| News about digital retail commerce |  |
- Amazon and Apple patents could lead to digital-content swapping
Amazon recently gained a patent to set up an exchange for sharing digital material, and Apple has filed for a similar patent, raising the possibility that consumers will be able to share used e-books and other digital content, potentially driving down the price. "In the short term, it's great for consumers," said Bill Rosenblatt, president of technology consultancy GiantSteps. "Over the long term, however, it could seriously reduce creators' incentive to create." The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(3/7)     
| Online Retail Trends |  |  |
|
- Report: Canadians boosted online shopping in 2012
Canadian consumers viewed more Web pages last year than people in any other developed country, and boosted spending on online purchases by 9.9% compared with 2011, according to comScore. Visits to retail sites rose 9.2% in Canada in the fourth quarter of last year, with Amazon and Apple the most-visited retail sites. Internet Retailer
(3/7)
| New Media & Technology | | |
|
- Loyalty goes mobile at Ann Inc.'s Loft
The Loft fashion chain from Ann Inc. is offering account management and rewards for shopping via a mobile loyalty card that provides convenience and incentives. The Love Loft program is promoted with a call to action on the back page of Loft's spring catalog. "We recognized that our client did not always carry her physical credit card with her and wanted to create a easy, safe and secure solution where she had access 24/7, so the mobile card was the logical solution," said Deborah Cavanagh, senior vice president of marketing at Loft. MobileCommerceDaily.com
(3/8)
| Companies in the News | | |
|
- Retailers turn to Etsy for competitive edge
Etsy, the website that started as a place for artisans to sell their wares directly to consumers, is testing the business-to-business waters with pilot site Etsy Wholesale. Retailers including Nordstrom, West Elm and Anthropolgie have already been turning to Etsy artists to stock their stores with one-of-a-kind collections. Forbes
(3/7)
- Nook Video seals content-licensing deals
Barnes & Noble's Nook Video service has secured content deals with studios including Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Relativity Media, National Geographic, Little Pim and Film Buff. Users pay between $4.99 and $14.99 to rent or buy content, much of which has UltraViolet functionality. Home Media Magazine
(3/7)
| Interactive Advertising | | |
|
- Marketers shut out as Facebook updates newsfeed
Facebook surprised marketers Thursday by effectively shutting them out of the social network's new content-specific feeds, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying it hadn't yet been decided how to handle advertising on the feeds. Targeting brand jingles to the Music feed or image-based ads to the Photos feed would "definitely [be] a great opportunity for advertisers" says Performics global CEO Daina Middleton. "I don't know why they're not making that available right now." Adweek
(3/7)
| Legislative & Regulatory | | |
|
- U.S. cracks down on text-message spam
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed eight lawsuits against companies that have sent a total of more than 180 million often deceptive text messages, noting costs mounting into the millions for unsuspecting consumers. Major retailers also have protested over the spam messages, some of which reference them and make promises that aren't fulfilled. Adweek
(3/7)
| Shop.org Spotlight | | |
|
- Pinterest vs. Facebook: Which site wins at shopping engagement?
As one of the newest social media darlings, Pinterest has established itself as the dominant source for visual inspiration, with questions now focusing on e-commerce comparisons with Facebook. In an addition to the Shop.org white paper library, Bizrate Insight tackles how shopping conversions and product inspiration measure up between the two channels, and how activities with brands and retailers vary by each platform. Download the white paper.
| SmartQuote | | |
|
 | Hope never abandons you, you abandon it."
--George Weinberg,
American psychologist, writer and activist
|
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
| | Recent Shop.org SmartBrief Issues:
- Thursday, March 07, 2013
- Wednesday, March 06, 2013
- Tuesday, March 05, 2013
- Monday, March 04, 2013
- Friday, March 01, 2013
| | | Lead Editor: Megan Conniff
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 | |
| |
|
| © 1999-2013 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
Data from Microsoft shows that 70% of PC search tasks are completed in one week, while 70% of mobile searches are done in one hour. Source: 
