-
Conversion
New Google AdSense Network Partners Could Make Top Sites More Expensive
September 1, 2009 • PEC Staff
Google AdSense network partners can now bid on display advertising positions at top AdSense publisher sites, potentially making top-performing sites more expensive. Most ecommerce marketers are familiar with Google AdWords, the pay-per-click advertising platform that lets merchants pos...
-
Business
Quick Query: Network Solutions Exec Discusses Retooled Shopping Cart
August 27, 2009 • PEC Staff
There was a time, in the 1990s, when the only place to buy a domain name was at Network Solutions. That storied company has since had its ups and downs, but no one disputes the pioneering nature of its products. Recently, Network Solutions redesigned and repositioned its website and its...
-
Business
Quick Query: Digital Element Exec on Geographic Targeting
August 24, 2009 • PEC Staff
The ability to target consumers is important for many ecommerce businesses. Many businesses, in fact, could benefit greatly from knowing where a customer lives so that the offer, and even the language, can be tailored to that geographic area. There is a company that provides that level ...
-
Marketing & Advertising
Bloglist: Full Sail University’s Jake Johnson
August 20, 2009 • PEC Staff
Staying abreast of Internet marketing trends and information is no easy task. But following several leading blogs can help. “I mainly focus on the topic of SEO, so I visit ...
-
Business
Bloglist: Silkfair Founder Albert Wu
August 18, 2009 • PEC Staff
Silkfair founder Albert Wu makes a habit of regular blog reading to stay abreast of technology trends and customer needs. Wu's company, Silkfair, provides an online marketplace, offering sellers a Silkfair Marketplace shop or a stand-alone hosted shopping cart with Silkfair Custom Shop....
-
Business
Google Checkout: Expert Cites Positives and Negatives
August 10, 2009 • PEC Staff
Michael E. Shatz is a long-time credit-card-industry veteran. He is now founder and CEO of The Merchant's Guide, a Mass.-based consulting firm that advises online merchants on credit card and other payment issues. We recently spoke with him about Checkout, Google’s non-bank payment exch...
-
Conversion
Stamps.com Hits $20.2 Million Revenue in Second Quarter of 2009
August 6, 2009 • PEC Staff
Stamps.com, a leader in online postage sales, recorded $20.2 million in total revenue in the second quarter of 2009. Net income for the quarter was $1.2 million, compared to $1.3 million for the second quarter in 2008. "In the current tough macroeconomic environment, we were happy with...
-
Conversion
comScore Revenue Hits $31.4 Million in Second Quarter 2009
August 4, 2009 • PEC Staff
Reston, Va.-based comScore, Inc. reported second quarter revenues of $31.4 million, representing a nine percent increase over the same 2008 quarter. Net income for the quarter declined from the same quarter in 2008, however, due largely to non-cash expenses related to prior acquisitions...
-
Business
Lessons Learned: Holland-based Retailer Targets Cutting Edge of Fashion
July 28, 2009 • PEC Staff
"Lessons Learned" is a series where we ask ecommerce business owners to share their experiences and advice. For this installment, we interviewed fashion entrepreneur Peter Landa who founded the online clothing store Black Sheep Road in early 2009. Based in Amsterdam, Holland, Black Shee...
-
Business
“Getting Started in eCommerce” PDF Now Available
July 22, 2009 • PEC Staff
Practical eCommerce announces the publication of a free, downloadable PDF guide, "Getting Started in eCommerce." Individuals and companies entering the ecommerce business frequently find it confusing. Oftentimes, they make poor decisions based on this lack of understanding, and they s...
-
Business
Quick Query: Microsoft Bing Exec “Maniacally Focused”
July 8, 2009 • PEC Staff
Microsoft launched its new search engine, Bing, on June 3, 2009, and many observers consider it an improvement over Microsoft's previous search engine platforms. We were curious about how Bing differs from Google, and the advantages of advertising on Bing over other search engines. To l...
-
Conversion
Field Test: Conversion Strategies Part II
July 2, 2009 • PEC Staff
Practical eCommerce periodically gathers seasoned ecommerce merchants and asks each of them the same questions around a given topic. We publish their responses in "Field Test," and the topic in this installment is conversion strategies. The participating ecommerce merchants are: Dave N...
-
Conversion
Pay-per-click Advertising: Bing Delivering Improved Results, Expert Says
June 30, 2009 • PEC Staff
Microsoft launched Bing, its new search engine, on June 3, 2009. The company is heavily promoting it in hopes of gaining ground on Google, the industry leader. Bing's revenue comes mainly from pay-per-click advertising, which many smaller ecommerce firms utilize. We asked a leading pa...
-
Conversion
Field Test: Conversion Strategies
June 26, 2009 • PEC Staff
Practical eCommerce periodically gathers seasoned ecommerce merchants and asks each of them the same questions around a given topic. We publish their responses in "Field Test," and the topic in this installment is conversion strategies. The participating ecommerce merchants are: Dave N...
-
Business
Bloglist: MarketingSherpa’s Stefan Tornquist
June 18, 2009 • PEC Staff
In Bloglist, we ask ecommerce professionals to share some of their favorite blogs and tell us why they read them. For this bloglist, we talked to Stefan Tornquist, research director for MarketingSherpa, a marketing research firm that specializes in tracking all aspects of marketing, wit...
-
Conversion
Survey Results: Big Brands to Dominate, Video Ubiquitous
June 16, 2009 • PEC Staff
As more retail heavyweights focus on ecommerce, and online leaders expand their offerings, smaller stores will be forced into more specialized niches, according to a recent Practical eCommerce survey. When asked what was likely to happen to ecommerce in the next five years, 68.7 percent...
-
Platforms & Apps
Cart of the Week: Shopster
June 12, 2009 • PEC Staff
At Practical eCommerce, we are aware of more than 350 online shopping carts. And each week, we feature one, interviewing both the cart's developer or management and a customer. "The Cart of the Week" is not a review or an evaluation, but rather an opportunity to learn about a shopping c...
-
Conversion
Webinar: 7 Key Strategies For Improving Online Merchandising
June 10, 2009 • PEC Staff
First broadcast on June 9, 2009, "Key Strategies For Improving Online Merchandising" featured Jay Shaffer, Vice President of Marketing for Infopia, as he shared methods for proven online merchandising success. Specifically, Shaffer explained seven key strategies for improving online me...
-
Platforms & Apps
Cart of the Week: Merchant Metrix
June 5, 2009 • PEC Staff
There are over 350 online shopping carts by Practical eCommerce's count. We feature one of them each week, by interviewing both the cart's developer and a customer of the cart. This feature is not a review or an evaluation. This week we profile Oklahoma-based Merchant Metrix. The compa...
-
Business
Quick Query: Two eCommerce Merchants on Operating in a Recession
June 4, 2009 • PEC Staff
Many large retailers report slow sales in the face of the current recession, but we wonder how the recession is affecting smaller ecommerce businesses. We posed that question to two online merchants. Kristen Taylor is founder and president of Juvieshop.com, a retailer of clothes and gif...
-
Conversion
Constant Contact Continues to Add Customers, Increase Cash Flow But Loses $1 Million
May 28, 2009 • PEC Staff
Constant Contact, the email-marketing firm, reported revenues of $28.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2009, up roughly $10 million, or 55 percent, from the same period in ...
-
Business
Practical eCommerce to Launch Webinar Series
May 21, 2009 • PEC Staff
Practical eCommerce will soon launch a free webinar series. The webinars will address topics most helpful to small and midsize ecommerce merchants. Armando Roggio, Practical eCommerce’s Contributing Editor and a seasoned ecommerce merchant and developer, will moderate them. “Our miss...
-
Business
Quick Query: Zappos Exec on Benefits of Printed Catalogs
May 19, 2009 • PEC Staff
The name Zappos, for many retail observers, is synonymous with great customer service and ecommerce well executed. The company was launched in 1999 as an online footwear merchant. It has since grown into a retailing powerhouse with 2008 sales reaching just over $1 billion. In 2007, Za...
-
Conversion
Take the Survey and Predict the Future of eCommerce
May 14, 2009 • PEC Staff
What do you think will happen in ecommerce over the next five years? A Practical eCommerce survey asks if big box stores such as Walmart will overtake small-to-mid-sized online retailers. Do you believe leading brands will eventually dominate the web? And, which technologies do you thin...
-
Business
Quick Query: Ecommerce in the Virgin Islands Can Save Taxes
May 14, 2009 • PEC Staff
The U.S. Virgin Islands are located roughly 90 miles east of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea. The islands are known for their white sand beaches and clear, blue water. A new Virgin Islands-based economic initiative wants e-businesses to know there are significant tax advantages to doin...
-
Conversion
Survey Results: Advertising is Important, Pay-per-click Most Effective
May 11, 2009 • PEC Staff
Respondents to an April 2009 Practical eCommerce survey overwhelmingly said that pay-per-click advertising was an effective way to promote an ecommerce store and improve sales. Those same respondents also declared advertising an important part of their ecommerce business. The survey fo...
-
Business
Quick Query: Miva Merchant CEO Russ Carroll
May 8, 2009 • PEC Staff
Miva Merchant is an early day shopping cart. First launched in 1995, it rose and then fell with the dotcom boom and bust. Findwhat.com, a publicly traded company, purchased Miva Merchant in 2005. Findwhat subsequently renamed itself Miva, only to sell the Miva Merchant shopping cart div...
-
Platforms & Apps
Interview: Miva Merchant CEO, EVP on Moving to a SAAS Business Model
May 1, 2009 • PEC Staff
Miva Merchant is among the most prominent ecommerce brands. The company was launched in 1995 as HTMLScript Corporation, and it’s one of the early day shopping cart providers. It rose, and then fell, with the first dotcom boom and bust. In 2005, the company sold to Findwhat.com, a publi...
-
Conversion
Amazon Reports Q1 2009 Sales, Asks “What Recession?”
April 29, 2009 • PEC Staff
Last week, Amazon.com announced quarterly sales of $4.89 billion, up 18 percent from the first quarter of 2009. While many factors contributed to the company's strong quarter and more than $1.14 billion gross profit, Amazon executives pointed to strict inventory management and better th...
-
Conversion
eBay Earnings Release Not Entirely Good News
April 27, 2009 • PEC Staff
Last week, eBay announced first quarter 2009 revenue of $2.02 billion, a $171.6 million year-over-year decrease. While PayPal, Classifieds and Skype performed well, according to eBay, delivering year-over-year revenue growth, text and graphical advertising revenues were flat compared to...