Why shopping the closet is the new flash deal
photo: Bib + Tuck
Looking for a deal? The new frontier of ecommerce websites encourage trading and bartering from users’ closets — and it’s exploding in popularity. Read more »
Shopster grocery list app learns what you like and where you shop
The iOS app is 99 cents and uses geo-location to help people keep grocery lists and be reminded of what items they need to buy when they’re in range of their most frequented markets. Read more »
Shopular app pushes real-time deals while you’re at the mall
photo: Shopular
Shopular, a location-aware mobile app, is officially launching Friday to serve up relevant in-store deals while consumers are shopping. To start, the app will only alert shoppers once it senses that they’re at a shopping mall, but the company plans to expand to more locations. Read more »
Maluuba lets you shop by voice from your smartphone
photo: Maluuba
Maluuba, a Siri for Android app, is now offering users a way to shop by just asking Maluuba questions. The app has integrated with Walmart and Best Buy and pulls up data from Google as well. Read more »
Social commerce site Polyvore, now cash flow positive, launches mobile app
Style and social commerce platform Polyvore on Tuesday announced that it had launched a free mobile app for the iPhone that enables users to assemble and share personal style collections, as well as browse and purchase items. Read more »
Why are Android users less engaged than iOS users?
Android shopping traffic over the holiday lagged iOS even though there are more Android smartphones. We look at why Android still produces far less engagement than iOS and what might be contributing to the gap. Read more »
Techstars-backed Pickie raises $1M for Flipboard-like app for shopping
Pickie, a recent graduate of TechStars New York, announced Monday that it has raised $1 million in seed funding from a range of investors, including DFJ Gotham, Betaworks and Liberty City Ventures. The startup uses social data regarding products to generate personalized iPad-based magazines for shopping. Read more »
Mobile can be the ‘personalization lens’ for offline stores
Smartphones have a unique potential not just to support online shopping but also to enhance the physical store experience – but, to do so, they must think digitally and quickly, retailers tell GigaOM’s Mobilize conference. Read more »
Zappos taps Pinterest to boost sales, but its efforts fail
In a move to boost sales through social recommendations, online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos, which is owned by Amazon, has added a new feature called “PinPointing” that offers recommendations based on Pinterest accounts. Unfortunately, the feature doesn’t work very well yet. Read more »
Report: Tablets now drive more ecommerce traffic than smartphones
Monetate, which analyzed more than 100 million online shopping experiences, said that in the first quarter of 2012, tablet traffic to commerce sites hit 6.52 percent, overtaking smartphones (5.35 percent) for the first time. Tablets are already ideal shopping devices and they’re only growing in popularity. Read more »
Confirmed: Pinterest taking $100m for e-commerce play
Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten wants to plug Pinterest in to purchasing, after leading a $100 million investment in the social pinboard curator. Read more at paidContent »
Savvy rebrands as Eyeona to help retailers fight Amazon
Pricetector, which launched a price adjustment service called Savvy.com in November, is rebranding under the name Eyeona, as it looks to become an even more useful tool to both consumers and retailers. Eyeona’s goal is to help retailers build a stronger relationship with consumers. Read more »
Shopping app Checkpoints drives product discovery
Shopping apps are like InMarket’s Checkpoints apps are becoming powerful discovery tools for brands looking to get the word out on their products. InMarket said 50 percent of its users discovered new products using the Checkpoints app in the fourth quarter last year. Read more »
ShopSavvy lets users scan products to sell
ShopSavvy, a mobile app known for arming shoppers with the ability to scan products to find the best prices, is now giving consumers the ability to scan products they own so they can quickly put them up for sale. Read more »
IBM to buy DemandTec to help big data meet commerce
IBM plans to acquire retail data analytics company DemandTec in an all-cash deal valued at $440 million, continuing Big Blue’s buys in big data businesses. DemandTec has two especially compelling elements for IBM: It adds to its big data expertise, and it’s vertically focused. Read more »
Study reveals when to shop the App Store for the best deals
Apple’s iOS App Store will almost certainly see a lot of sales this upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, but when are the best times to shop the store in general? That’s one question European advertising network madvertise set out to answer in a new study released Wednesday. Read more »
Apple teases Black Friday; where to look for better deals
Apple posted a teaser on Tuesday that’s heavy on the tease and light on the info, telling shoppers only that Apple will indeed hold a “one-day shopping event.” But Apple isn’t the only place to look for deals on Apple products this Friday. Read more »
7 apps for conquering Black Friday
With Black Friday just around the corner, your iPhone might be your greatest weapon for getting the best deals around. Just be sure you download these apps, and remember not to literally crash through doors, regardless of what retailer marketing says they’d like you to do. Read more »
Fantasy Shopper wants to make fashion fun
Any seasoned fashionista knows that shopping is serious business, but that doesn’t explain why most retail sites are so boring. New service Fantasy Shopper wants to inject more fun into buying online by turning it into a social game. Can it succeed? Read more »
Amazon launches YoYo to make toy-shopping fun
Kids love toys. But the sheer number of toys and games continuously coming out on the market can make toy shopping a big drag for grownups. Amazon.com is launching a new site called YoYo aimed at making the toy shopping experience a bit less overwhelming. Read more »
What changed at the Apple Store? It got more social.
