MasterCard Names Ajay Banga President and Chief Executive Officer Succeeding Robert W. Selander

Move Becomes Effective July 1, 2010; Selander Named Executive Vice Chairman

PURCHASE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) today announced that Ajay Banga, currently MasterCard’s president and chief operating officer, has been named by the Board of Directors to serve as the company’s president and chief executive officer, effective July 1, 2010. The company also announced that Banga has become a member of MasterCard’s Board of Directors, effective immediately.

“We are extremely thankful for his 13 years of leadership as CEO, and look forward to his continued guidance as executive vice chairman.”

Banga, 50, will succeed Robert W. Selander, who has been MasterCard’s chief executive officer since March 1997. Following the transition, Selander, 59, will serve as the company’s executive vice chairman and continue to serve as a member of the company’s Board of Directors through the date of his retirement on December 31, 2010.

Ajay Banga, Robert W. Selander (Photo: Business Wire)

Under Selander’s leadership, MasterCard evolved from a 40-year-old membership association to a NYSE-listed public company on May 25, 2006. In 2009, Barron’s cited Selander’s management as a critical reason behind its decision to rank MasterCard first in the Barron’s 500 – a ranking which assesses operating performance among the 500 largest public companies in the U.S. and Canada. The company was also ranked number 10 in BusinessWeek’s Top 50 Companies in 2009.

“Bob is a true visionary – responsible for the transformation of MasterCard into one of the world’s leading companies, and instrumental in shaping today’s payments industry,” said Richard Haythornthwaite, chairman, MasterCard Board of Directors. “We are extremely thankful for his 13 years of leadership as CEO, and look forward to his continued guidance as executive vice chairman.

“We are fortunate to announce the transition to a leader with Ajay’s expertise and experience. His industry knowledge, as well as his deep background in financial services encompassing many geographies, makes him the ideal CEO to successfully drive MasterCard’s future growth,” concluded Haythornthwaite.

“Bob is a tremendous professional and I consider myself fortunate to have worked closely with him over the past several months,” said Banga, who joined MasterCard on August 31, 2009. “I am excited to lead MasterCard at a time when the global opportunity for electronic payments has never been stronger.”

“Since joining MasterCard in late August 2009, Ajay has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and insight, and I know he is the ideal candidate to lead MasterCard moving forward,” said Selander. “As a company doing business in 210 countries and territories, MasterCard and its customers will benefit from Ajay’s unique global perspective.”

Prior to joining MasterCard, Banga spent 13 years at Citigroup from 1996, and held a variety of senior management roles in the United States and Europe, Middle East, Africa regions before becoming chairman and chief executive officer of Citi's international global consumer group in 2005. He was also responsible for Citi's brand and marketing work across the entire company. Most recently, he was chief executive officer of Citi Asia Pacific, responsible for all of the company’s business lines in the region, including institutional banking, alternative investments, wealth management, consumer banking and credit cards. He was also a member of Citi's senior leadership and executive committees.

Beginning his business career with Nestle in 1981, Banga spent the next 13 years in a variety of assignments spanning sales, marketing, and general management. He later joined Pepsico and was instrumental in the launch of its international fast food franchises in India as the economy liberalized.

Banga serves on the board of Kraft Foods Inc. In addition, he is on the board of trustees of the Asia Society, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Financial Services Roundtable and The Economic Club of New York, and is a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association.

Banga was vice chairman of the board of trustees of the New York Hall of Science and a board member of the National Urban League. He was formerly a business sponsor of Citi's African heritage network – NYC. Banga has a keen interest in social development issues, and over the period from 2005 to mid-2009, he spearheaded Citi's strategy in the microfinance sector across the world.

Banga graduated with a B.A. in Economics Honors from Delhi University and is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Selander joined MasterCard in 1994, as executive vice president of the company’s Europe, Middle East/Africa and Canada regions. Before joining MasterCard, Selander spent 20 years with Citicorp/Citibank, N.A. where he was responsible for several consumer businesses operating in North America and Europe.

