Social Commerce

Mobile Commerce
Always “Plugged-In” Becoming The Norm
August 18, 2014

New data released by CivicScience indicates that almost 70 percent of gadget users unplug from their electronic tethers once a week or less. Some users can’t ever get quite that much distance, almost half (43 percent) report that “unplugged” is not something that ever occurs...

News
Facebook Buys Web Security Firm PrivateCore
August 08, 2014

In what some are taking as yet another sign that Facebook is preparing to make a big e-commerce push, Facebook has announced it has acquired Palo Alto-based secure server tech company PrivateCore, a Palo Alto-based secure server technology company. Facebook plans to incorporate PrivateCore’s technology...

Merchant Innovation
Twitter Shopping Service Leaks Out Through App Feature
August 07, 2014

If Twitter is trying to keep its imminent commerce plans confidential, it should probably clue in its mobile app developers, who have made visible a preference option for “payment and shipping” in its Android app. (It’s apparently not been yet made visible in the iOS...

Merchant Innovation
Groupon Loses Millions On eCommerce
August 06, 2014

Groupon’s share price tumbled more than 15 percent late Tuesday (Aug. 5), as investors balked at the Chicago firm’s expensive eCommerce investments. Groupon reported a net loss of $22.9 million, which seemed far worse to analysts because, according to an analyst poll by Thomson Reuters,...

Mobile Commerce
LivingSocial Breathes Life Into Company With Mobile
August 06, 2014

Collecting lots of data—even CRM—is useful only to the point that it can be intelligently and meaningfully analyzed. Trying to analyze excessive amounts of data, some of which will be irrelevant and potentially misleading, is unlikely to deliver useful recommendations. LivingSocial is trying to avoid...

In Depth
Are Social Networks Really Ready For E-Commerce (And Do Users Really Want It)?
August 06, 2014

Have you heard? Social commerce is going to change the lives of everyone, everywhere. Want to look at pictures of other people’s cats—buy cat care supplies while doing it. Think that girl from the 10th grade looks fat in that dress?  Good news—it will soon...

News
Japanese Bank Makes Money Transfer Via Facebook Possible
August 06, 2014

Customers of Japan’s Rakuten bank now have a new, and very different, option when it comes to transferring money to another person—using Facebook. Transfer by Facebook allows senders to move funds without knowing a customer’s bank, branch, or account number. It is a similar idea...

News
Groupon Names New Senior VP Of Product
August 05, 2014

Groupon on Monday (Aug. 4) appointed Parker Barrile as its SVP of product, leading Groupon’s web, design and mobile global product groups. Groupon grabbed its new executive from the ranks of LinkedIn, where Barrile had served five years, leaving as Product Management VP, focusing on...

News
The Winklevoss Brothers eCommerce Bet, Hukkster, Shuts Down
August 04, 2014

For Hukkster, it was a good run, until it wasn’t.  The e-commerce supporter app allowed users to to tag items online they were interested in buying and then receive alerts when those items went on sale. The start-up had raised $1.5 million as recently as...