LivingSocial tests full-price online ordering, delivery

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November 16, 2011 Sign up Forward Archive RSS Feed News about digital retail commerce   Top Story    Getting to know Shop.org's new executive director Vicki Cantrell sees herself as a lucky, happy person whose retail career has shaped her life and her views. After just a few days on the job, Cantrell shares her thoughts on the holiday season, dishes on her first job and talks about her plans for helping all of NRF's retail communities work together. Shop.org Blog (11/16)        Download GSI Commerce’s 2011 Holiday Planning Guide GSI’s 2011 holiday guide centers around the key tactics to keep top of mind. It contains a practical checklist that spans 10 critical areas of your business, and includes a workbook to help you move from concepts to planning easily. Download now »   Online Retail Trends    Study: Consumers more likely to pick products peers have purchased Online shoppers are more likely to purchase products that their peers have bought, regardless of whether or not the products are the biggest sellers, according to a new study from marketing researchers at Binghamton University. "It's good news for manufacturers who haven't had a lot of people buy their product," said author Qi Wang. BusinessNewsDaily.com (11/15)      Survey reveals e-commerce priorities for Chinese consumers Consumers in China shop online for three main reasons: choice in products, the chance to compare prices between retailers and convenience, according to a survey from Acquity Group. While the number of Chinese consumers moving to online shopping is big, many are only making small purchases and paying COD, largely because of concerns about product authenticity and online security. Fast Company magazine (11/2011)        Are You Ready for the Connected Consumer? What makes the connected customer tick? What can you do to ensure your brands are top-of-mind when customers navigate browse and buy? Register Now for your copy of The Connected Consumer research report and learn what steps you can take today to stay connected to your customers.   New Media & Technology  Tips for boosting conversion rates Consumers will visit your site several times before making a purchase, and 75% of those who abandon their carts before buying will come back within the month, according to Forrester Research. This story offers tips to boost conversion rates by gaining a greater understanding of consumers' behavior. ClickZ (11/15)      Fashion designer Orla Kiely talks about the iPhone, other gadgets Orla Kiely, one of the top fashion designers in the U.K., just traded in her black iPhone 4 for a white iPhone 4S. In this interview, she discusses how Apple led a greater focus on design aesthetics in the consumer-electronics industry. Pocket-Lint.com (U.K.) (11/14)        Iconic bell ringers take plastic this year Salvation Army bell ringers are adding Square credit-card readers alongside their red metal buckets, aiming to encourage donations by the growing number of consumers who don't carry cash. Ten bell ringers each in Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago and New York will be equipped with Android phones and Square readers this year. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (11/15)      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: • 3X points on airfare • 2X points on advertising, gas, and shipping • 1X points on everything else • For a limited time, 50K bonus points when you spend $10K your first 5 months LEARN MORE AND APPLY   Companies in the News  LivingSocial tests full-price online ordering, delivery LivingSocial has launched a test in the Washington, D.C., market that lets users place pickup and delivery orders from their computers and mobile phones from about 70 area restaurants, as well as a second pilot called Room Service that offers delivery of pricier meals from a handful of high-end restaurants. Los Angeles Times/Money & Company blog (11/15)      Amazon extends comparison-shopping app to Android Amazon released a Google Android version of a comparison-shopping mobile application launched last year for Apple's iPhone. Users can scan a bar code, snap a product's picture or say the name of an item to access information on Amazon.com. TechCrunch (11/15)      Zappos founder launches loyalty site Zappos founder Nick Swinmurn launched RNKD.com, an online platform and mobile application offering users a chance to earn discounts and deals from vendors based on items they already own. "Every consumer has favorite brands and stores they are loyal to, but most have never been recognized or rewarded for their purchases," said Swinmurn. Women's Wear Daily (free content) (11/16)      Microsoft to outsource future e-commerce development Microsoft has moved future development of its Microsoft Commerce Server e-commerce platform to digital technology agency Ascentium. The move makes sense because Ascentium has the extensive support services needed to succeed in the e-commerce technology arena, one analyst said. InternetRetailer.com (11/14)      Other News Rethink Books raises $2 million to develop e-book apps TechCrunch (11/15)      The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) The Future of Retail and Tomorrow’s Consumer — A Market Research Study This multi-country study conducted by Forrester Consulting, commissioned by Demandware, reveals the gap between consumers’ purchasing behaviors and retailers’ cross-channel tactics, and shares valuable recommendations for transitioning from channel-centric to consumer-centric commerce. Download today. Interested in learning more about advertising with SmartBrief? Click here for detailed industry information and media kits.     Featured Content    Are You Getting In The Way Of Your Startup Success? Susan L. Reid SBO Testimonials: 'How I'm Marketing For Small Business Saturday' Katie Morell 3 Ways To Deal With Threats To Your Cash Cow Mike Periu The 5 Things You Need To Do To Prevent A Legal Disaster Karlee Weinmann The Key To Succession Planning Is Having A Strong Bench John Mariotti   Shop.org Spotlight  Free shipping, online discounts have holidays shoppers purchasing earlier this year Early Black Friday sales and special holiday offers have piqued many Americans' interest this year as over half have started their holiday shopping, up slightly from 48.9% last year, according to a recent NRF survey. "Whether it's free shipping on select online orders or discounts across the board, those looking for great deals on items -- either as a gift or for themselves -- won't have to look far," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. Read more.      Shop.org SmartStat: Nov. 16, 2011 Almost three-quarters of retailers have invested in their Facebook page this year in anticipation of the holiday season. Source: Shop.org's 2011 eHoliday survey        Target, Starbucks, 1-800-Flowers.com to attend Retail's BIG Show More than 22,000 industry professionals flock to New York City each January for Retail's BIG Show, and some of retail's most fascinating companies have already secured their spots – including Best Buy, Cabela's, Newegg, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Home Depot and Tractor Supply Co. Who else will be attending retail's biggest event, Jan. 15-18 in New York City? View the list of companies.      Learn more about Shop.org -> Website  |  Events  |  Research  |  Shop.org Blog  |  Join Shop.org   SmartQuote  Who would venture upon the journey of life, if compelled to begin it at the end?" --Madame de Maintenon, French aristocrat        This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com   Subscriber Tools       Update account information | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe | Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Grab our News Widget Publish your Press Release   Advertise Senior Account Director:  Dena Malouf (202) 407-7837 Download Media Kit       Recent Shop.org SmartBrief Issues: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Monday, November 14, 2011 Friday, November 11, 2011 Thursday, November 10, 2011 Wednesday, November 09, 2011     Lead Editor:  Megan Conniff       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information