  | News about digital retail commerce |  |
- Retailers plan for Cyber Monday success
Cyber Monday has grown in importance each year since Shop.org coined the phrase five years ago, and this year just about every merchant with a website has been actively promoting today's online deals. More than 96 million Americans shopped online on Cyber Monday 2009, according to NRF figures, making it the biggest online shopping day of the year. "What we are seeing for Cyber Monday specifically: a lot of free shipping deals, one-day sales, percentages off the entire site," said NRF's Ellen Davis. ABC News (11/28) , The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, Calif.) (11/29)       - Merchants get a head start on Cyber Monday: More merchants have been launching holiday-season deals early, including on what some called "Cyber Sunday." E-commerce sites including BestBuy.com and Walmart.com started promoting online deals in advance, and more merchants have been freshening their online offers more often in the hopes of attracting shoppers early and often. MSNBC/Reuters/The Associated Press (11/28)
 | A Win for Consumers and Retailers
ShopRunner is a members-only program offering unlimited free 2-day shipping and many other exclusive benefits from a network of leading online stores. With ShopRunner's collaborative approach, retailers are able to present consumers with a far more attractive program than they can as standalone merchants. "Click here to contact us now" | - Black Friday brings surge in online sales
Online retailers saw Black Friday sales increase almost 16% over last year, according to data. Consumers bought more items online than they did last year, and prepared using merchants' early advertising to create lists that allowed them to quickly find and purchase the products they sought. InternetRetailer.com (11/27)  | You're out of the office, meeting with clients and vendors, all while balancing work and life. Sometimes even a laptop just isn't practical. The RUN Powered by ADP® mobile payroll app helps you manage payroll anytime — quickly and easily — from any location. Choose ADP® and get a $300 Apple® Gift Card. |
 - Social media relationships leave useful data trail
Marketers may find much more value in the data they can mine from their customers' social network friendships than they'll reap from paid ads on Facebook and other social sites. Companies including Media6Degrees, 33Across and RadiumOne are licensing the data as part of an effort to tailor ads not only to customers but also to their friends who are likely to have similar interests. Adweek (11/28) - PayPal is catching up with eBay
PayPal's rapid growth is on a path to surpass parent eBay's marketplace business by 2014, perhaps sooner if the company's mobile-payment efforts exceed expectations. "PayPal's target market is all of e-commerce. EBay is just one merchant," said eBay CEO John Donahoe. The New York Times (free registration) (11/28) - Robots help fulfill online shopping orders
Crate & Barrel, Gap and Staples are using a robotic system developed by Massachusetts-based Kiva Systems to process online orders faster and more efficiently. Kiva has doubled the size of its workforce and is moving into a larger facility as it looks to expand its customer base with larger e-commerce retailers. The Boston Globe (11/28)  | You may be considering a cloud computing solution or in the midst of specifying one or even implementing a solution. Read this paper to see what IBM discovered about how companies like yours are adopting, implementing and using cloud computing solutions. Learn about the current rate of adoption, drivers, barriers, and considerations that are influencing the adoption of cloud computing. |
 | Hot Topics |  | | | Top five news stories selected by Shop.org SmartBrief readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
| Companies in the News | | | | - PayPal reports soaring Black Friday transactions
Mobile shopping increased 310% and online payment volume rose 27% on Black Friday, compared with last year, PayPal reported. "The tough economy has made shoppers more price-conscious, and this year's Black Friday results show that they're going online to find the best deals," said PayPal Senior Director Amanda Pires. Yahoo!/PC Magazine (11/27) - Apple gears up for a gadget-filled Christmas
Apple expects sales of iPads and other gadgets to soar this season, starting with Cyber Monday sales. About 9% of consumers queried in a recent survey said they expect to buy an iPad in the next 90 days. Industry analysts also predict swift sales for smartphones this season, as the growing number of apps offers users more reasons to upgrade. The Wall Street Journal (11/29) - Amazon Prime sets a standard for customer loyalty
Online shopper Ruth Tinsley signed up for Amazon Prime shortly after she had twins and quickly converted from a casual Amazon shopper into one who buys from the site regularly. Other merchants are finding it tough to copy the successful program. Analysts say Amazon Prime is one of the main reasons the site's sales grew 30% during the economic downturn. Bloomberg Businessweek (11/24) | | | Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. |
| Shop.org Spotlight | | | | - More than 106 million Americans to shop on Cyber Monday
A record number of shoppers will visit websites on Cyber Monday this year, according to a new Shop.org survey. While most will shop from home, the number of people who will use their smartphone for Cyber Monday shopping will double. "Hundreds of retailers have already announced special Cyber Monday promotions ranging from free shipping offers to flash sales," said Joan Broughton, Interim Executive Director of Shop.org. "When it comes to Cyber Monday deals, shoppers know they can't lose this year." Read more. - Shop.org SmartStat: Nov. 29, 2010
 Pure plays take five of the 10 finalist slots on the NRF Foundation Customers' choice survey. Source: NRF Foundation - Black Friday weekend sees bigger crowds, increase in spending
More shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend this year compared to last, spending to the tune of $45 billion. Discretionary gifts such as jewelry and gift cards saw increases, as did department store and clothing store traffic. "As retailers look ahead to the first few weeks of December, it will be important for them to keep momentum going with savings and incentives that holiday shoppers simply can't pass up," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. Read more.
| SmartQuote | | | |  | Life is like a game of poker: If you don't put any in the pot, there won't be any to take out."
--Jackie "Moms" Mabley,
American comedian  |
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