E-Commerce

Bold Software surveyed more than 200 of its customers about their experiences with live chat over the holidays, and 77 percent cited the customer communication channel as critical (up 8 percent from last year), with 34 percent saying it was very or extremely critical.

Tallying over $30 billion in online sales during the holiday shopping season, 2010 will go down as the year e-commerce emerged as the most convenient means of shopping for consumers. As more retailers look to leverage their websites to increase sales and revenues, they should be well prepared to keep those sites healthy and viable.

Barnes & Noble issued an open letter to Amazon affiliates attempting to capitalize on problems the online retailer faces with some state tax authorities. States such as New York have told Amazon it must collect state sales tax because its affiliates count as a physical presence. In response, Amazon has shut off affiliates in states that have enacted such laws.

Tommy Hilfiger opened a store on eBay last month, joining Calvin Klein, Timberland, Brooks Brothers, Marc Ecko, Aldo, Jockey and other fashion brands in selling directly on eBay. eBay has transformed its clothing, shoes, and accessories category into a fashion portal with flash sales on the fashion vault, and new designs, enhanced navigation and the ability to create personalized fashion shopping profiles.

We know Talbots is going to a new image, but we're not sure this is the best way to go about it. The brand's Eyelet Cover-up can apparently be worn not only after a swim, but after a haphazard Photoshop job.

Online retail giant Amazon.com is closing a suburban Dallas distribution center and scrapping plans to expand Texas operations after a dispute with the state over millions of dollars in sales taxes, an executive informed employees in an email obtained by The Associated Press.

The Gap said it's expanded Gap and Banana Republic's online presence to eight additional European countries through its European e-commerce sites. Gap debuted the sites in the U.K. in August 2010 and then expanded to include nine additional European countries in October 2010.

In order to grow revenue and gain new customers, small and emerging merchants are increasingly noticing the importance of becoming multichannel retailers. Blake Nordstrom, president of upscale department store chain Nordstrom, discussed customers' evolving role in shaping the future of multichannel retailing.

Build-A-Bear has announced it's developing a website, Bearville.com, to provide quality entertainment content to guests of all ages. This next generation of Bearville expands beyond its virtual world experience into an entertainment destination with a special focus on fun and relevant cultural content for children and families. The site re-launches in open beta on March 1, 2011 featuring unique programming,

To resolve a privacy lawsuit brought by Amazon and the ACLU, the state of North Carolina has agreed to stop asking all e-commerce sites for information about state residents who have made online purchases.