  | News about digital retail commerce |  |
| - Retailer's test shows online shoppers find deals without ads
Online promotional item company Branders.com launched a test recently to see if customers would catch onto lower-priced deals without a big marketing push. The company created one website with full-priced merchandise, another with products discounted 20% and a third with 40%-off deals, and used software that randomly sent customers to one of the three. The result: conversion rates rose 12% at the 20% off site and tripled when prices were cut by 40%. InternetRetailer.com (4/20)       - Ohio garden business finds new growth with Amazon
Rather than give up when big box rivals ate into the garden supply business, Ohio-based Hirt's Gardens sold its land to CVS, bought another property and went online with Fulfillment by Amazon. Since the switch five years ago, sales of the company's 5,000-product catalog of hard-to-find seeds and flowering bulbs have risen 300%. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (4/19) - Survey: Shoppers say online and mobile offer the best deals
About 60% of consumers surveyed recently said they've seen stock and service levels drop in brick-and-mortar stores and they're shifting to online shopping and mobile applications to hunt down the best deals, according to data from Deloitte. The number of consumers who said that retail stores offered them more value for their money dropped to 27% from 45% last year, and 54% said there are fewer salespeople available. InternetRetailer.com (4/20)  | Despite being a backbone enterprise application, Enterprise Resource Planning is often misunderstood. In this guide from Focus, top experts provide their suggestions and recommendations to guide you through your evaluation of the best choices. Unravel the complexities of ERP once and for all to make an informed buying decision by downloading this free white paper. |
 - Small merchants cope with Google search changes
Google's recent algorithm tweaks sent shocks through some small businesses that saw sales plummet after they lost high spots on search-results lists. Sales for online ergonomics seller Ergo In Demand dropped 40%, spurring the company to cut staff from 17 to five and move to less costly digs, using the savings to hire an SEO firm to audit the company's site to regain its high Google search ranking. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (4/21)  | Discover what risks could be lurking in your vacant commercial property with Zurich's guide 'Empty building, full of risk: Protecting your vacant commercial properties'. Click here for your FREE download! |
 | Companies in the News |  | | | - U.K. grocer Waitrose adds e-commerce only store
Waitrose plans to ramp up its online grocery-delivery service with the addition of a 100,000-square-foot store dedicated to fulfilling online orders, a move that will help the chain build its online grocery sales independent of online-fulfillment partner Ocado. The move is allowed under a new 10-year contract that lets Waitrose sell direct to shoppers as long as the orders are filled from a store. The Independent (London) (4/20) - White Label app helps restaurants go mobile
The new White Label application from MobileBytes aims to make it easier for restaurants to gain a mobile presence without the expense of creating their own in-house app or mobile-optimized site, the company says. The app, available for Apple and Android devices, lets eateries create their own mobile presence, from marketing and promotions through online ordering and payment. QSR Magazine (4/2011)  | The Plum Card®
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| Interactive Advertising | | | | | Shop.org Spotlight | | | |  | - A merchant cheat sheet for testing and targeting
Just one-third of retailers surveyed characterize themselves as active testers; and among those who aren't, over half say they have no budget to do so. In a recent addition to Shop.org's white paper library, executives from Amadesa and The e-Tailing Group share best practices for integrating testing and targeting into a corporate culture -- a priority for retailers who want to compete effectively. Read more. |
- Shop.org SmartStat: April 21, 2011
 More than 4,800 people are connected to Shop.org through LinkedIn. View the page. - Best Buy CMO Barry Judge to speak at 2011 Global E-commerce Summit
Shop.org heads to Barcelona May 23-25 as an industry partner for the annual Global E-commerce Summit. With speakers hailing from Expedia Europe, Forrester, YOOX Group, Pixmania.com and Best Buy, attendees of the event will learn about new perspectives to develop and grow global online and cross-channel retail. Learn more.
| SmartQuote | | | |  | Material power that is not counterbalanced by adequate spiritual power, that is, by love and wisdom, is a curse."
--Arnold J. Toynbee,
British historian  |
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Wal-Mart's announcement this week that it will pay about $300 million to acquire social media tech company Kosmix should have other merchants ramping up their own social strategies, Lightspeed Venture Partners Managing Director Ravi Mhatre. "Wal-Mart is going to leapfrog into social and mobile commerce. All of these traditional retailers are going to need to evolve or die. I think social media and mobile are going to completely change the game." 
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