E-commerce

Amazon satisfies mobile buyers most; Apple ties with QVC

Amazon proved No. 1 among consumers shopping for the holidays via their mobile devices, according to a new report from analytics firm ForeSee.

Released today, ForeSee's "Mobile Satisfaction Index: Holiday Retail Edition" awarded Amazon a score of 85 out of 100 based on satisfaction among shoppers who used its mobile retail store.

Apple tied with QVC for second place with a score of 83. After that came NewEgg, Victoria's Secret, Barnes & Noble, Footlocker, HSN, Costco, and Hewlett-Packard to round out the top 10.

The poll specifically focused on the 25 largest U.S. mobile retailers … Read more

LinkedIn stock soars after Q4 blowout

Mark it down as a blowout. LinkedIn earned 35 cents per share on sales of $303.6 million in the fourth quarter ended December 31, up 81 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Analysts had expected earnings of 19 cents per share on $280 million in revenue.

Net income in the quarter soared 66 percent to $11.5 million, compared with net income of $6.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2011.

Even though gross profit margins edged down to 37.9 percent from 41.2 percent a year earlier, Wall Street may like the headway the … Read more

Amazon, Overstock argue in NY court against sales tax demand

Amazon and Overstock are duking it out with New York state in a court battle over the issue of collecting sales tax.

In a case being heard by the State of New York Court of Appeals, attorneys for both retailers claimed yesterday that a 2008 New York law requiring them to collect sales tax on online purchases is unconstitutional, as reported by Reuters.

A 1992 Supreme Court decision found that retailers can't be forced to collect sales tax on out-of-state purchases unless they have a physical presence in those states. But the New York law skirted that decision. The … Read more

Airbnb's big growth: 500 castles (and 300K other listings)

Airbnb, which helps people find vacation rentals all around the world, has more than doubled the number of available listings in the last year, and now boasts more than 300,000 total listings globally (up from 120,000 at the beginning of 2012), including 500 castles and 200 treehouses.

The company unveiled some impressive growth numbers today, including the fact that of the 4 million people who have used the online and mobile service since 2008, 3 million used it in 2012 alone. Among the 300,000 listings now available to rent are also 4,000 cabins, 1,000 boats, … Read more

Why Amazon's virtual coins raise my hackles

When I heard about Amazon Coins, the company's virtual currency for making Kindle Fire app and in-app purchases starting in May, I immediately grew worried.

Amazon's customer focus, something I find sorely absent at money-extraction engines such as airlines and banks, has kept me loyal for years. I'm concerned, though, that the Amazon Coins program is a step in the wrong direction for Amazon customers.

In short, I don't like the inflexibility, costs, changeable rules, and risks that can be attached to virtual currency. I dislike it when there's a special form of money that … Read more

Sandberg turned down job as LinkedIn CEO in 2006

In the summer of 2006, Sheryl Sandberg, then an accomplished senior Google executive, received a call from LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. LinkedIn was searching for a new chief executive. Was she interested?

No.

"I thought it was a great opportunity, and after five years in the same position at Google I was ready for a new challenge," she said. "But the timing was tricky. I was 37 years old and wanted to have a second child. I told Reid the truth: regrettably, I had to pass...."

A few years later, Mark Zuckerberg came knocking; the rest … Read more

Amazon patents way for you to sell your digital items

Online consumers may one day be able to sell or trade their digital items to other users, at least if a new Amazon patent comes to fruition.

Granted to the retail giant on January 29, the patent dubbed "Secondary market for digital objects" describes an electronic marketplace for swapping digital items.

You'd start off by housing your purchased music, videos, apps, and e-books in your own online storage space, just as many of us do today. When you get tired of listening to the same songs or reading the same books, you can move those items to … Read more

Google to nab e-commerce firm Channel Intelligence for $125M

Google has signed a deal to acquire e-commerce-solutions company Channel Intelligence for $125 million in cash.

Channel's parent company, ICG, announced the deal today.

Channel's technologies are designed to boost the sale of products online. The company offers a Facebook platform, product search engines, and other services created for companies looking to improve product sales. Channel, based near Orlando, Fla., claims that it "drives $2 billion in sales annually in referred sales online in computing products, home improvement products, appliances, consumer electronics, toys and a variety of other consumer packaged goods."

Google is obviously no stranger … Read more

Zillow's new Digs app offers remodeling ideas, advice

Online real estate listing aggregator Zillow launched an app today that aims to help home shoppers and home buyers with their home improvement projects.

Available for the iPad and the Web, Zillow Digs is a free app designed to offer inspiration as well as information about remodeling projects. The free app lets users browse thousands of photos of bathroom, kitchen, and outdoor projects, as well as get estimates on the cost of the actual project based on the user's location.

Similar to Houzz, an online home improvement community that launched a design, decorating, and remodeling app in 2010, Digs … Read more