About MasterCard Incorporated

MasterCard Incorporated advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes over 22 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial-institution customers and merchants. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network and through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to www.mastercard.com

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6244953&lang=en

Contacts

MasterCard Incorporated

Investor Relations:

Barbara Gasper, 914-249-4565

investor_relations@mastercard.com

or

Media Relations:

Chris Monteiro, 914-249-5826

chris_monteiro@mastercard.com

Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100412005945/en/MasterCard-Names-Ajay-Banga-President-Chief-Executive

MasterCard Names Ajay Banga President and Chief Executive Officer Succeeding Robert W. Selander

Move Becomes Effective July 1, 2010; Selander Named Executive Vice Chairman

PURCHASE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) today announced that Ajay Banga, currently MasterCard’s president and chief operating officer, has been named by the Board of Directors to serve as the company’s president and chief executive officer, effective July 1, 2010. The company also announced that Banga has become a member of MasterCard’s Board of Directors, effective immediately.

“We are extremely thankful for his 13 years of leadership as CEO, and look forward to his continued guidance as executive vice chairman.”

Banga, 50, will succeed Robert W. Selander, who has been MasterCard’s chief executive officer since March 1997. Following the transition, Selander, 59, will serve as the company’s executive vice chairman and continue to serve as a member of the company’s Board of Directors through the date of his retirement on December 31, 2010.

Ajay Banga, Robert W. Selander (Photo: Business Wire)

Under Selander’s leadership, MasterCard evolved from a 40-year-old membership association to a NYSE-listed public company on May 25, 2006. In 2009, Barron’s cited Selander’s management as a critical reason behind its decision to rank MasterCard first in the Barron’s 500 – a ranking which assesses operating performance among the 500 largest public companies in the U.S. and Canada. The company was also ranked number 10 in BusinessWeek’s Top 50 Companies in 2009.

“Bob is a true visionary – responsible for the transformation of MasterCard into one of the world’s leading companies, and instrumental in shaping today’s payments industry,” said Richard Haythornthwaite, chairman, MasterCard Board of Directors. “We are extremely thankful for his 13 years of leadership as CEO, and look forward to his continued guidance as executive vice chairman.

“We are fortunate to announce the transition to a leader with Ajay’s expertise and experience. His industry knowledge, as well as his deep background in financial services encompassing many geographies, makes him the ideal CEO to successfully drive MasterCard’s future growth,” concluded Haythornthwaite.

“Bob is a tremendous professional and I consider myself fortunate to have worked closely with him over the past several months,” said Banga, who joined MasterCard on August 31, 2009. “I am excited to lead MasterCard at a time when the global opportunity for electronic payments has never been stronger.”

“Since joining MasterCard in late August 2009, Ajay has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and insight, and I know he is the ideal candidate to lead MasterCard moving forward,” said Selander. “As a company doing business in 210 countries and territories, MasterCard and its customers will benefit from Ajay’s unique global perspective.”

Prior to joining MasterCard, Banga spent 13 years at Citigroup from 1996, and held a variety of senior management roles in the United States and Europe, Middle East, Africa regions before becoming chairman and chief executive officer of Citi's international global consumer group in 2005. He was also responsible for Citi's brand and marketing work across the entire company. Most recently, he was chief executive officer of Citi Asia Pacific, responsible for all of the company’s business lines in the region, including institutional banking, alternative investments, wealth management, consumer banking and credit cards. He was also a member of Citi's senior leadership and executive committees.

Beginning his business career with Nestle in 1981, Banga spent the next 13 years in a variety of assignments spanning sales, marketing, and general management. He later joined Pepsico and was instrumental in the launch of its international fast food franchises in India as the economy liberalized.

Banga serves on the board of Kraft Foods Inc. In addition, he is on the board of trustees of the Asia Society, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Financial Services Roundtable and The Economic Club of New York, and is a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association.

Banga was vice chairman of the board of trustees of the New York Hall of Science and a board member of the National Urban League. He was formerly a business sponsor of Citi's African heritage network – NYC. Banga has a keen interest in social development issues, and over the period from 2005 to mid-2009, he spearheaded Citi's strategy in the microfinance sector across the world.

Banga graduated with a B.A. in Economics Honors from Delhi University and is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Selander joined MasterCard in 1994, as executive vice president of the company’s Europe, Middle East/Africa and Canada regions. Before joining MasterCard, Selander spent 20 years with Citicorp/Citibank, N.A. where he was responsible for several consumer businesses operating in North America and Europe.

About MasterCard Incorporated

MasterCard Incorporated advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes over 22 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial-institution customers and merchants. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network and through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to www.mastercard.com

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6244953&lang=en

Contacts

MasterCard Incorporated

Investor Relations:

Barbara Gasper, 914-249-4565

investor_relations@mastercard.com

or

Media Relations:

Chris Monteiro, 914-249-5826

chris_monteiro@mastercard.com

Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100412005945/en/MasterCard-Names-Ajay-Banga-President-Chief-Executive

Heartland Awards Partner of the Year to Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association

Heartland Payment Systems® Awards Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Inaugural “Partner of the Year” Distinction

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Heartland Payment Systems® (NYSE: HPY), one of the nation’s largest payments processors, has honored the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA) with its first-ever “Partner of the Year” award. Heartland initiated the award to recognize outstanding partnerships between Heartland and its more than 200 association partners.

“We look forward to our continued partnership with Heartland and its Florida team.”

“The FRLA is an exceptional partner and has been a critical component in helping our organization build longstanding relationships in the restaurant and lodging industries,” says Bob Carr, Heartland’s chairman and chief executive officer. “We are extremely grateful for our partnership and proud to serve FRLA members by advocating on their behalf, educating them about the costs and complexities of payments processing and providing best-in-class business tools and solutions.”

Jimmy Moore, Heartland’s Florida regional director, adds, “Relationship is the term I would use to describe our partnership with FRLA. We each take action toward the other’s collective successes and keep one another’s best interests in mind.”

Heartland has recruited over 750 members for the FRLA during the nine-year partnership. Likewise, the association has shared referrals and facilitated many events and networking opportunities to help Heartland deliver its full suite of business solutions — including card processing, gift marketing, payroll services and check management — to restaurants and lodging establishments across Florida.

Dan Murphy, vice president of corporate relations and membership at the FRLA, accepted the award and “Inspiration Point” — a Heartland-commissioned painting by artist Charles Pabst that was also presented to the New York Stock Exchange when Heartland went public in 2005.

“The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association is proud to accept the first-ever ‘Partner of the Year Award.’ FRLA’s joint venture with Heartland Payment Systems has proven to be a tremendous benefit to our hoteliers and restaurateurs in providing much needed business solutions in the competitive hospitality industry,” says Murphy. “We look forward to our continued partnership with Heartland and its Florida team.”

About Heartland Payment Systems

Heartland Payment Systems (NYSE: HPY), the 5th largest payments processor in the United States, delivers credit/debit/prepaid card processing, payroll, check management and payments solutions to more than 250,000 business locations nationwide. Heartland is the founding supporter of The Merchant Bill of Rights, a public advocacy initiative that educates merchants about fair credit and debit card processing practices. For more information, please visit HeartlandPaymentSystems.com, MerchantBillOfRights.org, CostOfABurger.com and E3secure.com.

About The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association

In existence since 1946, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association is Florida’s premier non-profit, hospitality industry trade association. FRLA safeguards the needs of the hospitality industry, improves the business climate, promotes the highest levels of quality and safety for our patrons, provides legislative advocacy, and eases navigation of government regulation. The Association represents and serves more than 10,000 independent and household name members, including theme parks and the largest casual theme restaurant company in the world. To learn more about the FRLA, visit FRLA.org or call 888.372.9119.

