This week, CityPockets, a NY-based daily deal organizer and secondary market, said it was shutting down and pivoting. Amid concerns over Groupon’s health and debates over deal fatigue, the announcement seems to be the latest sign of an industry in turmoil. Read more »
With more and more business leaders now turning to this topic, the questions — and confusion — are multiplying. With so much to consider, we’ve broken down the cloud discussion to help companies decide which strategy is right for their business. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Less than a year after its relaunch, Fab.com is nearing 4 million members. Co-founder and CEO Jason Goldberg talks about the once-social network’s reinvention, saying it’s not just an e-commerce site — it’s a movement. Read more »
Media issues like advertising and discovery along with commerce dominated the activity in social and real-time Web technologies during the first quarter. Google raised some hackles, Facebook responded to demands from traditional advertisers, and Yahoo got a new chief executive. Read more in the full report. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Ahead of Q1 earnings, Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson filled in a vital blank spot in his plan to remake the media company. Last week, he sketched an outline.
Tuesday he has to color between the lines. Read more at paidContent »
Index Ventures co-founder Neil Rimer has helped steer his company to success with investments in Skype, Betfair and many more. He explains why he’s obsessed with education and marketplaces — and why he wishes he’d invested in Kickstarter. Read more »
Germany’s Samwer brothers are notorious as Europe’s chief cloners of web companies through their Rocket Internet vehicle. But we discovered their empire of e-commerce copycats is increasingly global, with companies operating in more than 50 countries worldwide. Read more »
As Time Out New York rolls out a new digital strategy, the company hopes its trusted editorial brand will outweigh New Yorkers’ possible app fatigue. Read more at paidContent »
Google is wants to bring more small websites to the mobile phone, and to help nudge those sites along it’s willing to foot the bill for a year. Google and Duda Mobile are offering free hosting and customization of Web sites for mobile browsers. Read more »
Russian web incubator Fast Lane Ventures is developing a reputation for building big businesses fast, with the sale TV channel Shopping Live — its second significant exit inside a couple of months. Read more »
German clone factory Rocket Internet, the incubator run by the controversy-courting Samwer brothers, has reportedly chosen its next target: white hot payment service Square. Read more »
In two separate articles published this weekend, the Seattle Times criticizes Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) for its business practices and philanthrop… Read more at paidContent »
In what is starting to look like an e-commerce version of Risk, Wrapp is retaliating against clone-artists Rocket Internet by launching on their home turf and detailing ambitious expansion plans Read more »
Amazon continues to defy gravity deep into its second decade. That’s terrible news for consumers and competitors says Michael Schreck of Zmags. E-commerce needs competition to innovate. But for that to happen, we need to ditch the old e-commerce model, and embrace discovery shopping. Read more »
DRM is just “a speedbump,” Hachette’s Maja Thomas said at a copyright conference this afternoon. However, opinion within Hachette is clearly… Read more at paidContent »
PayPal has only taken tiny steps into the increasingly busy Russian market — but now the American payments service is working on a partnership with Russia Post that could prove a dramatic boost. Read more »
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is rolling out a new product, “Google Consumer Surveys,” that lets publishers monetize content through “microsurveys” cr… Read more at paidContent »
In the land of the freemium, how much free is enough to convince users to pay?
In the latest refinement to its market strategy, Spotify in… Read more at paidContent »
Russia is now Europe’s largest Internet market — but it’s still a daunting and confusing place for startups. But as the CEO of young, successful incubator Fast Lane Ventures, Marina Treshchova,may have a few answers on how to do Russia right. Read more »
Teen dystopian trilogy Hunger Games appears to be on its way to blockbuster-dom, pulling in $19.75 million at the midnight premiere of the… Read more at paidContent »
Two new book-related startups that launched in beta this week seek to redefine the book buying, browsing and selling experience. Read more at paidContent »
One German trade association has started its own Kickstarter rival to give a boost to local web retail startups — but it’s still got to work within local laws, which restrict the amount that can be raised to $130,000. Read more »
The online news payment system introduced across Slovenian and Slovakian publishers in May and February wants to launch in three more countr… Read more at paidContent »
With Russia recently becoming Europe’s biggest internet market, retailers are fighting over who can dominate proceedings. Now flash sales site KupiVIP is pumping $50m into online shopping rival Shoptime to try and crack the nascent market. Read more »
Analysts don’t know how many Kindle Fires have been sold any more than you do. Sometimes, though, they do cool stuff like an analysis (PDF)… Read more at paidContent »
Piano Media, the online news payment system which first launched in Slovakia last year, says it made €26,000 ($33961.2/£21616.4) in its f… Read more at paidContent »
The Telegraph and Sky News may each operate subscription iPad outlets – but, with latest revisions to their mobile offerings, the two news p… Read more at paidContent »
Germany’s government wants search engines and news aggregators to pay news publishers for using pieces of their material. Read more at paidContent »
J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter-focused web community and e-bookstore, Pottermore.com, will finally launch to a general audience in April after… Read more at paidContent »
The BBC is developing a radical scheme under which UK viewers would pay to download new and old BBC TV shows from a service it hopes will co… Read more at paidContent »
New Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) CEO Scott Thompson’s upcoming turnaround may centre on mining Yahoo’s green plains for different prospects, including… Read more at paidContent »
With yesterday’s launch of Google Play, the poor old Google (NSDQ: GOOG) eBookstore has a new name and is part of a portal that also offers… Read more at paidContent »
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) will this week try to convince mobile game developers to adopt its improved in-app payments features, as it vies with Ap… Read more at paidContent »
The UK’s media regulator will consider the reliability of social networks as premium-rate TV interaction mechanisms, after Britain’s first e… Read more at paidContent »
The decision to back a new $9 million round of fundraising for LA-based fashion website Nasty Gal shows exactly how deep Index Ventures — one of Europe’s most successful VCs — is invested in the market, and how big they’re betting online fashion will be. Read more »
Cudo, the Microsoft-backed Australian daily deal site that offered a $99 Chinese e-reader bundled with a CD of pirated e-books (Stephen King… Read more at paidContent »
Mobile deals combine location-aware discounts with mobile marketing campaigns. What are the largest pitfalls in this promising space, though? Privacy and security issues must be addressed to assure consumers their purchases are secure and their location is being closely guarded. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
We can probably agree that the local supermarket has no moral or ethical or business obligation to sell cherry-flavored Cap’n Crunch. If the… Read more at paidContent »
Australian daily deal site Cudo, which is backed by Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), has a great deal for you if you like pirated e-books. Stephen Ki… Read more at paidContent »
Fashion blogging has grown from a few wannabe writers looking from outside in at the industry to an influential new media category that desi… Read more at paidContent »
