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SAP has opted out of a joint sales relationship with Commerce One involving the two companies' procurement software, SAP Markets spokesperson Paula Stout told the E-Commerce Times. This snub from its most important partner, a substantial shareholder and one of the biggest names in software, is a ...

When all e-commerce consisted of pure-play Web companies, it was easy to spot e-commerce. But now, if a consumer surfs the Internet to research a product purchase but buys the product at a physical store, can that be considered e-commerce? When the Web plays any role in the buying process, be it ...

Bolstered by a strong holiday shopping season, online auction giant EBay reported record fourth-quarter revenue of US$219.4 million and pro forma net income of $38.5 million, easily beating analyst expectations. The quarter was the 13th consecutive profitable one for the company. For all of 2001,...

The online grocery business has seen some tough times, with Webvan liquidating its assets and Peapod struggling to get back on its feet. Undaunted, Safeway just dove into the mix. Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, will be the initial markets for its new Web shopping service, Safeway ann...

The United States government is coming up with a business plan -- an information technology business plan, that is. In short, consumers will reap the benefits of the myriad of online services and products available through and from their government. If the government maximizes, streamlines and pr...

The anonymity of the Internet and the potential for higher rewards for criminals has fueled an alarming increase in cybercrime activity in recent years. Many analysts believe that ill-equipped law enforcement officials will remain one step behind online lawbreakers unless they mount a more compre...

The market for online music is not doing as well as analysts at Jupiter Media Metrix had thought six months ago. The research firm on Tuesday lowered its outlook for the industry, citing a weak economy and delayed launches of new subscription products. But there is still hope for the industry, sai...

Web users do not get loaded down with packages when they go from site to site, but they do lug some baggage in the form of passwords. Commerce and content sites increasingly ask visitors to log in with a password, taxing the memories of those who frequent multiple sites. "One of the biggest hindr...

Looking to drum up new sources of online advertising revenue, powerhouse portal Yahoo! announced Monday that it has stuck a deal with Arnold MPG to develop new Internet marketing campaigns for the media buying and planning agency's clients. As part of the deal, Arnold MPG has agreed to purchase m...

A California bankrutpcy court has cleared the way for online grocer Webvan to liquidate its remaining assets, a process that should bring closure to the high-profile dot-com failure. As expected, however, holders of Webvan stock will receive no compensation under the liquidation plan. "The compan...

While there is no single "gold standard" for online design, experts say there are a number of high-quality Web sites that manage to approach that ideal by excelling in the areas of functionality, style and ease of use. Few sites manage to succeed in all three areas, analysts told the E-Commerce T...

By now, you have probably realized that Yahoo! is up to something. Just this week, the company cut a deal with Cigna, agreeing to build a custom portal for the health care heavyweight. Doesn't sound like the zany, business-casual Yahoo! we've grown to love, does it? To date, portals like Yahoo! a...

The folks at EBay and Yahoo! in Japan spent time recently denying rumors that the Japanese arms of the two companies are about to merge. The Japanese operations of the two companies are certainly distinct from what goes on back at home, and there's no reason to believe such a merger would happen ...

E-tailers are now faced not only with the enormous challenge of reaching and sustaining profits, but the even more difficult challenge of achieving profitability in a market that has passed the initial phase of spectacular growth and is a virtual melting pot of different target groups. "It's beco...

In yet another sign that the dot-com shakeout is not over, venerable tech research firm Forrester Research said it is cutting more than 20 percent of its workforce. "Last year was a challenging one for most companies, and Forrester was no exception," Forrester chairman and CEO George F. Colony sa...