SmallBusinessNewz

E-Commerce More Competitive in the U.S. Than a Year Ago

Good news for small e-commerce businesses: a new report from comScore finds that the top 25 online retailers account for a smaller percentage of total online sales than they did a year ago. This is U.S. data. Are your e-commerce sales up? Let us know in the comments. The firm has put out its Q2 U.S. Retail E-Commerce Spending report. 

Q4 Online Retail Spending Reached $39 Billion

comScore released its Quarter-4 2009 U.S. retail e-commerce sales estimates yesterday. According to the fiirm's research, online retail spending reached $39 billion, a 3 percent increase from last year. "The fourth quarter, with 3 percent year-over-year growth, helped end what has been a disappointing year for online consumer spending on a more positive note," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.

What You Can Learn from Amazon to Increase Holiday Sales

There is a reason Amazon is widely known as one of the biggest retailers online (if not the biggest). The company knows what it's doing. Amazon has appeared in headlines recently for a number of reasons, and a fair amount of them are related to different things the company has been doing to increase its sales as the holiday season approaches. While as a small business, you don't likely have the clout that Amazon does, they do employ strategies that you can learn from in order to potentially increase your own sales. 1. Mobile Payments

21 Stats to Keep in Mind This Holiday Season

Deloitte released the results of a new survey looking at holiday retail spending and trends. Social media, mobile phones, and online reviews are playing increasingly big parts in the lives and shopping habits of consumers.

E-Commerce Sales Down from a Year Ago

comScore has released its retail e-commerce sales estimates for the third quarter, and found that US online retail spending totaled $29.6 billion, a 2% drop compared to last year. This is the first time on record that consecutive quarters have seen negative e-commerce spending growth compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Take a look at this chart:

Online Retailers Optimistic About Future

Online retail was - and probably will be - a strong area, according to a new report.  The National Retail Federation found that more than half of online retailers did well in 2008, and many believe the future will be pretty bright, too.

Report Suggests Strong Retail Sales Growth

Ebates, a site that many big-name brands offer rebates and coupons through, released its online retail report for September. While its numbers reflect customer attention to large companies, Ebates feels it is also a reflection of the online retail industry as a whole.

Holiday Spending Will be Online

Burst Media released some findings from a survey this week, indicating that 85.3% of respondents will shop online this holiday season. This is in line with research from Nielsen who recently found that a good chunk of holiday spending would take place online. Additional findings from Bust Media include:

Social is a Key Element of Effective eCommerce Marketing

Consultancy firm Hill & Knowlton has shared findings from an interesting report on social media and eCommerce. The report was based on a survey of more than 600 adults in the US. "Online retailing is being profoundly impacted by the integration of social media into what historically has been a transactional experience," says Joshua Reynolds, worldwide technology practice director, Hill & Knowlton and co-author of the report. Here are some findings:

5 Email Marketing Tips for Getting Mother’s Day Sales

Is your business prepared for Mother's Day? It's not too far off - May 10th. Now is as good of time as ever to start getting your marketing campaigns aligned and in tune with this big retail event. Email marketing is one area where online retailers can find great ROI this time of year, and reach customers where they will see your message in time to meet the deadline for gift giving, which is Mother's Day itself. Email marketing firm Campaigner has shared the following tips for getting the most out of Mother's Day email marketing efforts: