  | News about digital retail commerce |  |
 | A Personal Touch Makes All The Difference
Your customers are individuals, not segments or lists. Treat them that way, and they will reward you generously. Learn how easy it is to get started with email personalization.
Watch the video now! | - Report: Fewer than 2% of Californians pay tax on online purchases
The state agency charged with collecting sales tax in California has released a study showing that only 1.4% of the state's residents pay the sales tax they owe on online purchases when taxes aren't collected by the merchant. In a separate study, the agency estimates that California lost $795 million last year in unpaid tax on e-commerce purchases. InternetRetailer.com (5/11)       - Red tape, gridlock hinder online sales to Russia
 Amazon and other online retailers ship goods to the farthest corners of the earth, including Afghanistan, but Russia remains a tough nut to crack. The government requires 13 forms be completed each time a shipping container enters the country, creating gridlock, delays and shipping costs that often equal the amount of the purchase. The Moscow Times (5/12)  | Help protect your employees by managing business travel risks with Zurich's white paper 'Managing the Risks of Business Travel: What every business needs to know'. Click here for the FREE download! |
 - Panel: Brands need to build communities to thrive online
Sitting in front of the computer and shopping may seem like a solitary pursuit, but online retailers and brand marketers say the key to success is building communities. "Our members are held [together] by this common thread of style, and many are fairly influential bloggers. We see that because we see referral and membership activity, so this element of personal expression of style is important, [as is] the ability of members to share their influence with other people," said Rue La La marketing vice president Stephanie Brocoum. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (5/11) - Luxury brands keep consumers at arm's length on social media
Cultivated aloofness seems to be serving luxury brands well even in social media, according to research by ad agency Wong, Doody, Crandall, Wiener. Consumers with an appetite for the brands seek out their Facebook pages, even though the brands rarely respond or attempt to interact. "Luxury brands could probably charge [consumers] to be fans without losing too many," said Bob Wiener of WDCW. Adweek (5/11)  | Health care reform got you down? Learn more from UnitedHealthcare on how the federal changes to medical benefits will affect you and your employees. This comprehensive guide highlights incentives for enrollment and a timeline of important dates and deadlines. Don't let them pass you by—Learn more here! |
 | Companies in the News |  | | | - Kim Kardashian keeps up with online shoe franchise
The success of reality star Kim Kardashian's three-year-old ShoeDazzle line reportedly has attracted the interest of Amazon and other retailers in trying to acquire the company. ShoeDazzle, which is expected to tally more than $70 million in sales in 2011, is a kind of buying club in which members each month are charged for a pair of shoes for $39.95 that was chosen by a "digital stylist." Members have five days to say whether they don't want to receive the shoes. CNBC (5/11) - Visa will debut "digital wallet" for e-commerce this fall
Visa plans to launch a simplified payment system for online shoppers in the U.S. and Canada this fall. The system will eliminate a need to type in personal data to check out. The service stores consumer data on secure, Visa-controlled websites, and shoppers enter an e-mail address or online alias to complete a purchase. VentureBeat/MobileBeat (5/11) - Different Groupon fee splits anger some overseas restaurateurs
Groupon takes a 30% commission from the U.S. businesses that sell daily deals on the site, but in Europe and other parts of the world it keeps all revenue from unclaimed deals. This has angered some restaurateurs including Charles Boyd, owner of Boyd's Bar & Brasserie, in London, who says he was unaware of the practice when he signed on. Groupon says the differences stem from legacy systems that were in place when expanded through acquisitions such as last year's purchase of Europe's City Deals. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (5/12)  | The Plum Card®
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| Interactive Advertising | | | | - Murphy USA teams with Foursquare for gasoline deal
Playing on consumer anxiety over high gas prices, Murphy USA service stations are offering $2 off a $20 gas purchase at its stations in the Midwest and South if buyers check in via Foursquare. Murphy says it has done no marketing for the offer, which nonetheless appears to be drawing attention on the location-based social site. ClickZ (5/11)
| Legislative & Regulatory | | | | | Shop.org Spotlight | | | | - 5 industry experts ready to critique (not criticize!) your website
The Doctor Is In website critiques are back. Registered attendees of Shop.org's Online Merchandising Workshop, July 11-13 in San Diego, can make one-on-one appointments with multichannel, site design, merchandising and customer experience industry experts to evaluate their website -- for free. Appointments are on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn more.  | - 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. |
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The average 2010 online marketing budget for multichannel retailers surveyed was $7.3 million. Source: 
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