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It is a scene that retailers have seen since the world's first bazaar opened: the slow sales period, complete with idle clerks, empty aisles and languishing goods. E-tailers have come to know these stretches -- the low-revenue valleys that lie between peak shopping times -- well. Despite the now-pre...

The browser wars of a few years ago now seem like a footnote in Internet history. With 90 percent market share, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is king of the hill, Yankee Group senior analyst Rob Lancaster told the E-Commerce Times. However, even though Redmond seems to have won, some interesting bro...

Thanks to dutiful sons and daughters, the approach of Mother's Day has become highly visible online, with a profusion of flowers, candy and other tokens of esteem displayed. It is harder to predict, however, which e-tailer will come out ahead in the race to win the affection of online shoppers. Will...

We should have been basking in the dawn of recovery by now, according to some pundits, aglow with relief that the downturn was over at last. Yet, as the United States prepares for an extensive occupation of Iraq, the U.S. government reports a deficit, and business spending stalls, the chances of imm...

Even as AOL faces intense scrutiny surrounding an ongoing SEC investigation into possible revenue misstatements, the company is moving ahead with marketing initiatives designed to appeal to its members and partner retailers. One such event, a one-day sale April 16th that highlighted some of the ISP'...

Some believe eBay is the perfect e-commerce machine, with lean operating costs, swift strategy implementation and boundless growth opportunities. After all, the auction giant has set the pace for a host of imitators and wannabes -- but as it keeps expanding and launching new initiatives, the compan...

Although innovation can be wonderful, there is something to be said for sticking to the basics. In fact, that is how venture capitalists seemingly have come to feel about high-tech companies as they contemplate which to fund with now-limited resources. Those who remember the manic days of VC funding...

A few years ago, CIOs were asked to run a tech-focused shop that could churn out Web sites and lay the groundwork for future initiatives. Times have changed. In today's cloudy economic climate, IT departments are seeing the rise of a new type of executive -- one who can merge technology with busi...

In the past, brick-and-clicks and pure-plays have not had that luxury. But as the ins and outs of e-commerce have become better known, many companies have begun to change their practices.

A few years ago, much content and many services could be had for free, even though the companies providing those services were not posting profits. But then the bills arrived, online advertising revenue dropped, and the free-content providers had to tighten their belts and look for other ways to ...

With consumer confidence beginning to ebb, brick-and-mortar stores are implementing new strategies designed to lure consumers across their thresholds. But retailers trying to balance an actual store with an online presence must employ an array of tactics to prevent cannibalization. Fortunately, s...

Internet market research is designed to be evergreen, so that clients who buy advice about online customer service or traffic-building tactics can use that advice later. Typically, Internet market research is so geared toward business goals that companies use large doses of analyst insight when pl...

Many technology companies thought 2001 was a tough year, but compared with today's devalued Dow and spooked investors, last year may turn out to be a fond memory. However, according to some analysts there are still a few tech companies that are good bets for the future. "You have to look at the b...

Few companies in recent history, with the exception of spectacular flameouts like Enron, have inspired the kind of loathing that Microsoft has in its climb to the top. "They have a tendency to be like a fighter who gets his knees and elbows into everything," IDC vice president Dan Kusnetzky told ...

To say that eBay has a devoted following is like saying the Beatles were liked by some teenage girls. While true, the statement does not reflect the full scope of fans' zeal. But the adoration is not universal. Recurrent complaints of fraud, shoddy bidding practices, and poor search engine capabi...

In a preemptive strike against hackers, Microsoft has posted advisories on TechNet about newly discovered security vulnerabilities in the company's SQL Server software and three of its operating systems. "I think the main problem with Microsoft, and with them trying to protect Windows, is that it...

Recently, Apple announced a new advertising strategy to lure consumers away from Windows. But the company is taking a more low-key approach to targeting corporate users, hoping that its Xserve technology speaks for itself. "We think we're going to have the best system ... but we want to make sure...

Senator Conrad Burns (R-Montana) has announced plans to introduce a bill that would give the U.S. government more influence over ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the overseer of Internet addressing and traffic. Rick Villers, vice president of Internet research at Forre...

Mere days after announcing a $4.5 billion buyout effort, USA Interactive is backing away from the deal, citing sour market reaction. "It's interesting that [investors] would pan it," Morningstar.com analyst George Nichols told the E-Commerce Times. "Often, a move like this would help the stock be...

When AOL bought Time Warner at the start of 2001, the merged company's future looked bright. The air was still fresh inside the Internet bubble, the deal created a company worth a whopping $160 billion, and AOL chairman Steve Case boasted that the dynamic duo would build an unrivaled news and ent...