Heartland Awards Partner of the Year to Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association

Heartland Payment Systems® Awards Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Inaugural “Partner of the Year” Distinction

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Heartland Payment Systems® (NYSE: HPY), one of the nation’s largest payments processors, has honored the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA) with its first-ever “Partner of the Year” award. Heartland initiated the award to recognize outstanding partnerships between Heartland and its more than 200 association partners.

“We look forward to our continued partnership with Heartland and its Florida team.”

“The FRLA is an exceptional partner and has been a critical component in helping our organization build longstanding relationships in the restaurant and lodging industries,” says Bob Carr, Heartland’s chairman and chief executive officer. “We are extremely grateful for our partnership and proud to serve FRLA members by advocating on their behalf, educating them about the costs and complexities of payments processing and providing best-in-class business tools and solutions.”

Jimmy Moore, Heartland’s Florida regional director, adds, “Relationship is the term I would use to describe our partnership with FRLA. We each take action toward the other’s collective successes and keep one another’s best interests in mind.”

Heartland has recruited over 750 members for the FRLA during the nine-year partnership. Likewise, the association has shared referrals and facilitated many events and networking opportunities to help Heartland deliver its full suite of business solutions — including card processing, gift marketing, payroll services and check management — to restaurants and lodging establishments across Florida.

Dan Murphy, vice president of corporate relations and membership at the FRLA, accepted the award and “Inspiration Point” — a Heartland-commissioned painting by artist Charles Pabst that was also presented to the New York Stock Exchange when Heartland went public in 2005.

“The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association is proud to accept the first-ever ‘Partner of the Year Award.’ FRLA’s joint venture with Heartland Payment Systems has proven to be a tremendous benefit to our hoteliers and restaurateurs in providing much needed business solutions in the competitive hospitality industry,” says Murphy. “We look forward to our continued partnership with Heartland and its Florida team.”

About Heartland Payment Systems

Heartland Payment Systems (NYSE: HPY), the 5th largest payments processor in the United States, delivers credit/debit/prepaid card processing, payroll, check management and payments solutions to more than 250,000 business locations nationwide. Heartland is the founding supporter of The Merchant Bill of Rights, a public advocacy initiative that educates merchants about fair credit and debit card processing practices. For more information, please visit HeartlandPaymentSystems.com, MerchantBillOfRights.org, CostOfABurger.com and E3secure.com.

About The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association

In existence since 1946, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association is Florida’s premier non-profit, hospitality industry trade association. FRLA safeguards the needs of the hospitality industry, improves the business climate, promotes the highest levels of quality and safety for our patrons, provides legislative advocacy, and eases navigation of government regulation. The Association represents and serves more than 10,000 independent and household name members, including theme parks and the largest casual theme restaurant company in the world. To learn more about the FRLA, visit FRLA.org or call 888.372.9119.

View this newsletter online

E-News Week of April 5, 2010

The Week in Review from BankInfoSecurity.com Weekly digest of the week’s top news and views. And don’t miss our new audio week-in-review podcast by Editorial Director Tom Field! Hear the highlights of the week’s biggest stories.
Featured News Should Banks Cover Fraud Losses? Vendor Pushes for New Protections for Commercial Accounts by Linda McGlasson In the wake of lawsuits over "reasonable security," business and bank advocates are at odds over whether federal regulations should be amended to enhance commercial protection. More...

View this newsletter online

E-News Week of April 5, 2010

The Week in Review from BankInfoSecurity.com Weekly digest of the week’s top news and views. And don’t miss our new audio week-in-review podcast by Editorial Director Tom Field! Hear the highlights of the week’s biggest stories.
Featured News Should Banks Cover Fraud Losses? Vendor Pushes for New Protections for Commercial Accounts by Linda McGlasson In the wake of lawsuits over "reasonable security," business and bank advocates are at odds over whether federal regulations should be amended to enhance commercial protection. More...

