Content about Online shopping

Overall economic growth in Europe is slower than in the U.S., but the opposite is true when it comes to e-commerce sales, according to figures published by Internet Retailer.
 
U.S. e-commerce sales grew 15.9% to $225.54 billion in 2012 from $194.61 billion the prior year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce while the Centre for Retail Research in the U.K. said European e-commerce sales increased 16.6% to $302.2 billion from 260.4 billion.

The Container Store has turned to Usablenet, a mobile and multichannel technology provider, to upgrade its mobile Web site so the retailer can provide its customers with a seamless mobile shopping experience.

DALLAS — AT&T and IBM teamed up to deliver an e-commerce solution that retailers can use to provide their customers with a consistent shopping experience whether they are shopping online, via a mobile app or in stores.

The new service, expected to be available this year, combines AT&T’s cloud, application management and network services with e-commerce software from IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative in a single, subscription-based package designed for retailers.

CHICAGO, Ill. — Mercent, a leading technology company that enables retailers to reach and convert more shoppers online, has signed a strategic partnership with Shop.com, the e-commerce arm of Market America. 

This latest partnership expands Mercent’s portfolio of online shopping destinations supported by its SaaS platform and offers leading retailers the ability to market and sell to millions of consumers on the Shop.com third-party marketplace.

Floor care, water filtration devices and air purifiers generate higher average prices online than in brick-and-mortar stores, according to research from NPD Group.

The research company’s Consumer Tracking Service, looking back at the 12 months ended March 2013, found that consumers are spending significantly more for these home environment cleaning appliances purchased online. 

PETALUMA, Calif. — Sport Chalet, a full-service specialty sporting goods retailer, will join MarketLive, a provider of e-commerce technology for high-growth merchants, to present a joint case study at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition.

The case study will highlight how Sport Chalet has achieved strong online sales growth by leveraging MarketLive's content management features to create a unique and compelling brand experience for its customers.

Online and mobile marketing have turned the retail supply chain upside-down. Gone are the days of moving volumes of product in efficient, bulk moves to stores across the world. Today, smaller shipments rule the supply chain, delivering — literally — on brand promises to ensure receipt of single, customized packages under same-day or next-day delivery.  

MADRID & THOROFARE, N.J. — European fashion apparel retailer C&A is scaling up its Radio Frequency Identification project with Checkpoint Systems, a leading global supplier of shrink management, merchandise visibility and apparel labeling solutions for the retail industry, from five to 25 stores.

As part of the C&A project in Germany, Checkpoint is providing RF/RFID antennas, point of sale RFID solution, software and consulting services.

In the 18 months since I joined the National Retail Federation, I’ve been struck repeatedly by how rapidly our industry continues to evolve. As we all know, retail has always changed and adapted — and in just the past 20 years we’ve advanced from then-radical game changer Amazon.com to more recent models like Hointer, which boasts what amounts to online shopping in a store. 

The National Retail Federation applauded a Senate vote to proceed with debate on S.743, an act to level the sales tax field for online and brick-and-mortar stores. 

NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay issued the following statement: “NRF applauds today’s Senate vote on the Marketplace Fairness Act and we commend Senators Enzi, Durbin, Alexander and Heitkamp for their skilled leadership in moving this legislation ahead.”


LOS GATOS, Calif. — Wanderful Media, an online local discovery shopping company, has revamped its existing collection of digital circulars and re-launched it as an online community that drives shoppers to local retailers. 

Called Find&Save, the online community gives shoppers access to all the latest sales in their areas and gives them the tools they need to connect with other shoppers and help them keep track of what they need. Shoppers can access Find&Save remotely via tablet, mobile or web. 

Total U.S. Shopper Traffic in Retail Stores and Malls for March 2013

Shopper activity increased last month with the Easter holiday and students on spring break. March retail foot traffic increased 25.8% compared with February 2013, continuing positive month-over-month retail traffic trends. Foot traffic for March 2013 increased 1.5% compared with the same month in 2012.