Google

If you're currently using (or interested in) Product Listing Ads (PLAs), then this webinar is a must! In August, Google will require all advertisers to upgrade to Google Shopping campaigns to manage their PLAs. Join Google's Partner Education Manager for Shopping & Emerging Ads Nicole Premo and ChannelAdvisor's Senior Product Manager of Digital Marketing Jackie Jenkins on June 4 to learn what Shopping campaigns are, and how the switch will affect you. Register Now>>

At no point in the last several decades has a company's chief information officer been more important to the overall organization. That's because if CIOs can effectively manage their customers’ privacy, they'll be able to enhance loyalty, drive sales and improve a company's stock price in the midst of this challenging new environment. The recent hacking of millions of credit cards and other confidential customer information at major retail chains has put information security on the front page. A proactive, savvy CIO can put his company's safeguards on the front page as well.

Google named a new leader for its computerized eyewear Glass unit as it gears up for more sales. Ivy Ross will start leading the internet-connected spectacles unit on May 19, according to a post on the company's website. She most recently was chief marketing officer at Art.com, following positions at Coach and Bausch & Lomb. "With your help, I look forward to answering the seemingly simple, but truly audacious questions Glass poses: Can technology be something that frees us up and keeps us in the moment, rather than taking us out of it?" she wrote on the company's website.

Online retailers must elevate search engine optimization to a strategic level if they're to meet the needs of their business, web users and, by proxy, Google. SEO is essential for generating online sales, yet there remains a lack of understanding amongst senior executives as to how SEO works, what can be achieved and why it's important.

Approximately 60 percent of consumer catalog sales and 55 percent of total orders generated annually are received during the holiday season (October through December), according to data we compiled at Lett Direct, Inc. This three-month period represents all or most of the profit for catalogers during the year. Therefore, it's critical to make certain your business is hitting on all cylinders during the busy holiday season. 

We're excited to bring you our list of the 100 fastest-growing omnichannel retailers for the 2013 fiscal year. To compile this year's list, we researched 2013 fiscal year net sales figures for all the public retail companies in the U.S. and Canada. We then compared those numbers to the previous fiscal year's net sales. After we calculated the percentage change year-over-year, we ranked each company in descending order to arrive at our top 100. We've also included select profiles that highlight specific companies on the list. Enjoy!


Let's face it: Brick-and-mortar retailers have been suffering from slow economic activity and increased competition from online retailers for years, which is why so many of them are closing up their shops. So why the mixed bag title? Because while many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are closing stores, many of their e-tail counterparts are adding physical store locations to their businesses.

Force Factor, a sports nutrition brand founded in 2009 by two Harvard University rowers, launched a display advertising campaign in April for its Test X180 Ignite supplement. The campaign has delivered a clickthrough rate (CTR) of 0.86 percent, which is more than eight times above the industry standard. The ad, a 300x250 above-the-fold placement, runs across SportingNews.com, a top 10 U.S. sports site that reaches millions of unique sports fans daily.

In an effort to walk the fine line between helping searchers find what they need and keeping advertisers happy, Google is constantly testing, innovating and rolling out new ways to present advertisements to online shoppers. ChannelAdvisor's guide Understanding Google's Ad Extensions will share the various extensions available and help you determine which extensions are right for you based on outcomes and costs. Get it now>>

Barcode scanning isn't a new retail concept. Traditional, expensive handheld barcode scanners have been used in warehouses to manage inventory, and bulky cash registers with related hardware and basic software have for years been scanning barcodes for purchases. However, smartphones and tablets have opened up a whole new world for retailers when it comes to barcode scanning.