MasterCard Announces Three Year Agreement with Next Jump, Inc.

PYMNTS.com talks about MasterCard's partnership with Next Jump, Inc.

BREAKING NEWS MasterCard Worldwide today announced a three-year exclusive alliance in the payments space with Next Jump, Inc., a next-generation e-commerce company, to revolutionize the online shopping experience. The strategic agreement will allow the companies to work together to harness their combined assets in the payments technology, e-commerce and digital marketing space to drive innovation for the industry and improve the consumer experience. It will also give MasterCard access to Next Jump's extensive aggregated e-commerce network, human capital through its digital technology engineers, and an agile development process to fuel innovation and drive speed to market for relevant and desirable e-commerce solutions that meet consumer demands. READ MORE Joshua Peirez, Group Head of Innovative Platforms, MasterCard Worldwide and Charlie Kim, Founder and CEO of Next Jump discuss the exclusive alliance to revolutionize the consumer e-commerce experience. WATCH VIDEO

Related articles by Zemanta

• Next Jump Solidifies Affiliate Rewards Domination with MasterCard Partnership (revenews.com)


• Next Jump Takes Over MasterCard's New Rewards Program, MasterCard MarketPlace (techcrunch.com)


• the Web has become the place for commerce (robbiz1978.blogspot.com)


• MasterCard (MA) To Start Web Shopping Mall (benzinga.com)

MasterCard Announces Three Year Agreement with Next Jump, Inc.

PYMNTS.com talks about MasterCard's partnership with Next Jump, Inc.

BREAKING NEWS MasterCard Worldwide today announced a three-year exclusive alliance in the payments space with Next Jump, Inc., a next-generation e-commerce company, to revolutionize the online shopping experience. The strategic agreement will allow the companies to work together to harness their combined assets in the payments technology, e-commerce and digital marketing space to drive innovation for the industry and improve the consumer experience. It will also give MasterCard access to Next Jump's extensive aggregated e-commerce network, human capital through its digital technology engineers, and an agile development process to fuel innovation and drive speed to market for relevant and desirable e-commerce solutions that meet consumer demands. READ MORE Joshua Peirez, Group Head of Innovative Platforms, MasterCard Worldwide and Charlie Kim, Founder and CEO of Next Jump discuss the exclusive alliance to revolutionize the consumer e-commerce experience. WATCH VIDEO

Related articles by Zemanta

• Next Jump Solidifies Affiliate Rewards Domination with MasterCard Partnership (revenews.com)


• Next Jump Takes Over MasterCard's New Rewards Program, MasterCard MarketPlace (techcrunch.com)


• the Web has become the place for commerce (robbiz1978.blogspot.com)


• MasterCard (MA) To Start Web Shopping Mall (benzinga.com)

Internet Retailer Top 500 - The Big get Bigger...

Topics and Categories Covered 2010 Top 500 Preview Web Site Design Mobile Commerce Fulfillment Social Marketing Multichannel Strategy Rich Media Executive Compensation Search Engine Optimization Store Systems Cross-channel Marketing Supply Chain Technology

