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Sifting through the stock market wreckage in search of wireless gems has not been a fruitful pursuit in recent weeks. For the most part, experts say, companies in the sector -- especially wireless service carriers -- will need to undergo drastic shifts before wireless stocks again become "must-ha...

In the not-too-distant future, e-commerce technology not only will become smarter and faster, but could completely transform the way companies deal with internal information, customer service and the sales process. This change will occur as new features bring together several separate technologie...

Some online companies are selling their site-building expertise and customer-relations savvy to other online firms, in the process giving their bottom lines a significant boost. Giga Information Group analyst Andrew Bartels said that outsourcing has become attractive to some companies that have p...

Different experts' definitions of e-commerce might vary, but most agree on one thing: The sector represents a growing piece of the overall commerce pie, and its share is expected to increase steadily -- though gradually -- over the next five years. For example, Forrester Research figures show tha...

Interactive TV never exploded onto the scene in the way its promoters hoped it would, and the features it once promised -- ranging from movie selection to Web-based shopping and games -- have been co-opted by other technologies. What happened to this once-hyped technology? GartnerG2 vice president...

Companies that create a sense of online community not only give like-minded people a place to call home, they also reap revenue. They achieve this goal by offering compelling content that builds trust and credibility with visitors and keeps them coming back. The most profitable example is online ...

While scientists have been reaping the benefits of clustered computing for several years, using it to search for intelligent life in the universe and sift through vast amounts of data, business users have largely ignored this technology -- until recently. "In the context of e-business, there is p...

Shopping carts have become standard for online vendors. But software developers -- particularly those that make some of the larger off-the-shelf e-commerce packages -- are upping the ante by integrating additional features into their products. The best carts now provide uninterrupted interaction ...

Already-troubled e-commerce stocks took their share of beatings when the market turned south last fall. Surprisingly, though, some of those dot-com issues have seen the most impressive rebounds in recent weeks. "The weakest players have been weeded out and have gone away," Morningstar e-commerce ...

While the worst of times may be over for companies in business-to-business e-commerce, the sector remains unsteady and is likely to see more consolidation and survival-oriented alliances. "I don't think the shakeout is over," Forrester research director Laurie Orlov told the E-Commerce Times, not...

Open source technology is cheap to use, comes with few frills -- and has yet to gain the popularity enjoyed by proprietary products from giants like Microsoft. Nevertheless, many companies are taking advantage of open source software's flexibility and low cost for use in e-business operations. Bu...

Despite a corporate spending downturn that has led to revenue and market capitalization problems for once high-flying Lucent, analysts and company officials agree that the telecom giant can stay in the game and possibly thrive over the long term. But while analysts said the company must shift som...

When you want something done right, there are times when doing it yourself is not the best option. Even the best companies need to recognize the limitations of their operational expertise and know when to outsource certain e-business functions. When deciding what to outsource, Aberdeen Group rese...

While Big Blue's name was not always synonymous with e-commerce, the technology giant has become a major player in the sector in recent years. IBM made that transition in part through savvy partnerships with software companies specializing in e-business, and in part by offering its WebSphere soft...

Despite Microsoft's legal woes, it has forged ahead in a number of areas, including e-commerce. According to research firm Giga Information Group, the software giant generated $135 million in revenue from e-commerce products and client services during 2001. But as the company grows its e-business...

Numerous products and services are now available to shield consumers and businesses from the ever-increasing barrage of spam. But experts warn that if users are not careful, they could end up blocking some e-mail that they actually want. "What's spam to you could be useful company information to ...

E-commerce is garnering converts at an increasing pace, even though it is not grabbing the headlines it once did. Analysts say this quiet explosion is making its mark in back-office streamlining, business-to-business dealings, and efforts to assist customers via self-service Web channels. "The em...

As wireless providers search for the right mix of services to spawn a boom in mobile commerce, they also must develop a data pricing strategy that clicks with customers. According to Yankee Group research director Adam Zawel, the practice of charging based on bytes or kilobytes of data baffles many ...

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...

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...