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Online shoppers in the United States spent US$5.7 billion during the month of December, a 14 percent increase over 2000 levels, according to a report released by Forrester Research and Greenfield Online. Spending levels also grew compared with November, when e-shoppers shelled out $4.9 billion, a...

It is unclear what will happen to Kmart's BlueLight.com as a result of the retail giant's bankruptcy filing, but analysts said the store's Web presence is likely to be among the first places the company looks to eliminate costs. "I cannot see them abandoning the BlueLight initiative," Meta Group ...

There is probably no such thing as a bad e-commerce customer. But which ones are the best, the most likely to take an e-tailer into the promised land of perpetual profits? While affluent customers and those who shop regularly are clearly sought after, other factors also help define the perfect cu...

Adding fuel to the argument that an e-commerce resurgence is at hand, 1-800-Flowers.com has announced a second-quarter net profit of US$1.8 million, along with a sharp increase in revenue. "The strength that we have is that a lot of retailers gear up for the December holidays and then they're pre...

E-commerce software firms continued their struggle for profitability in a slowing economy as both Ariba and Commerce One reported quarterly losses and sharply lower sales. Many B2B firms have faced hard times as a one-time glut of customers has been thinned by the dot-com shakeout. According to e...

Although hack-fighting weapons constantly are being devised and made available, many sites are still too small to invest the time and money needed to install and maintain the latest security measures. But their lack of diligence could cost them more in the long run, according to experts. "For eve...

By its nature, January is a month of optimism. The "next year" meant in the phrase "wait until next year" has arrived. Of course, there's justified optimism and then there's wishful thinking. But as 2002 settles in, there appear to be plenty of reasons to think that good days lie ahead for e-comm...

E-commerce is alive and well online. Those who want solid evidence need look no further than the online travel industry. Rather than focusing on basic survival, the industry is concentrating on its quest for market share, saturation and profit. But what is it about the online travel industry that...

IBM and VeriSign are teaming up to boost e-commerce security by developing new products and services for their big-business customers. IBM will supply the software and infrastructure, and VeriSign will contribute its expertise in Web identity, authentication and online payment. "If IBM plans on of...

Shoppers who make a purchase on BestBuy.com will encounter a new payment engine designed to speed the sales process and minimize fraud. Gartner analyst Avivah Litan told the E-Commerce Times that Best Buy falls "into the category of a site that is highly prone to fraud attacks because of the natu...