June 2010 Cover story: The 2010 Internet Retailer Top 500—the big get bigger The results are in and they show the largest online retailers took market share during recession-wracked year 2009. The Top 500 online retailers sold nearly 11% more last year, while e-commerce as a whole grew only about 2%. Even without Amazon, the leading e-retailers outpaced the market. That's just one of many insights in this summary of data from the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, the most authoritative ranking of e-retailing. This much-anticipated feature highlights the top performers among web-only retailers, retail chains, consumer goods manufacturers and catalogers. This special section also profiles the best of the best, and provides insights into the secrets of their success. Mobile commerce: How Top 500 retailers are selling via mobile Twice the number of Top 500 retailers are selling to consumers via their mobile phones this year than a year ago. This story examines their strategies, the features of their mobile sites and apps, and where they're finding mobile expertise. And it will report on how m-commerce team fits into the org chart. Social marketing: The elusive ROI of social media Marketing on social networks is an inexpensive way to reach millions of consumers. But do they want to be reached on Facebook and Twitter? This story will examine the costs in staff time and technology, and weigh them against the benefits retailers have realized from their social marketing initiatives. Rich media: Mining the riches of rich media Consumers want to see products in every detail, and making that possible remains one of the biggest challenges for online retailers. As a result, rich media is among the biggest areas of investment by e-commerce technology providers. This story will look at the latest advances in rich media and report on how consumers respond to them—and whether they're worth the investment. Search engine optimization: Five tips for moving up in Google search results Google is constantly changing how it displays search results and modifying its ranking rules—without letting marketers in on its secrets. This story will report on some of the latest changes to provide five tips for winning on Google. Cross-channel marketing: Finding useful information in oceans of data With each new consumer touchpoint more data accumulates—and the challenge of getting a single view of the consumer becomes more complex. This story will look at the latest technology advances, how retailers are using them, and the benefits they realize from having a complete view of their customers' behavior. E-commerce developments: How the top women in e-retailing made it to the top This story will draw on an exclusive Internet Retailer survey of women in e-commerce to document their experiences, the obstacles they've faced and their tactics for getting ahead. It will also profile women leaders and highlight their advice for younger women. It will also look at how the pay of women e-retail executives compares to that of their male counterparts. Web site design: What does it cost to redesign a retail web site? This story will report on the experiences of retailers that have redesigned their web sites in-house and those that have used outside firms to explain how to cost out a redesign. It will include the considerable time that retailer personnel will have to spend on the project, even if an outside firm is doing much of the design work and highlight key pitfalls to avoid. Fulfillment: Want to offer free shipping? Plan out fulfillment now This story will examine how retailers plan ahead so they can make shipping offers without cutting too deeply into margins. It will provide tips on negotiating deals with carriers, technologies that optimize shipping methods, and how sharing plans with carriers can help keep costs down. Multichannel strategy: The once-lowly store locator becomes a selling toolAs more consumers research on the web before shopping in stores, more of them visit the store locator page to find addresses, maps, phone numbers and hours. Recognizing that those web pages get a lot of visits, some retailers are spiffing them up. This story will examine what retail chains gain from turning store locator pages into marketing tools, and what it costs to keep information up to date and respond to customer queries. E-commerce developments: Money talks – what executives' paychecks say about online commerceThis exclusive Internet Retailer survey of the compensation of e-retail executives will show how retailers value their e-commerce leaders. Based on an analysis of the annual compensation reports of publicly traded retailers, this story ranks the highest-paid execs, show how they fared in the tumultuous year just past and analyze what these figures show about the place of e-commerce in major retail organizations. Mobile commerce: QVC's mobile trifectaTV and the web have been the sales channels for QVC, and mobile is now the third. The home shopping retailer has gone mobile with gusto, and is among the few retailers that lets consumers shop via a mobile site, a mobile app and by responding to text messages. This story provides a mobile leader's take on the technology required and the marketing and merchandising lessons it's drawn. Executive profile: The one-woman encyclopedia of e-commerce technologyHalley Silver is a popular speaker at e-commerce conferences because of her broad knowledge of e-commerce technology, and her engaging way of explaining technical matters to non-technical managers. This story will look at how she learned so much, how she keeps up, and how it helps her do her job better. Web site design: Why show consumers your competitors' prices?Such major e-commerce players as Amazon, Buy.com and Overstock show site visitors what competitors are charging. Does this tactic promote conversion and customer loyalty? Or do customers leave for other sites offering lower prices? This story will provide the answer, based on the experiences of top e-retailers. Corporate strategies: Web-only Shoplet.com takes on the office supply giants The big office supply chains—Staples, Office Depot and OfficeMax—have invested heavily in the web to serve their mostly small business customers. But they still have to offset the costs of their stores. Shoplet.com seeks to take market share by leveraging the lower cost of a web-only operation. This profile will examine Shoplet's claim that it can operate more cheaply than stores—and highlight the lessons other e-retailers can learn from this fast-growing company. Store systems: Do consumers want to shop the web from stores? Many retail chains are betting they do, introducing more web-enabled kiosks to extend store selection. This story will dig into how much consumers order online from stores, what other benefits retailers gain from in-store devices, the cost of deploying them and training employees to use them, and whether this is a real trend or a desperate move by stores to withstand online competition. E-commerce developments: Making sense of the conflicting estimates of e-retail's growth Several organizations estimate the growth of online retailing, but they never quite agree, which raises questions about whose numbers to trust. This story will delve into how each organization comes up with their estimates and report on how online retailers reconcile these numbers in order to plan for the coming years. Supply chain: Putting visibility to suppliers to work to improve profitsThe Internet ties together the retail supply chain, from manufacturer through the SKU on a store shelf or in a warehouse. But all this data has to be put to work in an intelligent way. This story looks at the latest supply chain technology that helps turn data into useful information and, most importantly, profit. Advertising Material Deadlines Space Close: May 7, 2010 Materials Due: May 14, 2010

