| News about digital retail commerce |  |
 | Samsonite Brings Durability Online with Amazon Webstore Samsonite wanted a truly integrated brand and marketing experience—a site that looked like Samsonite and still allowed them to promote their products effectively. They turned to Amazon Webstore to tap their expertise and raise the Samsonite eCommerce processes to a 'best-in-class' level. Download the Case Study now! |
 - Survey: Social media's shopping influence small but growing
Social media led only about 5% of consumers to shop online during the holiday season, according to a survey by ForeSee Results. While social media's influence is growing, it's still small compared with other online marketing channels, such as promotional e-mail and search results, the survey found. ClickZ (12/29)        | Supercharging the Online Channel
Getting to the right shoppers and then converting them to buyers in your online store is every retailer's key objective. Short purchase windows, impatient buyers, and new mandates around security are creating unprecedented demands on commerce sites. Learn how to attract customers to your site, optimize their online shopping experience and drive more transactions. Watch the webinar NOW! |
 - Children's clothing company builds buzz with Facebook "likes"
San Francisco-based children's apparel company Tea Collection built brand buzz and quickly sold off some of its overstocks with a promotion that asked fans to vote for their favorite designs by hitting the Facebook "like" button. The winning design was offered at a deeply discounted price and sold out almost immediately. Tea Collection took a loss on the discounted item, but says it more than made up for it with increased sales of other products. Fast Company (12/2010) - Rivals gear up to challenge Apple's iPad
Competitors large and small will introduce touch-screen tablets in the coming weeks in a race to compete with Apple's iPad. As many as 50 companiess, including Motorola and Dell, are expected to show their competing products next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "I don't think anyone believes they can beat Apple, but they want to be No. 2," said Gleacher analyst Brian Marshall. The Wall Street Journal (12/29)  | From hire to retire, Paychex provides the right payroll, HR and benefits services to meet your business goals. With over 35 years of experience, Paychex is recognized as a top national provider of business solutions, offering the personal attention and commitment you need to focus on key priorities. Get a free payroll quote and receive one FREE month of payroll processing! |
 - Sources: Groupon attracts big investors, preps for IPO
 Groupon is reportedly negotiating funding deals with several large institutional investors, with an eye on going public as soon as the end of next year. The fast-growing daily-deal site is expected to close a new round of funding that could total $950 million, according to sources cited in several online stories. NYTimes.com/Dealbook (12/30) - EBay reports nearly $100M in U.S. sales from mobile users
U.S. mobile sales at eBay rose 134% during the holiday season compared with last year, hitting almost $100 million from Nov. 25 to Dec. 25, the company reported. EBay booked $230 million in global sales made via mobile devices, up from $86.4 million in the 2009 season. Clothing, shoes and accessories topped the list of hottest categories for mobile users. InternetRetailer.com (12/29)  | Join OPEN Forum authors Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan, Scott Belsky, and Ramon Ray as they share their expertise on innovation, technology, and more at CES 2011. See openforum.com/ces for speaker schedule - and updates from the show. |
| Interactive Advertising |  | | | - Internet rivals partner to beat Google in local ads
Competing sites such as AOL's MapQuest, Yelp and Yellowbook have joined to spur local ad sales and fend off an aggressive push by Google. For $99 a month, businesses can add marketing messages to their basic informational listings, and the ads will run on the local sites of all the participating companies. The Wall Street Journal (12/30)  | Target Your Message — Advertise Here
Direct your message straight to key decision-makers in the digital retail commerce industry. With over 32,000 subscribers and valuable ad performance feedback, Shop.org SmartBrief is the smart place to advertise. Click here to download media kit. | | Shop.org Spotlight | | | | - Tough economy? How innovation can turn it around
Every economic downturn is rife with opportunity. As retailers develop their game plan for 2011, innovative thinking is just what is needed to drive sales, connect with consumers, and stay competitive. At NRF's 2nd annual INNOVATE conference, powered by Shop.org and RAMA and held in San Francisco March 8 to 10, industry leaders will inspire you with unexpected perspectives and illuminating anecdotes. Learn more.
| Editor's Note | | | | - SmartBrief will not publish Friday
In observance of the New Year's holiday, SmartBrief will not be published Friday. Publication will resume Monday. | SmartQuote | | | |  | Each age has deemed the new-born year the fittest time for festal cheer."
--Sir Walter Scott,
Scottish historical novelist, playwright and poet  |
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| | | Lead Editor: Megan Conniff
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Almost one-quarter of retailers surveyed provide customers with in-store product availability information on their websites. Source: 
