  | News about digital retail commerce |  |
- Amazon's Endless.com rolls out shoe-selling app
Endless.com has launched an iPhone application to let users access its selection of shoes, handbags, jewelry and accessories from their phones. The app created for the site launched by Amazon in 2006 also gives users access to ratings and reviews, editor picks and information on the latest style trends. TechCrunch (10/31)       | John Jantsch invites you to go local
As customers continue to rely on the Web to help them screen local businesses, local businesses must take steps to ensure that they pop to the top of online searches. Duct Tape Marketing's John Jantsch offers strategies for local marketing success in this free white paper from American Express OPEN, How to Win at the Local Marketing Game. Download your free copy now, exclusively for SmartBrief readers. |
 - Column: Online retail's success lies in choice
Mobile phones and tablets may be partly responsible for driving the surge in online shopping, but the real key is the choice e-commerce outlets offer consumers, who especially crave options in a tough economy, writes Channel Intelligence CEO Rob Wight. Brick-and-mortar stores can't match the seemingly endless supply of products, brands and prices that websites offer, which makes e-commerce destined to succeed, he writes. Forbes (10/31) - Amazon's third-party sellers see double-digit growth
Mercent's online retailers that sell through Amazon Marketplace saw sales increase 37% in the third quarter compared with the same period last year, according to the company's eCommerce Performance Index. Sales through Google's retail channels dipped, largely because of algorithm changes, stricter selling policies and a shift from free advertising to paid channels, Mercent said. InternetRetailer.com (10/28)  | VoIP phone systems deliver impressive benefits for businesses large and small. From advanced features like unified communications to significant cost savings, there's a compelling case to switch to VoIP. Read through these free guides for the very latest information on the phone system market. |
 - 5 things to know about Internet domain expansion
 The agency that regulates Internet domain names will start accepting applications for an expanded set of domain names, along with $185,000 application fees for each name. Shop.org's Artemis Berry outlines five things retailers need to know to protect their brands from cybersquatters, consumer confusion and high fees associated with the new names. Shop.org Blog (11/1)  | Consumer Insights Your Brand Needs to Know: Latest Trends in Behavioral Advertising
Learn what brand managers, advertisers, as well as networks, agencies, and publishers need to know about consumer survey insights into behavioral ad serving, also known as interest-based advertising. Learn more today! |
 - Starbucks goes mobile in fall campaign
Starbucks is using QR codes that can be scanned by mobile devices as a centerpiece of its campaign for fall coffees. The coffee company is using technology from Scanbuy, which takes users to a video on its Caffe Verona blend when they scan QR codes in magazines and other locations. MobileCommerceDaily.com (10/31) - Chinese daily-deal site Lashou files for $100 million U.S. IPO
Chinese group-buying website Lashou filed to go public in the U.S., saying it expects to raise as much as $100 million. Like Groupon, which is credited with spawning the daily-deal trend, Lashou reported high sales and marketing expenses. The company reported a $60.6 million loss for the first six months of the year. Forbes (10/31)  | Improve Holiday Sales Results with Tools from Akamai!
Now is the perfect time to ensure your website will hold up to the rush of holiday shoppers headed your way. With the challenges facing retailers this holiday shopping season, it's never too soon to focus. Download Akamai's Holiday Toolkit now! |
- Pennsylvania pushes for payment of tax on online sales
Pennsylvania taxpayers will find it tougher to ignore an obligation to pay the state's 6% use tax on many online purchases next year. The state income-tax form for most residents will include a use-tax line starting with the 2011 tax year. "It's not something that a taxpayer can skip over," said a spokeswoman for the Department of Revenue. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (10/31)  | Get the Information That Leads to Higher Sales
Learn how a 0.1 percent increase in employee engagement generated more than $100,000 in one store's income when you download the white paper HR and Payroll - Achieving Accountability, Transparency in Retail. A unified HR and payroll system gives you high-quality data you can use to serve customers better. |
 | Shop.org Spotlight |  |  | | - What's hot in retail (and at Shop.org)
For retailers, October marks the beginning of the most profitable -- and frantic -- time of the year: the beginning of the holiday season. As retailers buckled down for the season, hot retail resources included part two of Shop.org's State of Retailing Online report, a Shop.org blog post on how online shoppers plan to spend during the holidays, and the specifics on who will keynote the 2012 Retail's BIG Show (hint: you can call him "President"). Read more. Retail's BIG Blog (11/1) - 3 ways to convert browsers into confident buyers
Potential online customers have found you through search. Now what? Attracting customers and converting them into confident buyers are two sides of the same coin. In a recent addition to the Shop.org white paper library, McAfee's Sam Rastogi shares three must-haves for converting those browsers into confident buyers -- trustmarks, clarity and user-generated content. Learn more.
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Nine in ten online retailers say they plan on offering free shipping at some point this holiday season. Source: 
