E-Commerce

Google has launched a playback feature that enables users to watch video online without using third-party plug-in software from the likes of Microsoft or RealPlayer, stepping up its video search capabilities while taking aim at some huge tech targets. Instead, the new feature in Google Video uses th...

In the latest sign that it has designs on extending its e-commerce brand well beyond its core auctions business by catering to the legion of small merchants seeking to sell online, eBay has launched a storefront feature that will enable sellers to create a standalone Web retail presence. The ProStor...

Have you ever waited on the line for a customer care representative to help place that very important order right before Christmas, or help you figure out how to resolve a technical issue with your iPod that you're eager to start using? And right when they gave you that special "free shipping" deal,...

An ambitious project launched by Google to scan millions of pages of widely read books to create a digital library open to all is drawing flack from the publishing industry and raising anew questions about how the Internet interacts with traditional copyright laws. The Association of American Publis...

Microsoft's MSN has launched its own version of local search, joining both Yahoo and Google in seeking to make search more useful while opening marketing opportunities for smaller businesses, just the latest in a series of moves that suggest no let up in the rollout of new services and features from...

Seeing potential to merge entertainment with e-commerce, MTV Networks today said it would buy the parent company of the wildly popular youth Web site Neopets.com. Financial terms were not disclosed, but published reports suggested the purchase price was around US$160 million. MTV Networks is a unit ...

In a move already sending shockwaves through the e-commerce industry even though it is still unconfirmed, Google is said to be considering an online payment service that would go head-to-head with eBay's PayPal. EBay shares were down nearly 4 percent on published reports that Google was preparing a ...

Millions of former newspaper readers now get their news from the Web, but the majority remain loyal to their favorite print news outlets. A study by Nielsen//NetRatings said that 21 percent of online users who read newspapers now rely primarily on Web editions, while 7 percent say they split their n...

Bidding to secure a strong foothold in the rapidly emerging mobile-search marketplace, Google has begun testing of a wireless search service that returns results based in part on how well-suited content is to be viewed on hand-held devices. Google Mobile Web Search focuses on sites that employ XHTML...

Yahoo has lifted the veil on the "deep Web" with the beta version of Yahoo Subscription Search. The "deep Web" includes information on the Web that is not available for free. This information is not listed within general search results. Yahoo will now offer results for sites such as The Wall Street ...

The majority of U.S. states are moving to end the tax-free ride for most online shoppers, a development that is facing opposition from some members of the public, businesses and a number of federal lawmakers. At present, 43 states have joined a states-led coalition called the Streamlined Sales Tax P...

A California appeals court ruling clearing the way for tax collectors in that state to pursue sales taxes from online sales from out-of-state merchants could have wide-ranging impacts for the e-commerce industry. For now, observers say it's too soon to tell how important the ruling, which the First ...

Adding yet another wrinkle to the emerging music-on-mobile-phones trend, satellite radio provider Sirius has announced a partnership to provide some of its streaming programming directly to Sprint users. Sirius and Sprint said they struck a deal to make select programming available to certain phone...

In what could be a glimpse into the future of mobile-driven commerce and a preview of how hand-held devices might enable a range of consumer purchases, a Japanese carrier has launched a service that uses mobile phones to identify, locate and purchase music heard on the radio or elsewhere. The servic...

Taking a page from other rivals of the market-leading iTunes Music Store from Apple, Microsoft's MSN Music is close to adding a subscription-style offering to its existing pay-per-download model. MSN Music is expected to add the monthly subscription option made popular by RealNetworks, Napster and o...