Internet Retailer Top 500 - The Big get Bigger...

Topics and Categories Covered 2010 Top 500 Preview Web Site Design Mobile Commerce Fulfillment Social Marketing Multichannel Strategy Rich Media Executive Compensation Search Engine Optimization Store Systems Cross-channel Marketing Supply Chain Technology

June 2010 Cover story: The 2010 Internet Retailer Top 500—the big get bigger The results are in and they show the largest online retailers took market share during recession-wracked year 2009. The Top 500 online retailers sold nearly 11% more last year, while e-commerce as a whole grew only about 2%. Even without Amazon, the leading e-retailers outpaced the market. That's just one of many insights in this summary of data from the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, the most authoritative ranking of e-retailing. This much-anticipated feature highlights the top performers among web-only retailers, retail chains, consumer goods manufacturers and catalogers. This special section also profiles the best of the best, and provides insights into the secrets of their success. Mobile commerce: How Top 500 retailers are selling via mobile Twice the number of Top 500 retailers are selling to consumers via their mobile phones this year than a year ago. This story examines their strategies, the features of their mobile sites and apps, and where they're finding mobile expertise. And it will report on how m-commerce team fits into the org chart. Social marketing: The elusive ROI of social media Marketing on social networks is an inexpensive way to reach millions of consumers. But do they want to be reached on Facebook and Twitter? This story will examine the costs in staff time and technology, and weigh them against the benefits retailers have realized from their social marketing initiatives. Rich media: Mining the riches of rich media Consumers want to see products in every detail, and making that possible remains one of the biggest challenges for online retailers. As a result, rich media is among the biggest areas of investment by e-commerce technology providers. This story will look at the latest advances in rich media and report on how consumers respond to them—and whether they're worth the investment. Search engine optimization: Five tips for moving up in Google search results Google is constantly changing how it displays search results and modifying its ranking rules—without letting marketers in on its secrets. This story will report on some of the latest changes to provide five tips for winning on Google. Cross-channel marketing: Finding useful information in oceans of data With each new consumer touchpoint more data accumulates—and the challenge of getting a single view of the consumer becomes more complex. This story will look at the latest technology advances, how retailers are using them, and the benefits they realize from having a complete view of their customers' behavior. E-commerce developments: How the top women in e-retailing made it to the top This story will draw on an exclusive Internet Retailer survey of women in e-commerce to document their experiences, the obstacles they've faced and their tactics for getting ahead. It will also profile women leaders and highlight their advice for younger women. It will also look at how the pay of women e-retail executives compares to that of their male counterparts. Web site design: What does it cost to redesign a retail web site? This story will report on the experiences of retailers that have redesigned their web sites in-house and those that have used outside firms to explain how to cost out a redesign. It will include the considerable time that retailer personnel will have to spend on the project, even if an outside firm is doing much of the design work and highlight key pitfalls to avoid. Fulfillment: Want to offer free shipping? Plan out fulfillment now This story will examine how retailers plan ahead so they can make shipping offers without cutting too deeply into margins. It will provide tips on negotiating deals with carriers, technologies that optimize shipping methods, and