Archive

Everybody knows there is a clog in the e-commerce IPO pipeline, but who knows which firms will step forward with an initial public offering after the clog clears? Market watchers say it is never too early to peer up the IPO pipeline and start to identify the firms most likely to take a run at goi...

With electronic bill payment providers looking to meet increasing consumer demand for their services, a study released by The Yankee Group found that 55 percent of customers paying bills online are choosing banks to be their middleman. By comparison, the report concluded that just over 10 percent...

Contradicting earlier findings, a report released Monday reported that U.S. consumers are not heading to online bill payment sites because of recent anthrax mail scares. The Jupiter Media Metrix study said that there has been "no noticeable increase in traffic" to the largest online billing sites...

The E-Commerce Times recently took a look at the business opportunities that teenagers represent online, asking why teens should be an target and not an afterthought, despite their limited Internet purchasing power. The third installment of this series explores those Web sites that have what i...

Many former Internet and technology workers are too busy to hang their hopes on market prophecies. They're neck-deep in brand new careers. You can't pick up a newspaper or sit in a cafe these days without hearing stories about 180-degree career shifts. A software engineer labors happily at his ne...

Electronics retailer Outpost.com (Nasdaq: COOL) ended its run as a publicly held company after shareholders cleared the way for Fry's Electronics to complete its acquisition of the Web-only company. Outpost shareholders overwhelmingly approved the deal, worth just under US$8 million. "Fry's ac...

Online banking and brokerage company E*Trade is bringing its services to the largest market in Europe, with the launch of an online investing site aimed at German consumers. A July study by Jupiter Media Metrix singled out Germany as the place to be for Internet-based financial companies, saying ...

Business-to-business (B2B) incubator Internet Capital Group said that it cut its losses in the third quarter, and predicted that some of its member companies will break even in 2002. For the quarter ended September 30th, ICG reported a net loss including charges of US$235 million, down from $263 ...

While EBay remains first and foremost an auctioneer, its fixed-price push is helping the company solidify its position as an open, online marketplace -- while at the same time positioning it for a challenge to Amazon.com in the third-party e-tail market. Forrester analyst Carrie Johnson told the ...

You remember CyberRebate. That was the fine Web site that sold people items at outrageously expensive prices, with the promise that an outrageously generous rebate would come. That was a promise they delivered on for some time -- right up until the time when they couldn't anymore. It's no doubt s...

E-commerce will grow "whether the economic recovery is around the corner or a couple years off," according to a study released by Forrester Research. Forrester said that e-commerce will continue to thrive because most Web buyers are in high-income jobs not affected by the weak economy.

Online shoppers have stayed away from online gift registries and wish lists, despite the efforts of Internet retailers to spark interest in the loyalty programs, according to a report by Jupiter Media Metrix. The lists represent an enormous opportunity for e-tailers looking to target potential "l...

In the "real world," the opportunities for a new startup or even a small, established business to link up with some of the world's largest companies are few and far between. But on the Web, teaming up the big boys and small fry is the order of the day. Gartner analyst Robert Anderson told the E-C...

Remarkably, it has been almost two months since the terrorist attacks on the United States, and e-tailers are already having to focus on holiday sales. The clear leader among online merchants still seems to be Amazon.com. Why? Probably because its leader, eternally smiling Jeff Bezos, seems bent ...

Making another bid to reverse the economic slowdown that has hammered the U.S. economy overall and tech companies in particular, the U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday cut interest rates for the 10th time this year. The Federal Open Market Committee said it had lowered its target for the federal fun...