E-Commerce

At a time when the fashion world is increasingly moving online, Style.com is going in the other direction with the launch of a glossy print magazine. Style.com Magazine is a reverse publishing move by Fairchild Fashion Media. It’s also a foray into e-commerce. Set for release right after spring 2012 runway shows end Oct. 5, the first issue will aim at the fashion-obsessed by featuring items from six designers that will be available for purchase on Style.com.

Williams-Sonoma said its second-quarter profit climbed 28 percent and narrowly trumped Wall Street's outlook as its newly launched global online shipping websites helped catapult e-commerce sales.

As the number of consumers regularly surfing the net while watching television rises, the potential for crossover sales is growing, according to a new report. Research from Deloitte and Gfk found that out of 4,000 shoppers surveyed, over half admit to browsing the web while also viewing TV programs and 45 percent of these people are visiting shopping sites.

The Webreep project found a direct relationship between trusting intentions and the attractiveness of websites. When we contemplate the reasons why, we see many similarities to the mechanisms shaping trust towards other humans. Websites may be viewed as an extension of a person, with a personality and other associations that go beyond objective evaluations.

Sephora is enhancing the shopping experience and broadening its mobile reach with a new Google Catalogs application for tablet devices. Google Catalogs is a free app that lets users browse catalogs from Macy’s, Brooks Brothers, Pottery Barn and others via the iPad. Users can also interact with videos and additional content for a rich user experience.

Online retailers are responding to audience demand for more product videos. The number of videos deployed by these retailers on both their websites and video sharing sites has tremendously increased from last year.

Lowe’s launched Lowes.com en Español, a Spanish language option that enhances Lowe’s ability to meet the needs and expectations of Hispanic consumers.

Elie Tahari, a luxury lifestyle brand with a growing global presence, has launched ElieTahari.com on the Demandware Commerce platform to drive the growth of the brand and deliver the Elie Tahari experience to a broader audience.

Amazon was the most visited retail site in June, according to new data out from comScore. Compared with all other online retailers, Amazon.com grabbed more than 282 million visitors in June, reaching 20.4 percent of the entire internet population around the world.

The recession has encouraged a host of deal-seeking behavior among consumers, including searching out online and mobile coupons as well as taking advantage of daily-deal offers, which have risen in popularity dramatically.