 | News about digital retail commerce |  |
- Amazon, iTunes help Winehouse mourners connect with her music
Amazon Music, iTunes and other online music retailers quickly posted notices about the death of Amy Winehouse with links allowing consumers to buy her music. While some say the retailers are capitalizing on Winehouse's death, others say they are simply giving her fans an opportunity to instantly connect with her music. TheAtlantic.com (7/24)       | 5 Reasons to Monitor Competitors’ Pricing
Regular and accurate pricing, promotion, and assortment monitoring helps you know your competition and stay ahead of them when in the planning stage, ensures you are meeting your seasonal goals, and provides you with the information you need to... Learn More | - Shopping on tablets becomes increasingly popular
One day, tablets could outpace smartphones and computers for shopping, according to a report by Forrester Research. Currently about 9% of shoppers own an iPad or other tablet computer, but sales from such devices account for a fifth of mobile commerce sales, the report shows. "Everyone thinks that mobile phones and mobile commerce are the next big things, and I think what this data shows is it's probably actually tablets," said Sucharita Mulpuru, an e-commerce analyst at Forrester. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Bits blog (7/25) - PayPal makes it easier for merchants to be PCI compliant
PayPal updated its Payflow Link, making it simpler for merchants to comply with PCI Security Standards. PCI compliance, which strives to protect consumers' payment and other information from a data breach, can be expensive and complex to manage, according to this article. AuctionBytes (7/22)  | Utilize the Zurich Enterprise Risk Management Healthcheck assessment tool to get a better understanding of your current ERM strategy with recommendations for improvement. Sign up for FREE access today! |
  | Turning Online Shopper Uncertainty into a New Source of Sales and Profits. Eliminating consumer uncertainty is a challenge for all online merchants. The question is, how can you address shoppers' concerns and increase sales and profits in the process? Download the buySAFE white paper to learn more NOW! |
 | 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 | | | | - CSN Stores to consolidate sites and relaunch brand
CSN Stores is not yet a household name, despite being the second largest online retailer in housewares and home furnishings. The company is aiming to become a destination site, however, by consolidating its numerous websites and relaunching its brand. "When you think about buying shoes online, you think of Zappos, and when you think of buying diamonds, you think of Blue Nile," said co-founder and CEO Niraj Shah. "When you think about home furnishings and housewares decor, people don't have a go-to destination in mind. We think there's a very big opportunity to be the online retailer that owns the home spaces." Boston Herald (7/24) - Michaels rolls out new mobile tools to aid in-store experience
Arts and crafts retailer Michaels is using a new smartphone app to bring more customers to its stores. The app features mobile coupons, how-to videos for projects, store events and social networking tie-ins for sharing. "We've been able to add significant depth to our in-store experience by offering mobile versions of the project sheets to give customers ideas, instructions and inspiration whenever they want it," said senior director of digital marketing and public relations Anthony Price. MobileCommerceDaily.com (7/25) - Kobo and WSJ cease to offer purchasing via iPhone and iPad apps
Canadian e-book retailer Kobo and the Wall Street Journal will no longer offer customers the option of purchasing content through their Apple devices. Both companies cited Apple's new rules requiring digital content providers to sell products from within an app rather than linking to an outside website so that Apple can take its 30% cut. "We remain concerned that Apple's own subscription [rules] would create a poor experience for our readers, who would not be able to directly manage their WSJ account or to easily access our content across multiple platforms," a Journal spokeswoman said. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (7/25) - International operations help boost Wiggles' sales
Wiggles, the online swimwear and cycling retailer, saw its sales surge 55% last year. International sales were up 123% as the company reported £10.2 million in profit in the year to January 2011. "We grew our UK and international sales significantly, developed the breadth of our product offering and continued to offer our customers great service," said CEO Humphrey Cobbold. "We now have over one million shopper visits a week to our online store and over 500,000 customers shopped with us in the last 12 months." The Telegraph (London) (7/24) | | | Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. |
| Interactive Advertising | | | | | Shop.org Spotlight | | | | - Web growth outpacing store growth; Forrester executive shares why
Part two of Shop.org's State of Retailing Online survey reports that three-quarters of retailers have experienced more than 10% year-over-year growth in the online channel this year. As retailers embark on the back-to-school season this month and the holiday season shortly after, Forrester Research Principal Analyst Sucharita Mulpuru shares why Web growth has been consistently stronger than offline and gives two tips to keep this momentum going. Read more. - 10 simple site tweaks to reduce shopping cart abandonment
With average online shopping cart abandonment rates 40% to 50%, converting these lost sales can substantially improve a retailer's bottom line. At Shop.org's Online Merchandising Workshop, Eight by Eight CEO Amy Africa shared ten simple site tweaks that can convert on-the-fence shoppers. Tip #6? Quit asking pointless questions. Read more.
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Tom Burg of Akamai Technologies discusses the strategy of retargeting shoppers who were simply browsing an online retail site or who has left items in their shopping carts. Burg said that it's become obvious that there is not a "one size fits all" strategy. 
Adult men are more likely to buy back-to-school items online than their female counterparts. Source: 
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