E-commerce

by Claudia Bruemmer Last week, Google introduced some new features in search results that make search more social and tie in with its Google+ social network. This latest change is called Search Plus Your World. The new features will display personal results in the SERPs, mostly from the Google+ network. Search Plus Your World is available to users who are signed in to Google and searching on https://www.google.com in English. …

Retailers may have heard about the increasing popularity of catalog apps for tablets, especially the iPad. For instance, Google Catalogs is a shopping app for tablet computers. It is currently available for the iPad and Android tablets, delivering virtual catalogs to shoppers from merchants such as Nordstrom, L.L. Bean, Macy’s, Pottery Barn and more. Catalog shopping apps allow consumers to browse, shop and share their favorite brands while tracking items and sharing with friends on social networking sites.

Earlier this week, Amazon and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels announced an agreement to the effect that Amazon will voluntarily start collecting Indiana sales tax on web purchases January 1, 2014. However, there is a backlash from Indiana retailers who want Amazon to start collecting now. They oppose the deal because they believe Amazon has the capability to start collecting taxes now, and the delay continues to give unfair advantage to online retailers.

by John Stanley One of the keys to maintaining a successful business is interaction with the consumer. Most of us rely on face to face interaction, and alas, it often fails as we are relying on a number of people on our team. This Christmas, I received a number of Christmas cards from clients, all of which were appreciated. But one stood out, the card from Brownfalconer. I include a …

TopTenWholesale’s newsroom has been publishing wholesale and retail news over the last six years, and our blog has been around since 2005. What articles do you think caught the attention of our readers over the last 12 months? To refresh your memory, below are the articles and highlights for our most popular stories of 2011.

If you are a retailer, now is the time to take advantage of the consumer couponing trend. Social networking sites like FaceBook and Twitter can be key tools for merchants that want to connect with their customers and acquire new ones in a cost-effective way. Coupon sites like Groupon, Living Social and others have become very successful, sometimes at the expense of the very merchants providing discounts on their goods and services. Read on for tips that can help prevent that from happening to you.

As the 2011 holiday shopping season moves into its final weeks, research indicates ecommerce sales growth is greater than that of offline stores. Due to the increasing consumer preference for online shopping, major retail chains have been keeping their doors open 24 hours.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his delegation left for China, Japan and South Korea Sunday, December 4 to boost investment, trade and tourism in Los Angeles. The OnGreen Chinese Roadshow joined the Mayor’s delegation in China, as did Jason Prescott, CEO of TopTenWholesale/Manufacturer.com, who left Saturday to meet with Jiaozhou City leaders for executing a Memorandum of Understanding between Jiaozhou, Manufacturer.com and China Mart Los Angeles that will create jobs and foreign investment in Los Angeles.

The latest comScore report shows online shoppers have spent almost 20 billion since November 1st. More precisely, during this holiday shopping season, consumers have spent over $19.57 billion with online retailers so far this holiday season. That number is up 15.1 percent from the over $17 billion spent at this same point last year, stated comScore in its latest estimate of ecommerce spending. The digital marketing intelligence company’s figures include consumer spending between November 1 and December 4.

Google’s Mobile Ads Blog revealed some interesting research that indicates tablets play the role of a third digital screen in consumers’ lives, filling the gap between desktops and smartphones. Because of questions about exactly how consumers use their tablets, Google explored tablet search trends to find the answers to a number of questions.

A Shop.com Survey reports that half of online retailers plan special offers on Turkey Day. And over 90 percent of e-retailers will offer deals over the Black Friday holiday weekend, including discounts, coupons and free shipping.

by Claudia Bruemmer Research shows that Chinese manufacturers plan to increase exports worldwide despite the pricing pressures. According to a survey conducted by Global Sources, growth projections are currently moderate, but respondents plan aggressive marketing efforts and hope to obtain substantial revenue growth by increasing global exports. The Global Sources survey included the mainland’s primary export centers of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, along with suppliers from Jiangsu and Shandong …

What should merchants do in case of cyber attack? According to security experts, they should disable their site as soon as they realize they are undergoing a hacking attack. It’s better to shut down an ecommerce site right away and put protections in place than to deny the problem and keep the site going since you can risk further damage.

It’s time to prepare for consumers hitting the malls during the holiday season. A great way for sellers to get theirs is to display goods at the mall. While mall space can be expensive, here’s an idea: why not set up a temporary kiosk for the holiday season? Buy4Store provides its Cart Concept, which helps sellers set up kiosks in local malls.

Wholesale liquidator Via Trading Corporation, a five-time Inc. 5000 honoree, has identified a trend over the last year showing that consumer goods liquidation operators saw a significant increase in the number of consumers starting their own small businesses reselling products on the secondary retail market. Via Trading believes this offers hope of financial freedom in the continuing economic downturn.