2007 November

Search engines, as portals to locate products, services, information and community, continue their march toward destination of user choice. Whether it is a large, broad base, consumer targeted search engine, or a second- or third-tier niche targeted vertical engine, SE’s earn their user crede — and potential advertising revenues — step by step. They’ve focused on building their muscle in data warehousing, getting sticky with personalized feeds based on previous …

Ever since Tim O’Reilly, technology promoter and publisher, coined the term Web 2.0 for next gen web sites that encourage user-generated content, e-commerce site managers have been exhorted to develop tools for user feedback, user reviews, user ratings of content and user collaboration. The Web 2.0 trend toward more user-generated content, which is often tucked under the label of Social Media, just got another strong push. Trusted Site and Trusted …

5 Ideas to Cut Freight Costs and Boost Your Bottom Line Jason Konkel Manager, Supply Chain Operations GENCO Marketplace It’s hard to be an expert at everything. But as a small business owner, it could sure help. Take shipping. Every extra dollar you pay for freight eats into your profit margin. Here are some tips to help you reign in freight costs and boost your bottom line. 1) Understand different …

People who shop regularly at discount and dollar stores are well aware that in exchange for their super savings they may grudgingly be forced to sacrifice the name brands they’ve readily become accustomed to. Brands, that at the end of the day offers a sense of familiarity and consistency in a week that may too often be filled with a sort of, controlled chaos if you will. Just imagine the …

If you have been searching for the best quality leather products at the most competitive prices, then look no further. Pro-Rider Leather Wholesale has spent much of the last year developing a user friendly website to offer their unbeatable prices and top of line wholesale leather products available online. When asked about the recent changes to the website, owner Saleem Shaikh says “Our mission is simple: to provide the best …

Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang was scolded this week by a Congressional Committee for sacrificing democracy and free speech for commercial gains. Given all the heat generated by the issue of net neutrality for U.S. Internet users — now tied into immunity from prosecution that U.S. telecommunications providers are demanding for breaking laws on wiretapping without FISA warrants for the government — the only surprise in this Congressional tongue lashing is …

According to comScore’s tracking of online retail in the U.S., online sales jumped 23% from July to September 2007, over the same third-quarter sales reported in 2006. Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru, quoted in E-Commerce Times, noted that the 20-percent-plus growth rate for online retail outstripped the rest of the retail industry. ComScore found that a soft 1Q 2007 in online retail simply mirrored a weakness in offline retail at …