 | News about digital retail commerce |  |
- In a first, Google alters home page with daily deal
Google's famously sparse home page for the first time included a daily deal offer Wednesday, a move that could be seen as a bolder challenge to Groupon and other deals services. Google generates much of its revenue from online ads, but these usually turn up next to Google search results. Home page ads in the past have been restricted to in-house offerings. Reuters (8/31)       | Introducing the INetU Gated Community Cloud™ for E-commerce — an enterprise class, production-ready Cloud built exclusively for business! Come and learn more at booth 201 at the 2011 Shop.Org Annual Summit and we will give you a free radio-controlled helicopter if you qualify. Click here for more information! | | Online Retail Trends |  |  | | - Survey: Specialty online retailers improve in customers' eyes
Giants Amazon, Wal-Mart and eBay are still the top e-commerce sites in customers' eyes, but specialty merchants have been learning and improving enough to move up STORES' Favorite 50 list. As younger consumers become more focused on value, teen-focused retailer Aeropostale gained favor for offering more online deals and Forever21 jumped ahead by promoting new categories such as plus sizes in its online offerings. STORES magazine (9/2011) - E-commerce experts share their picks for top online retailers: STORES magazine asked retailers, vendors and analysts to talk about the e-commerce companies that are delivering the best customer experience in several key areas. Among the leaders on the list of "E-commerce Elite": Amazon.com scored top honors for its smooth checkout process, bhphotovideo.com won kudos for its simple and intuitive on-site search engine, and QVC.com was singled out for its integration of online video that keeps customers shopping longer. STORES magazine (9/2011)
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  - Mobile opens new ways to gauge, target direct marketing
 In addition to the usual tools for evaluating direct marketing, mobile presents new opportunities to chart the "complete customer experience pathway," advises Gurval Caer, president and CEO of Blast Radius. And this is a matter of tracking not only consumers' geo-locations but also their social sharing habits, as the two features merge and social mapping takes on new importance. DMNews (9/1)  | O-I, makers of pure, beautiful, sustainable glass packaging, is proud to sponsor GlassIsLife.com |
 - Online payment service Dwolla touts lower fee
Dwolla added merchant-friendly features to its online payment service, competing with PayPal Express, Google Checkout and Amazon Payments. Dwolla carries a lower, flat fee of 25 cents per transaction. The company lets online merchants integrate its two-step checkout into their websites. AuctionBytes (8/30) - Amazon leads, but Target gains in online buzz
Amazon once again led the race to win the most online buzz, but Target was a close second, according to Zeta Interactive, which tracks online mentions of merchants each month and analyzes them for tone. "While Amazon leads again this month, Target is the closest it has ever been to the lead," said Zeta Interactive CEO Al DiGuido. InternetRetailer.com (8/31)  | Kickstart your business’ marketing with FedEx Office! Save big on posters, postcards and brochures, with up to 40% off on select print products. Go to FedEx Office to take advantage of the Look Good On Paper Print Sale to get discounts on all your business printing needs. |
 
| Legislative & Regulatory | | | | | Shop.org Spotlight | | | | - Why Sheplers, National Geographic, Lucky Brand Jeans executives are attending Annual Summit
 If you've yet to book your flight or confirm your registration for Shop.org's Annual Summit, Sept. 12-14 in Boston, we may have just the thing to persuade you that this year is the year to join us. In a short video, see why everyone from Sheplers' Bob Myers and Ice.com's Pinny Gniwisch to Lucky Brand Jeans' Charlie Cole and National Geographic's Jill Dvorak say they come back to the Annual Summit year after year -- and why you'll see them in Boston. Watch the video. - Shop.org SmartStat: Sept. 1, 2011
 Almost 6,000 people are connected to Shop.org through LinkedIn. View the page.
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