In the first half of 2009, e-commerce revenue amounted to approximately $64 billion of all retail sales in the U.S., according the U.S. Census Bureau.  While e-commerce sales dropped from the same period in 2008, the percentage of total retail sales increased slightly from 3.3 to 3.5 percent.  What this shows is that more consumers are finding confidence in online shopping.  This is good news for online merchants.  However, the rapid growth of e-commerce has created tons of new sales opportunities, including aggressive direct marketing companies who have found ways to target online shoppers. Continue reading "Post Transaction Marketing: Is It Worth The Risk For E-commerce Merchants?"

As a follow-on to my blog about alternative payments, it looks like one big player is either afraid of the competition – or maybe it is simply making smart business decisions.

Announced yesterday was American Express’ deal to purchase Revolution Money, launched by AOL Co-founder Steve Case’s Revolution LLC in 2007. Continue reading "American Express Acquires Revolution Money"

1-800-Flowers is paving the way, yet again, for retailers to reach consumers. The company has jumped on the Facebook bandwagon and is taking advantage of the viral social networking phenomenon. In late July, they became the first store to sell their products directly through Facebook, via a Facebook application. They simply added a “Shop” tab to their page where users can shop, purchase, and ship, all without leaving Facebook. Continue reading "New Avenues For E-Commerce"