Smartphone Sales Surge as Dumbphone Demand Dips
Global iPhone sales grew in 2009 at the expense of Windows Mobile devices, according to Gartner's worldwide mobile sales report, released Tuesday. The report also showed sales of Android and Research In Motion's Blackberry devices going up year over year. Overall, worldwide mobile phone sales fell 0.9 percent in 2009 from the previous year's levels. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/69408.html
VeriSign Opens New Lab to Test Interoperability of Internet Solutions With DNSSEC
CNNMoney.com (press release) The DNSSEC Interoperability Lab is staffed by VeriSign personnel who can help solution and service providers determine if DNS packets containing DNSSEC
Q4 online sales grow 14.4%, reports the Commerce Department
Online retail sales in the fourth quarter grew 14.4% on an adjusted basis over the fourth quarter of 2008, reaching $35.9 billion, the Census Bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce announced.
Intel faced hacker attack same time as Google
Intel has revealed that it was targeted by a "sophisticated" hacker attack this year at about the same time as a spying probe that hit Google. Read article »
Web-only retailers took the center stage for revenue growth in 2009
Among the 99 web-only retailers who have reported sales thus far for the 2010 Top 500 Guide, their combined 2009 sales increased 25.2%. Manufacturers grew 12.7% while catalogers and chain retailers declined 3.7% and 2.6%, respectively.
Barnes & Noble CEO stakes the company's future to e-commerce
With aggressive new business development in the e-book reader market, Barnes & Noble (No. 41) is transforming itself from conventional books retailing into a major e-commerce franchise, CEO Steve Riggio recently told Wall Street analysts.
Nokia to pilot m-commerce project in India
Voice & Data Online The entry of the handset market leader, Nokia in m-commerce would not only fuel the growth of industry in nascent stage, but also create awareness among the
Target Decides Payment Method Incentives Work
Changing consumer shopping behavior is about as easy as motivating a salesperson: Just speak with money. This is how you can tell the difference between what retail executives really care about and what they need to say they care about. Contactless payment, biometric payment and self-checkout are just some of the more obvious examples of payment processes that retailers have said they want to push, and yet they have never done the only thing that's almost guaranteed to work: sharp discounts. If a grocery chain decided it wanted to push more consumers through its self-checkout lanes, all the chain needs to do is announce that product prices in self-checkout are sharply less than those rung up through staffed lanes. It can even dictate the percent of change by deciding the percent of discount. Target, for example, has decided that its in-house payment cards are a priority, so it's trialing a program in Kansas City that offers customers who use the card "5 percent off on every item, every transaction, everyday," Target CFO Doug Scovanner told analysts in a Tuesday (Feb. 23) conference call discussing the chain's earnings. Read more.
The Cost Of A Breach, Heartland Style: At Least $129 Million; Might Be $229 Million
In its latest financial report, Heartland Payment Systems reported that it dropped $129 million on data breach costs last year (an incident that briefly placed Heartland on Visa's Bad Breach Boy list). The company added that it still has a reserve of $100 million for additional expenses. As a processor, Heartland's pain is certainly much more severe than what would be inflicted on a retailer involved in a similarly large breach. But $229 million is starting to look like real money. Think of that $100 million in the bank as sort of mad money, in the sense that it's needed because everyone Heartland has done business with seems to be driven stark raving mad. It's less hush money than "please don't hurt me" money. Read more.
Do Companies Need Fed Cybersecurity Intervention?
Once again, Americans are hearing that the United States is a cybersecurity wimp, vulnerable to major damage should it ever suffer a large, organized cyberattack. The latest testimony underscoring that notion came from Michael McConnell, the former director of national intelligence, who spoke to the Senate Tuesday. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/69417.html
US LAWMAKERS DROP PLANS FOR INTERCHANGE REFORMS IN 2010
US lawmakers have delayed plans to reform credit card interchange legislation until beyond 2010, in a move that has cheered banks and card companies but disappointed consumer groups and merchants who had been pushing hard for a reduction in card swipe fees. More on this story: http://www.finextra.com/news/fullstory.aspx?newsitemid=21131
M-commerce offers an entry point into consumers' decision-making process
InternetRetailer.com “Looking at that pace of change and the low conversion rates typically seen on m-commerce, retailers may be tempted to take a wait-and-see approach,” he
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