is giving H&M a gateway into e-commerce. Earlier this year, H&M postponed its plans to launch an e-commerce site in the U.S. until 2012, but that doesn’t mean the Swedish retailer is out of the game until then. Select items are available for purchase on Elle.com. The site will show four looks from H&M’s fall collection, with four or five pieces from each look that consumers can click to buy.

Reason to Smile
September 1, 2011

For the last 25 years, Dennis May has been involved in the retail industry — and he's loved every second of it. From his modest beginning selling audio equipment to help support himself while in college (that was the cool job at the time, May recalls) to his tenure today as president and CEO of one of the fastest-growing cross-channel retail brands out there, the one constant has been retail. But that's just part of the reason we've chosen May as our 2011 cross-channel retailer of the year.

Investigation Underway in Kansas State’s E-Commerce Tax Dodge
August 31, 2011

An investigation continues into whether Kansas State University's online merchandise store is skirting sales tax law. Now some state legislators also are beginning to question its online practices. In early August it was reported that purchases made by Kansas residents at the "K-State Official Online Store" weren't being charged any sales taxes.

Nordstrom to Offer Free Shipping on All Orders
August 30, 2011

Nordstrom announced it's now offering free standard shipping and returns from Nordstrom.com every day for online orders of every size. The company said it's broadening its online free shipping and returns policy to all customers in an effort to improve the online shopping experience.

Groupon Traffic Declines Nearly 50%
August 30, 2011

Has Groupon's ship sailed? With its IPO pending, the group-buying leader has seen traffic decline nearly 50 percent since its peak in the second week of June. That's according to new Hitwise data, excluding mobile and app specific traffic.

Facebook Exits Daily-Deal Space After 4 Months of Testing
August 30, 2011

Facebook is getting out of the daily-deals business after four months of testing, a move that may ease some competitive pressure on industry leaders Groupon and LivingSocial. The world's largest social network launched Facebook Deals in April and started making offers in five cities with a small sales team arranging deals with local merchants. But the company also ran offers that were set up by 11 other daily-deal companies, including ReachLocal, Gilt City and Zozi.

Solid E-Commerce Spending Recovery Suggests Strong Holiday Season
August 29, 2011

As retailers gear up for the holiday shopping season, many hope that the recent stock market turbulence won't prevent the strong end-of-year performance of years past. Retailers have come to count on the sales spike that traditionally occurs during Q4.