  | News about digital retail commerce |  |
- Retailers gear up for slower postal service
The U.S. Postal Service plans to cut about $2.1 billion from its budget by cutting almost all overnight delivery of letters and postcards, raising concerns among merchants who depend on direct marketing campaigns. A separate proposal to end Saturday delivery service would create delays for online retailers such as Spreadshirt.com, which uses the postal service to ship the lion's share of its 150,000 monthly packages. USA TODAY (12/7)       | Looking to increase your sales this holiday season?
Find out how Cold Steel increased online sales conversions by 14.5%. Learn more. | - VCs boost investments in online retail ventures
Venture capitalists invested $2.39 billion in online retail companies this year, more than twice as much as they spent in 2010, according to Thomson Reuters. "We think that online commerce -- traditional goods, soft goods, social commerce, flash sales -- that whole category is going through a tremendous amount of innovation," said venture capitalist Tony Florence. The Sun (Baltimore)/Reuters (12/8) - Many consumers shift to only online shopping
While most holiday shopping is still done at brick-and-mortar stores, a growing number of consumers are shifting to online-only shopping this season, citing less stress and free-shipping deals as some of the key reasons. "This whole crazy race to the stores and frenzy of driving from one place to the other in search of gifts just isn't for me," one Orlando-area shopper said. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.) (12/8)  | Retailer’s Pluck community paid for itself in 30 days
As more than 500 leading brands have learned, adding Pluck community features – including product reviews, topical forums, expert blogs, media galleries, polls, and reward systems – to the shopping experience can dramatically accelerate conversions. Our Community Results Blueprint shows you how. | | New Media & Technology |  |  | | - Survey: Tablet shoppers feel "indulgent," "generous"
A majority of tablet owners have been using the gadgets to shop this season, spending an average of $325 on clothing, toys, jewelry and other gadgets, according to a new survey from Zmags. Tablet shoppers report feeling happy and excited about their purchases, in contrast to the stress non-tablet shoppers report. CNBC (12/8) - How to find shoppers' preferred channels
Changing shopper trends mean merchants must now devise integrated multichannel strategies that incorporate online, in-store, mobile and social to reach customers wherever they shop, writes JustEnough product strategy director Peter Leith. His tips include analyzing demand by channel to determine which products sell best in each one. Supply & Demand Chain Executive online (12/8)  | Earn 2X rewards points on shipping costs with The New Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN. Designed to earn Membership Rewards® points faster:
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LEARN MORE AND APPLY |
  - EBay Canada sees sales jump on Cyber Monday
Online shoppers in Canada bought 37% more items from eBay on Cyber Monday compared with the same day last year, the company said. The Monday after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest online-shopping days in the U.S., and the trend is shifting northward as consumers hunt for bargains, eBay said. The Sun (Baltimore)/Reuters (12/8) - Design-focused flash-sale site Fab.com raises $40 million
Fab.com raised $40 million in a new round of financing led by Andreessen Horowitz, six months after changing its mission from a daily deal site and social network aimed at appealing to gay people to a design-centric flash-sale site with broader appeal. Mashable (12/8)  | Maintaining accurate inventory is at the heart of retailing. Perpetual inventory solutions are one means to that end. Download our white paper, Inventory Is the Store: How Mobility Maximizes Return on Investment, to learn how Zebra mobile inventory solutions improve inventory management by meeting your inventory where it lives on the shelves. |
- U.S. Senate asks ICANN to slow new domain rollouts
Senators from the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation asked that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers slow down its process of establishing new generic top-level domains after hearing concerns from advertisers over cyber-squatting, but ICANN plans to push ahead with its schedule. ClickZ (12/8)  | Consumer Insights Your Brand Needs to Know: Latest Trends in Behavioral Advertising
Learn what brand managers, advertisers, as well as networks, agencies, and publishers need to know about consumer survey insights into behavioral ad serving, also known as interest-based advertising. Learn more today! |
 | Shop.org Spotlight | | | | - Looking for talent? Find the best and brightest at Retail's BIG Show
After last year's wildly popular event, the NRF Foundation will again be hosting a Retail Talent Networking Luncheon and speed networking activity. Retailers and recruiters are invited to join the event held in conjunction with Retail's BIG Show in New York City on Jan. 15. Executives from Brooks Brothers, Chico's, The Container Store, Five Below, Kohl's, Macy's, Saks, Sears, and Toys R Us have already confirmed their spots -- don't miss out! Learn more.
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Almost one-third of holiday shoppers will specifically keep track of the e-mail coupons they receive from retailers this holiday season. Source: 
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