5 Reasons Google Shut Down Its Affiliate Network

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Industry veterans will tell you that affiliate marketing is about relationships. So when the head of the Google Affiliate Network (GAN), J. J. Hirschle made a brief announcement that Google planned to shutter the network just shy of its fifth birthday, it shouldn’t surprise anyone since relationships have never been Google’s strong suit. What was… Read More…

Nordstrom’s e-commerce bet pays off big

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Over $1 billion in direct sales. That’s what Nordstrom raked in according to their fiscal year 2012 report, a first in the company’s history. Overall sales grew by 12.1 percent year-over-year with e-commerce achieving an impressive 37 percent growth. Those numbers put Nordstrom 4.8 percent ahead of comparable retailers according to Internet Retailer. Why the success? Understanding that if… Read More…

Why these proposed advertising taxes in Ohio and Minnesota are a dangerous bet

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With many states depending on sales tax for revenue, it’s only natural that they want to focus on ways to help in-state businesses increase sales. So the recent moves by Governor Mark Dayton (D) of Minnesota and Governor John Kasich (R) of Ohio can only be described as perplexing. Both governors proposed expanding their state’s… Read More…

Makers of Second Life roll out two storytelling games where users get paid to create

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No one goes to Second Life anymore. Long gone are the days where it was a media darling with Second Life millionaires gracing the cover of Business Week. Worlds created by Minecraft and Blizzard have replaced it in popular culture. Second Life is ancient history. Yet that ancient history is still very valuable as Linden… Read More…

Why Amazon and other retailers are supporting this national sales tax legislation

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Bipartisanship is a rare beast in Washington D.C.  these days, especially when it comes to new taxes. So when 35 house members and 18 senators introduce new tax legislation, it’s worth taking notice. Dubbed the Marketplace Fairness Act, the bill seeks to essentially create a nationwide sales tax for online retailers. The goal being to… Read More…

American Express links with Twitter: Will security risks sink this buy-by-Tweet experiment?

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Social commerce is about ease. And what’s easier than using a hashtag to make a purchase? Today American Express, in conjunction with Twitter, is launching a program built on that premise. The idea is simple. American Express partners with a retailer and assigns a hashtag to a physical product. Cardholders who have opted-in and synced… Read More…

Channel Intelligence buy increases Google’s advantage over Facebook in e-commerce

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Facebook may know what consumers like, but it doesn’t yet understand how consumers shop. Google does and has been steadily developing that understanding with new tools to capitalize on the power of its ubiquitous analytics platform in order to grow Google Shopping. As part of that initiative, last summer Google launched Google Trusted Stores, promising… Read More…

A guide to why Amazon is losing the tax battle

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Guest commentary: You may be right Jeff Bezos, but no one sympathizes. Yes, the U.S. Supreme Court made it clear in its 1992 ruling of Quill Corp. v. North Dakota that Amazon.com and other online retailers shouldn’t have to pay taxes in states where they don’t have physical presences. Yet, even with law on your… Read More…