The Apple Store went down this morning, and there’s still no official explanation as to why. But one thing did change: all Mac Pro and iPod classic models now feature drop down arrows that let you share the product on either Facebook or Twitter. Read more »
The future of check-ins? It’s complicated
Geo-location check-in services such as Foursquare are super trendy in tech and new media circles. But will they catch on with mainstream audiences enough to make big retailers pay attention? A new market research study indicates that the answer may be no. Read more »
Now profitable, Polyvore strikes a pose as top fashion site
Interactive fashion website Polyvore has officially entered into inflection point territory. The Mountain View, Calif.-based startup, which is backed with $8.2 million in venture capital, has achieved profitable operations and is currently seeing record web traffic, co-founder Jess Lee told me in an interview this week. Read more »
Coupons.com raises $200M to meet booming deal demand
Digital coupon company Coupons.com has closed on a $200 million funding round. About half of this round will be used to provide liquidity to early investors and employees at the 13-year-old company, and the rest will be put toward meeting growing demand, CEO Steven Boal said. Read more »
Facebook’s Two Deal Weapons: The Social Graph and Credits
Facebook’s new Deals offering may or may not become a “Groupon killer,” but the social network has two major weapons in its arsenal that others do not: One is the power of the site’s social graph, and the other is the integration of Facebook Credits. Read more »
Google’s Daily Deals Service Emerges to Take on Groupon
Four months after Groupon turned down Google’s $6 billion buyout offer, the search giant appears to have built what it couldn’t buy. The company has begun rolling out Google Offers, a new discount offer service that seems to be created in the mold of Groupon. Read more »
SaleLocator Replaces Retail Flyers With iPhone App
Like the SaleLocator.com website, the new SaleLocator iPhone app launched Tuesday is a local retail sales search engine that helps users find deals on stuff at brick-and-mortar stores. SaleLocator makes deal discovery quick and painless, and it’s a recipe that has big retail chains interested. Read more »
Will Facebook Ever Be an E-Commerce Powerhouse?
A big factor in the $75-billion theoretical market value Facebook has amassed is the idea that the social network will become a major e-commerce player. But a new report from Forrester Research argues that Facebook may never actually achieve that goal for a number of reasons. Read more »
Subscriber Content
The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
Social commerce involves businesses using online collaborative tools — social networks, real-time feeds and user-generated contributions, for example — in order to sell products and services to consumers. The space is now more dynamic than ever: Hundreds of startups like Groupon, Zynga and CrowdStar have emerged, and it’s also attracting the attention — and cash — of online giants like Google, Amazon and Apple. This report examines the factors propelling the sector’s growth, how it will evolve over the next one to three years and what that means for those companies involved. We also examine factors inhibiting the growth of social commerce, and the likelihood of fragmentation as more local markets emerge. Companies mentioned in this report include Groupon, Foursquare, Gowalla, Playfish and LivingSocial. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Hot or Not? A Credit Card That Rewards Green Spending
Consumers love credit cards, so why not start a program to reward them for spending money on eco-friendly goods and services? That’s the idea behind a proposed government program in South Korea in which users can earn points, and cash, for buying greener products. Read more »
Never Get Burned by Best Buy Price Drops Again
If one thing really makes me mad, it’s buying something at Best Buy only to find out later that a friend got it there on sale the weekend after I did. Gazaro Protect, a new — and free — iPhone app, ensures that won’t happen ever again. Read more »
Consumer Guide: Where to Buy a New Mac
You know you want a new Mac, but where to buy? There’s no shortage of sources, but when it comes to getting great service and warranty support, the options narrow considerably. Here’s a list of where your money will go the furthest. Read more »
Apple Store iOS App Updated With Check-Ins, More
Long ago, there were rumors that a concierge app would come to the iPhone platform and bring reservations and other services to the device. Now, those features are here in version 1.1 of the Apple Store app, just released. It brings new location-based services and more. Read more »
Quick Look: Consumer Reports Mobile Shopper for iPhone
Consumer Reports can now come with you on your iPhone as you shop, letting you check products instantly. So, scanning the barcode of the iPhone 4 with its camera will, in theory, reveal CR’s high rating, and its lack of a “Buy” recommendation. In theory. Read more »
Walmart Retail Gets iPad Oct. 15, Available Online Now
U.S. retail giant Walmart confirmed that it will be offering the Apple iPad at hundreds of its stores beginning Friday, Oct. 15. Despite the small initial launch pool, by the time Black Friday rolls around, that number is expected to grow to 2,300 nationwide. Read more »
New Apple Store Section Allows Mac Comparisons
It can be difficult to decide which model is for you when it comes to purchasing a new Mac. Apple has tried to make the process a little less painful by adding a Mac comparison feature to the online Apple store. Read more »
Back to School 2010 Buyer’s Guide for iPad Lovers
The iPad itself should be number one on every college student’s wish list. It’s pretty light weight and easy to carry, and with the diverse selection of apps available, you can really get more out of it than carrying your laptop to class. Read more »
Back to School 2010 Buyer’s Guide for iPod/iPhone Lovers
Our next installment in our Back to School guide is aimed at iPhone and iPod users. Check out some of our picks for must haves, cool gadgets, and more to get you set for the new school year that will be sooner than you’d like. Read more »
Back to School 2010 Buyer’s Guide for Mac Lovers
For the next part of our Back to School 2010 Buyer’s Guide, we’re going to take a look at ten more great Mac-specific items for the college student. This is a great list for those who still may be trying to find that perfect graduation gift. Read more »
Back to School 2010 Buyer’s Guide for Apple Lovers
With the next school year just around the corner, we’ve put together a list of some products that are must haves for students headed off to college. If you own any Apple products, there’s something for you in our Back to School 2010 Buyer’s Guide Read more »
