E-Commerce

Microsoft and Yahoo have received clearance for their search agreement from both the DoJ and the EC, the companies jointly announced Thursday, and they will soon begin implementing their plans. The process will involve porting Yahoo's algorithmic and paid search platforms to Microsoft and making Yah...

Google plunged further into the social media waters on Thursday by acquiring social search site Aardvark. Though it has not yet been formally announced, officials from both companies have confirmed the acquisition is in progress. The deal reportedly is worth $50 million. Formerly known as "Mechanica...

In general, Internet security experts become alarmed whenever a new social networking app looks like it is going to become the next big craze. "People already have so much information coming at them online and through their email boxes," said Gerry Egan, vice president of product development at Syma...

Today, a retailer's e-commerce initiative extends beyond the online store. In fact, e-commerce typically becomes the central hub of a company's overall digital strategy. Retailers strive to seamlessly integrate the brand into their catalogs and merchandising, and also to weave these components into ...

The term "ROBO" -- Research Online, Buy Offline -- was coined by Yahoo to describe the growing number of consumers who research online but buy offline. Online "pre-shopping" has become a common activity prior to a variety of purchases. According to Forrester, online research will influence $1 tril...

Two Monday technology stories, both involving China: Call them the yin and yang of that country's attempts to repair its image following Google's recent hacking allegations and the search giant's subsequent threats to end its business dealings in the country. Chinese police are trumpeting their shut...

On January 27, a major speech took place: No, it was not the State of the Union address, but Steve Jobs' announcement of the release of the iPad. The iPad has already started to change the landscape of digital publishing: After a few days of a public battle, Amazon was forced to capitulate to a new ...

Value-Added Tax generates approximately one-third of all public revenue in many of the world's wealthiest countries; in some EU Member States, the VAT contribution to the fiscal mix is close to 40 percent. Electronic invoicing remains one of the most challenging areas of conducting e-business in and...

"Brought to you by ..." Ahhh, the golden age of advertising. The ads themselves were social markers, drivers of our conversation, definers of what was -- and was not -- cool. We took them at face value, we obeyed their siren songs, and we sampled, and we bought, and we sang the jingles. Back in a...

A brief stroll through the Google Solutions Marketplace shows you that the search giant is already working and playing well with others when it comes to the business of specialized business software. Need something to give your Google Calendar a little sharing and productivity boost? What about enha...

After a brief protest late last week, Amazon now says it will give in and sell e-books from Macmillan at the higher prices the publisher has requested. "Macmillan, one of the 'big six' publishers, has clearly communicated to us that, regardless of our viewpoint, they are committed to switching to an...

Jammie Thomas-Rasset, the Minnesota woman who was twice found liable for copyright infringement for sharing two dozen songs using an online file-sharing application, has turned down an offer to settle her $54,000 penalty for less than half that amount. The Recording Industry Association of America g...

The Department of Justice has cleared the path for Live Nation and Ticketmaster to merge -- but with several conditions attached, including significant support to companies that will be formed to provide competition. The two firms, which announced the possibility of a merger a year ago, have agreed ...

The online poker scene was set on its ear with the arrival of the Swedish phenom known only by his Tolkien-esque moniker of "Isildur1." Isildur1 burst onto the scene in September 2009 and soon began to frequent the nosebleed seats of $1000/$2000 Pot Limit Omaha reserved for the true high stakes game...

The movie industry loves a gala premiere, with red carpets, paparazzi and Klieg lights sweeping a glittering marquee. YouTube's announcement this week of its new movie rental strategy is about as far away from that scenario as you can get. Instead of the commercial first-run features that are popula...