by Christina Lee on February 3rd, 2009
Postmaster General John Potter’s public plea for a shorter mail delivery week has called attention to how current correspondence has driven the United States Postal Service to debt, as well as how its downfall could later harm e-commerce.
With more personal and business correspondence done over e-mail than snail mail these days, Potter testified before a Senate subcommittee Wednesday to explain the financial need for one less delivery day during the week – not necessarily Saturday, but another day in which mail volume is usually light, such as Tuesday. The Postal Service has maintained a six-day delivery week since 1983,... Read more »
by Christina Lee on January 23rd, 2009
Over 1 billion people from around the world now use the Internet, according to a study released today by comScore.
The study comes after the online research firm found that more than 824 million people used the Internet in March 2008.
The United States only ranked second to China in representing the largest Internet audience of the world. With more than 163 million people online, the United States represents 17.8 percent of the total global Internet audience, after making up for 21 percent in March.
The number of Internet users in the Asia Pacific region continues to grow rapidly, as... Read more »
by Christina Lee on January 14th, 2009
Before news of his stimulus proposal popped up, or even before his election, the President-elect’s face and message led to sales for retailers of all sizes.
By November, consumers spent as much as $200 million on Barack Obama memorabilia, according to the New York Times. By December, more than 111,000 Obama-related items had been sold through eBay.
Whether officially approved by Obama or not, his face and name have appeared on T-shirts, boxer briefs, and money (fake, of course), in addition to a few best-selling products:
Bumper stickers
As the 2008 election drew closer, bumper stickers became perhaps the most... Read more »
by Christina Lee on January 12th, 2009
With today’s consumers more apt to save than spend, small business owners could consider their feedback more valuable than ever. With these ideas – one on how to get it, and two on how to use it – remember that customer feedback should be taken for more than constructive criticism. Imagine the possibilities:
As Duct Tape Marketing’s John Jantsch suggested last week, small business owners can reward their best customers by inviting them out to a happy hour. In return, they can ask them for their testimonials regarding your products and services. Capture all of the moments on camera and... Read more »
by Rebecca Button on May 14th, 2008
To follow up with my previous post Internet Sales Tax Looms for NY…Will It Catch On? I posed a question along the lines of "do you think it should happen/is it a good idea?"
As of June 1, 2008, the legislation will go into effect, requiring internet retailers to collect a sales tax on any orders being shipped to the state’s residents. This legislation was largely enacted to keep online retail Goliaths (namely Amazon.com) in check and attempt to "level the playing field" for brick and mortar stores in the state.
Amazon has now responded by suing the New York... Read more »
by Rebecca Button on April 24th, 2008
Interesting…very very interesting.
Do you think states should be allowed to levy a sales tax on online purchases?
Well according to a WebProNews.com post , New York is attempting to test those waters. Legislators are trying to pass a bill titled the "Amazon Tax" and are targeting online retailers who are not located in New York. The sales tax would be attached to any items shipped to the state. Proponents of the bill say it will help level the sales tax playing field for brick and mortar retailers and they estimate it will generate around $50 million in tax revenue... Read more »
by Carrie Hinkel on April 4th, 2008
Many new small business owners have learned the hard way that a product’s wholesale cost isn’t always the same for everyone. They wrongly assume that the cost they’re getting from the manufacturer or distributor is the standard wholesale price, and are then shocked to see other retailers selling the same item for just a few dollars more than what their wholesale price was. Needless to say, all wholesale prices are not created equal, however, there are ways even a small retailer can level the playing field.
Don’t try to compete where you can’t – Think carefully about the products you... Read more »