| News about digital retail commerce |  |
- Amazon shifts position on collecting sales tax
Amazon's agreement to collect sales tax in Texas reflects a shift from the retailer's former opposition to collecting in states where it operates fulfillment centers and other operations. The company collects sales tax in five states, which will increase to 12 by 2016. The Wall Street Journal (4/27)       - Flash-sale sites evolve to retain customers
Flash-sale sites are seeing their once-soaring popularity wane, which is driving some to make changes aimed at keeping consumers coming back. [There's] "a push toward things that make more sense to consumers personally," said Vicki Cantrell, senior vice president of Shop.org. CNNMoney (4/27) - How magazines are merging e-commerce and editorial
Magazines ranging from weekly Time Out New York to glossy fashion monthly Elle have launched new shopping features from their websites and mobile applications in an effort to boost revenue as traditional print advertising declines. Mashable (4/29) - China's online merchants struggle to make a profit
 Online retailers in China are finding no shortage of customers, but there's also a slew of competitors, including Alibaba Group, which commands about 72% of the market. The environment makes it tough for many to make a profit, as they compete on price and invest revenue into building out their distribution systems. The Wall Street Journal (4/29)  | Which do you choose: Customer frustration…or channel integration? Today's consumers expect to shop the way technology lets them work and live: easily, efficiently and seamlessly across channels. Aberdeen's 2012 Analyst Insight on the Omni-Channel Retail Experience explains how your competitors make that happen – and how you can too! This $399 value is now yours free. Download the report now! |
  | Leveraging Cloud Security to Weather Threatening Storms
Web attacks and retribution campaigns are on the rise, and they have become more frequent, more random and more extreme. This paper assesses the current cyber threat environment and discusses the use of distributed cloud services as an effective means to protect against evolving, modern-day IT threats. |
 | 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 | | | | - Service offers accurate foreign currencies order totals for global customers
First Data has launched a new service that lets online retailers give global customers accurate totals when they place their orders instead of having to wait for their credit-card statements. "Any technology that enables shoppers to purchase across borders or currencies with an increased level of confidence is going to be highly attractive to retailers," said retail analyst Steve Rowan. Internet Retailer (4/27) - Apple is the clear leader in mobile revenue race
Among the four big brands -- Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon -- that dominate the mobile space, Apple is the clear leader, accounting for more than half the total of $200 billion in mobile revenue generated by the four, as estimated by Yankee Group. Apple's model of direct sales is credited for much its leadership, while Google's reliance on mobile advertising is regarded as inefficient. Facebook, however, has yet to generate any significant revenue from mobile. MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily (4/27)  | |  | | The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
Retailers, isn't it time to upgrade your mobile communication with customers? Mogreet's rich media mobile messaging platform delivers video, images and text messages of your products, with 90% open rates and 3x the participation of basic SMS campaigns. Retailer Charlotte Russe grew its mobile database by 33% using Mogreet's MMS marketing platform! Download the case study to find out how they did it.
Interested in learning more about advertising with SmartBrief? Click here for detailed industry information and media kits.  | |  | |  |
| | | Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. |
| Shop.org Spotlight | | | | - How social and mobile are changing the face of online (and offline) retail
In a half-day digital retail marketing workshop in San Francisco on May 3, a team of experts will present a new study from Shop.org and The Partnering Group on social media and mobile use in retail and e-commerce. Learn the latest in consumer usage and attitudes toward social media and mobile platforms as shopping tools along the path to purchase. Registration is complimentary for all retailers. Register or learn more. - Shop.org SmartStat: April 30, 2012
 Americans intend to spend an average of $116 when shopping for jewelry online, compared to $97 offline. Source: NRF Mother's Day survey conducted by BIGinsight. - How to target the online Mother's Day shopper in 2012
With one in four Americans intending to shop online this Mother's Day, it's crucial for retailers to have their omnichannel strategies ready for the holiday ahead. Armed with NRF's Mother's Day consumer intentions survey conducted by BIGinsight, Shop.org's Head of Research Fiona Swerdlow explains which dates online retailers should pinpoint to capture sales and the key trends that stand out with this year's Mother's Day shopper. Read more. Shop.org Blog (4/30)
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