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Buy.com has expanded its global shipping services, introducing a feature that lets shoppers view total shipping costs in their local currency. In addition, international customers now will see the total price of their items at the point of purchase, rather than remaining in the dark about customs...

Albertsons.com, the online arm of grocery giant Albertson's, has announced it will expand its Web-based grocery shopping service into the San Francisco area. The addition of 180 ZIP codes in five Bay Area counties will give Albertsons.com the largest geographic reach of any online grocery provide...

It is evident that the number of online buyers is multiplying at a healthy rate. But the demographics of those buyers are changing, shifting more toward the middle class. To earn the loyalty of these Average Joes, e-tailers will have to focus on utility and simplicity rather than on flashy design...

An e-business standards consortium is working to specify rules for using XML (extensible markup language) in biometrics for e-commerce and other applications. Biometrics, which verifies identity based on human characteristics like DNA, fingerprints, iris scans and hand geometry, has entered the p...

In response to Sabre Holdings corporation's bid to buy all outstanding shares of Travelocity.com for US$23 per share, analysts said Sabre likely would rob Travelocity of the management autonomy it has enjoyed to date. Given the low offer terms, there is little incentive for Travelocity to proceed ...

More than US$700 million in online sales was lost to fraud in 2001, according to a new report released by GartnerG2. Those losses represented 1.14 percent of annual online sales of $61.8 billion and were 19 times higher than fraud losses resulting from offline sales, the report said. "Fraudsters ...

The "last mile" to consumers' doorsteps is arguably the most critical phase of online commerce. For a long time, e-tailers faced one shipping hurdle after another -- and often fell flat on their faces. While many companies recently have mended egregious deficiencies in their shipping operations, ...

In the world of e-tail, the free shipping experiment continues -- Buy.com recently said it will waive shipping charges on orders over US$99 that weigh less than 20 pounds -- but the formula for shipping success is still an enigma. For one thing, many e-tailers cannot afford to offer free shipping...

Analysts said e-business CEOs should form decision support networks comprised of unbiased, diverse advisors to examine ideas and strategies.

Internet auctioneer UBid has debuted a fixed-price feature that lets buyers purchase items at a specified price without waiting for an auction to end. The feature also lets sellers present items for sale at a specific price. "[UBid's fixed-price feature] is another form of markdown," Forrester an...

E-commerce is growing up. The signs are everywhere. But in its burgeoning adolescence, e-commerce is stretching the seams of some Internet traditions -- and search engines are on the front lines. Online shoppers are starting to resemble offline shoppers, and brand is starting to mean something on...

Acquiring customers may be Job One for many e-tail marketers. But only those e-tailers that convert new customers into loyal ones will thrive over the long term. "Customer acquisition only really happens with a repeat purchase, not a first-time, heavily discounted purchase," Forrester Research an...

Founded in August 2000, Carat Interactive specializes in digital messaging programs that are integrated both offline and online across all interactive mediums. The company's clients include Adobe Systems, Bank of America and Palm. In Part 2 of this interview, Carat Interactive vice president and ...

Founded in August 2000, Carat Interactive specializes in digital messaging programs that are integrated both offline and online across all interactive mediums. The company's clients include Adobe Systems, Bank of America and Palm. Carat Interactive vice president and media director Mark Stephens ...

Unlikely bedfellows Microsoft and IBM announced their union last week within the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I). But 12 or 18 months from now, when WS-I standards begin to take shape, do you think Microsoft and IBM will live happily ever after as selfless partners? Not a chance...

Cisco Systems inked nearly US$5 billion in sales last quarter as it met steady demand for network equipment. In Part 2 of this interview, Cisco vice president of worldwide marketing communications Jere King continues her discussion with the E-Commerce Times about how Internet advertising fits in ...

Online travel company Travelocity.com has announced an agreement with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts to offer Disney theme park tickets and on-site hotel reservations. "Disney's own vacation site does not include flights, so they can now [accommodate] people who want to book the whole package inst...

At a time when computer network security is a top priority for many company executives, networking kingpin Cisco Systems is enjoying a spot at center stage. A self-described "tribal elder" at the company, vice president of worldwide marketing communications Jere King, has overseen all of Cisco's a...

Publicly traded e-commerce firms suffering from market-inflicted wounds could enjoy a second wind as private companies, according to analysts. Free from stark financial pressures, a few might even reemerge with newfound vigor. "It makes sense for them to go private, to reinvent themselves without...

The Better Business Bureau has launched a new Web site that lets consumers locate online companies that have met BBB standards for privacy in e-commerce. "To the extent that the [BBBOnline seals] have some name recognition, they provide value," Gartner analyst Kenneth Kerr told the E-Commerce Time...