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Last week, online delivery service Kozmo locked up its bikes, cashed in its dreams and became another footnote in the work-in-progress version of electronic commerce history. Kozmo's ticket was punched not long after the demise of NBCi.com, the Internet arm of NBC Television. So, with dot-coms ...

Last week, online delivery service Kozmo locked up its bikes, cashed in its dreams and became another footnote in the work-in-progress version of electronic commerce history. Kozmo's ticket was punched not long after the demise of NBCi.com, the Internet arm of NBC Television. So, with dot-coms ...

When does e-mail become spam, the universally hated, unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail that clogs in-boxes and frustrates Web surfers? Is it as simple as getting permission? More importantly, do the rewards of e-mail marketing outweigh the potential risk of alienating existing customers? A n...

Despite the common perception that the Internet will play a critical role in corporate purchasing strategies, a report released Monday by the National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM) and Forrester Research found that 26.1 percent of companies reported a cost savings from their Intern...

Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) picked up 74 U.S. cents to $14.77 in morning trading Tuesday, after Goldman Sachs analyst Anthony Noto reiterated a market outperfrom rating on the stock. After a tough first quarter, "results should get better," Noto wrote in a research note. A pickup in inventory turnov...

Although the vast majority of Canadian officials view the Internet as a critical channel for the delivery of services to the public, the online arms of many agencies are failing to create a "seamless" e-government network, according to a report released Tuesday by Forrester Research. Spurred by a...

Unisys (NYSE: UIS) fell US$2.25 to $12 in morning trading Tuesday, after the computer maker reported first-quarter results that were in line with its previously lowered expectations, and said that a weak economy is continuing to keep orders low. Pro forma net income for the quarter ended March 3...

GoAmerica (Nasdaq: GOAM) rose 4 U.S. cents to $2.23 in morning trading Tuesday, after the wireless services provider announced an alliance with the personal computer division of Japan's Fujitsu. GoAmerica, of Hackensack, New Jersey, said its Go.Web wireless service will be available on Fujitsu P...

Microsoft announced Monday that it is now offering e-commerce capability to its FrontPage 2000 Web design software -- but the storefront options are only being made available to subscribers of bCentral, the software giant's online service center for businesses. The Microsoft bCentral Commerce Ma...

WebMethods (Nasdaq: WEBM) rose US$1.40 to $27.85 in morning trading Monday, after the company said it will provide the software for the ConsumerConnect e-commerce unit at Ford (NYSE: F). Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. WebMethods said it will provide a "comprehensive platfor...

Describing 2000 as a "brutal year," Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos told his company's shareholders that the long-range outlook for e-commerce remains rosy, with 15 percent of all retail sales eventually moving online. In a letter sent to shareholders Saturday to accompany Amazon's annu...

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced late Friday that it has cleared controversial travel site Orbitz to begin operations in June, despite complaints that it will pose an anti-competitive risk. The DOT said it had "concluded it did not have evidence that would justify stopping ...

Consumer electronics e-tailer Outpost.com announced late Friday that it has pink-slipped 110 employees, or 30 percent of its workforce, and appointed a new top executive to sharpen its business objectives. Outpost founder and chairman Darryl Peck was named president and chief executive officer, ...

Yahoo! said Friday that it is removing pornographic material from its shopping, auction and classified sections, namely adult-related videos and DVDs being sold by merchants on the giant portal. The announcement came three days after Yahoo! confirmed that it was venturing further into the tainte...

As we comb through the dot-com rubble, we come across a lot of failed e-commerce companies that had everything going for them but nevertheless missed the mark. They faced bad timing. Bad management. Bad luck. Some combination of the three. And then there are all the dot-com ideas that never sh...