Amazon.com

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.

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.

Illinois is dangerously close to making an already challenging economy even more difficult for thousands of small businesses with a new e-commerce tax. Lawmakers recently passed the measure without regard for the potential impact on Illinois' technology businesses.

In a move that's about as subtle as a sledge hammer, Groupon sent out a "Super Coupon" offering $20 of merchandise from Barnes & Noble for $10. This appears to be in direct response to LivingSocial and Amazon teaming up and offering gift cards for $10 following the retail giant’s $175 million investment in the number two daily deals site. That offer sold 1.3 million vouchers for a total of $13 million.

Many online retailers say half of mobile commerce is already coming from tablet devices, and more purchases are likely to come from tablets throughout 2011, according to a recent report from research firm Forrester.

Who hasn't been reeled in by the lure of a money-back rebate, reducing the purchase price of that new dishwasher or refrigerator you need? The process sounds so simple, too: Just fill out a rebate form, mail it back with a proof of purchase, then sit back and wait for the check to arrive in the mail. At least so it seems.

There are many holy grails in online commerce, but one that's frustrated executives and engineers alike is how to produce better recommendation algorithms. Produce better recommendations, and you'll sell more stuff.

Zappos, which was founded in 1999 as a shoe seller, is a relative newbie to mobile. It started developing apps only six months ago, and launched an iPad app in October followed by an iPhone app in December.

Mobile applications can be exciting, even essential tools, but the majority fall short when it comes to getting consumers to download them. Is the hype greater than the apps themselves? My company wanted to find out, so it recently conducted a national study to help marketers better understand who uses mobile apps and what makes an app a "favorite."

Amazon reported a 36 percent surge in fourth-quarter sales but still fell short of Wall Street's estimates, sending shares of its pricey stock sharply lower in after-hours trading. Amazon reported its first-ever quarter with more than $10 billion in sales; however, expectations were high as the company was seen benefiting from consumers increasing the number of purchases made over the Internet this holiday season.