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Despite a lengthy shakeout that has thinned the ranks of e-tailers, consumers still face a dizzying array of choices when deciding where to shop online. But the market is already starting to become better defined. Some categories -- such as online toys, where Toysrus.com has broken out of the pac...

EBay was kind enough to remind me this week that if I ever need to buy a boat, that's the place. Or a camper. Or an airplane. That's it, an airplane. I knew there was something missing from my driveway. Maybe it's just me, but if I need to buy something -- especially something as big and expensiv...

A two-year trend of fewer early-stage companies receiving venture funding continued in the first quarter, with total private investment in startups dropping 24 percent, according to a study by the National Venture Capital Association, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Venture Economics. For the first th...

Hewlett-Packard has received a green light from a Delaware court to pursue its plans to merge with Compaq. The $18 billion deal hung in the balance while the court heard a suit brought by dissident shareholder and former HP director Walter Hewlett. But Delaware Judge William Chandler was not sway...

Tech business is getting interesting again. It's clear already that the most interesting, attention-grabbing tech business news of 2002 will unfold in courtrooms scattered around the United States. If lawyers have their way, legendary analyst Henry Blodget, the folks at Idealab and many more char...

Credit cards remain the predominant mode of payment in e-commerce, but other online transaction methods have entered the market in recent years. According to experts, mediated payment services are particularly successful when used at online auction sites, and the clear winner in serving this mark...

According to reports, Microsoft is expected to purchase Danish enterprise software company Navision for about $1.2 billion. Navision released a statement that avoided any direct mention of the software titan but did confirm that the board is considering a deal. Such a purchase would follow up Mic...

In an effort to vault into the top tier of the crowded online travel field, Cendant has announced it will invest $40 million in a marketing campaign to promote its Trip.com Web site. Real estate and travel giant Cendant said it plans to offer round-the-clock telephone support and unpublished disc...

Internet-related companies fired 824 workers in April, marking just the second time in two years that the sector's monthly job loss total has been below 1,000, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The number of job cuts fell 47 percent from March, when 1,549 cuts were ...

A couple of years ago, money was no object when it came to e-commerce. Companies spent lavishly on technology in their rush to establish a Web presence. The economic picture has changed significantly, and companies now are much more careful when it comes to such spending. "The realization has sun...

Instant messaging (IM) can help e-commerce sites capture potential sales, but cost, service and technological hurdles must be cleared before IM can have a major impact, according to analysts. "Web sites have horrible problems with shopping cart abandonment rates. Having instant messaging, in many...

In a move that underscores the growing importance of paid search engine results, Yahoo! said it has extended its partnership with pay-for-performance search engine Overture for three more years. Nielsen//NetRatings director and senior analyst Lisa Strand told the E-Commerce Times that consumers h...

Network Associates shares tumbled more than 20 percent to $19 as the security company withdrew its $224 million offer to purchase the 25 percent of McAfee.com it does not already own. The company tabled the offer, which it made in early April, after a check of its books during a tax filing found ...

Corporate matches made in heaven are rare occurrences. In many cases, M&A analysts find more fault than forte in company unions. Opponents of the much-hyped HP-Compaq merger, for example, deride the deal as futile. Similarly, some industry watchers puzzle at the viability of Ameritrade's $1.3

Two dozen members of Congress have called on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to increase its scrutiny of the business practices of controversial travel company Orbitz. According to the lawmakers, airlines must agree to give "most favored nation status" to the company, funneling exclusive air...