Articles by Paul A. Greenberg

Retailers are pondering the most important question of the year: Is it better to open a Web site that is almost functional, or forgo possible huge holiday sales and wait until the site is fully functional and bug-free? With Thanksgiving looming, even retail giants are grappling with this dilemma. In the next few weeks, names like Tiffany, Old Navy,...

The U.S. Postal Service, once considered a potential "victim" of the Internet's speed and convenience, has announced a new system to help consumers hurdle one of the last barriers to online shopping -- merchandise returns The U.S. Postal Service, once considered a potential "victim" of the Internet's speed and convenience, has announced a new syste...

Recognizing e-businesses' concerns about privacy and security, professional services firm Ernst & Young has launched the Center for Trust Online (CTO) to foster trust and confidence in electronic commerce Ernst & Young contracted Technometrica, Inc. to conduct a consumer trust survey of 966 adults and 51 randomly-selected Fortune 500 companies. The...

Dun and Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB), the well-known provider of business-to-business credit, marketing and purchasing information, is launching eccelerate.com to bring online businesses into its orbit "This is a logical next step for D & B," said Lynn Harvey, senior analyst, Information Assets, Patricia Seybold Group, "because with the explosion of e-com...

With an increasing body of research indicating that brand name awareness is a key to success on the Internet, e-businesses are finding that their real challenge is educating the consumer about what products and services are available online Accordingly, e-tailers -- noting that nearly every American home has at least one television set --are findin...

European Commission ministers met in Belgium Friday in an attempt to agree upon a regulatory framework for electronic commerce from country to country The Commission, which acts as the European Union's executive body, addressed the fact that many countries have individual laws pertaining to e-commerce that are not necessarily compatible with intern...

After years of declining sales and business reversals, Levi Strauss & Co. announced today that it will cease selling products on its Levi's and Dockers Web sites after Christmas The company decided that "during the past year, it became clear to us that the cost of running a truly world-class e-commerce business is unaffordable right now as we look ...

Although analysts are predicting a stellar holiday season in the world of e-commerce, e-tailers are nervously waiting to find out if their operation will make the grade or fall by the wayside In a PC Data survey of 5000 Internet users, 26 percent of the respondents said that they already have begun their holiday shopping, indicating that the race h...

Apple Computer, Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL) has released its new Mac OS 9 operating system, featuring a search engine that is designed for personalized online shopping OS 9's "Sherlock 2" allows shoppers to find products, compare prices and availability and participate in online auctions, which are rapidly becoming one of the Web's most widely used attracti...

Indicating that Detroit automakers have recognized the power of e-commerce, General Motors has launched an Internet-based used car dealership that may become a prototype for stores nationwide In spite of objections from dealerships who are unsure about the prospect, GM has moved ahead with its plans to sell used cars online.

IBM (NYSE:IBM) has entered into a new partnership with VerticalNet, Inc. (Nasdaq:VERT), an online business-to-business marketplace, that is designed to delivere-commerce solutions to IBM customers and enhanced technology to VerticalNet. The agreement calls for VerticalNet to promote IBM's products and services across the 51 industry-specific Web sites owned and operated by VerticalNet. IBM has also agreed to work with its customers to create e-commerce solutions using IBM's Net.commerce software and to integrate those solutions into VerticalNet communities, where they will be provided with VerticalNet storefronts.

Office Depot, Inc.has entered into a strategic partnership with PurchasePro.com, a provider of business-to-business e-commerce solutions, that is aimed at helping small and medium-sized businesses initiate online commerce Under the terms of the agreement, PurchasePro.com will be Office Depot's recommended Web-based business-to-businesse-commerce so...

USAutoNews.com, an Internet portal for the automotive industry, launched an automotive directory and communications center yesterday that is intended to provide consumers with a single port of entry to automotive Web sites The new USAutoNews Search Center organizes auto industry Web site pages into searchable categories that address price, rentals,...

Office.com, an online business service from Winstar Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:WCII), has formed partnerships with six leading providers of products for small and medium-sized businesses. A fourth-quarter launch is planned The new alliance, which is designed to be an effort to develop more expedient business-to-business e-commerce, includes barne...

In a poll of 500 Latin American companies, International Data Corporation (IDC) has found that 85 percent of the respondents are currently using or plan to use e-commerce within the next two years, and that Microsoft continues to dominate the mindshare market among companies in the region "Overall, Latin America-based e-commerce can be characterize...

According to new research released by Nielsen/NetRatings (NYSE:NMR), online shoppers are looking for quality, convenience and a personalized shopping experience over low prices "Internet sites that will score big with holiday shoppers this year are those with well-known brands, and that offer speed, quality and value," said Allen Weiner, vice-presi...

Austin, Texas-based Mall.com, Inc. has announced that its multi-retailer Web site will launch this Sunday to coincide with the televised Mall.com 500 Indy Racing League Championship on ABC Mall.com will feature more than 200 nationally known brand-name stores, including Macy's, Sears, GAP, FAO Schwarz, Brooks Brothers, Zale's, Barnes & Noble and To...

Spot Systems, Inc., a foreign exchange and international banking solutions provider, and Magnet Communications, Inc., a Web-based cash management, business banking, ande-commerce solutions provider, have teamed up to bring Internet-based foreign exchange capability to business desktops The new partnership calls for Spot Systems to use Magnet as a p...

LinuxMall.com, a leading e-commerce site and portal featuring commercial software, has formed a partnership with SCO (Nasdaq:SCOC), a provider of UNIX operating systems and software. With SCO's investment, LinuxMall.com is set for rapid expansion As part of the agreement, the investment firm Hambrecht & Quist will participate in the investment. SCO...

Separate industry-wide initiatives led by Sun Microsystems and industry powerhouses Compaq Computer Corp. (Nasdaq: CPQ), Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HWP), IBM (NYSE: IBM), Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) are seeking to secure online business by collectively creating an industry standard for securing personal computing environments Sun...