how sharing plans with carriers can help keep costs down. Multichannel strategy: The once-lowly store locator becomes a selling toolAs more consumers research on the web before shopping in stores, more of them visit the store locator page to find addresses, maps, phone numbers and hours. Recognizing that those web pages get a lot of visits, some retailers are spiffing them up. This story will examine what retail chains gain from turning store locator pages into marketing tools, and what it costs to keep information up to date and respond to customer queries. E-commerce developments: Money talks – what executives' paychecks say about online commerceThis exclusive Internet Retailer survey of the compensation of e-retail executives will show how retailers value their e-commerce leaders. Based on an analysis of the annual compensation reports of publicly traded retailers, this story ranks the highest-paid execs, show how they fared in the tumultuous year just past and analyze what these figures show about the place of e-commerce in major retail organizations. Mobile commerce: QVC's mobile trifectaTV and the web have been the sales channels for QVC, and mobile is now the third. The home shopping retailer has gone mobile with gusto, and is among the few retailers that lets consumers shop via a mobile site, a mobile app and by responding to text messages. This story provides a mobile leader's take on the technology required and the marketing and merchandising lessons it's drawn. Executive profile: The one-woman encyclopedia of e-commerce technologyHalley Silver is a popular speaker at e-commerce conferences because of her broad knowledge of e-commerce technology, and her engaging way of explaining technical matters to non-technical managers. This story will look at how she learned so much, how she keeps up, and how it helps her do her job better. Web site design: Why show consumers your competitors' prices?Such major e-commerce players as Amazon, Buy.com and Overstock show site visitors what competitors are charging. Does this tactic promote conversion and customer loyalty? Or do customers leave for other sites offering lower prices? This story will provide the answer, based on the experiences of top e-retailers. Corporate strategies: Web-only Shoplet.com takes on the office supply giants The big office supply chains—Staples, Office Depot and OfficeMax—have invested heavily in the web to serve their mostly small business customers. But they still have to offset the costs of their stores. Shoplet.com seeks to take market share by leveraging the lower cost of a web-only operation. This profile will examine Shoplet's claim that it can operate more cheaply than stores—and highlight the lessons other e-retailers can learn from this fast-growing company. Store systems: Do consumers want to shop the web from stores? Many retail chains are betting they do, introducing more web-enabled kiosks to extend store selection. This story will dig into how much consumers order online from stores, what other benefits retailers gain from in-store devices, the cost of deploying them and training employees to use them, and whether this is a real trend or a desperate move by stores to withstand online competition. E-commerce developments: Making sense of the conflicting estimates of e-retail's growth Several organizations estimate the growth of online retailing, but they never quite agree, which raises questions about whose numbers to trust. This story will delve into how each organization comes up with their estimates and report on how online retailers reconcile these numbers in order to plan for the coming years. Supply chain: Putting visibility to suppliers to work to improve profitsThe Internet ties together the retail supply chain, from manufacturer through the SKU on a store shelf or in a warehouse. But all this data has to be put to work in an intelligent way. This story looks at the latest supply chain technology that helps turn data into useful information and, most importantly, profit. Advertising Material Deadlines Space Close: May 7, 2010 Materials Due: May 14, 2010