Report: Google considering retail store push, but where’s Amazon?

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Apple is doing it. And so is Microsoft. Now, Google may jump into the brick-and-mortar retail game. 9to5Google reports that the Internet search giant plans to open retail stores in the U.S. in time for the 2013 holiday season. Though known for online advertising and search (which, of course, would be hard to tout in… Read More…

Tred speeds ahead with $1.7M, plans to change car shopping with driveway test drives

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One of my favorite pitches at the TechStars Demo Day last November was a tiny company called Tred that had a big idea: Transform the way people test drive and buy new cars. Founder Grant Feek summed up the concept in one line, telling the audience that they allow car shoppers to “test drive from your… Read More…

Target wants to eliminate showrooming by matching Amazon prices

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Target Corp. introduced an online price-matching program just for the holiday season, but now it looks like it’s permanent. The Minneapolis-based retailer announced today that it will allow customers to use Amazon prices for its products on year-round basis. The company will do the same for prices from Best Buy, Walmart and Toys R Us, but Amazon… Read More…

How I spent my Saturday trying to find a cheap iPhone 5 (and lived to tell about it)

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What better way to spend a cold rainy Saturday in Seattle than shopping for a new iPhone 5? Actually, I can think of a number of better things to do with my time than brave the malls during the holiday shopping season. Like going to the dentist. You see, I’ve got an aversion to shopping… Read More…

Goodbye, checkout lines: QThru launches app to make shopping easier

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QThru puts a new spin on the self-checkout kiosks at grocery stores and today the Seattle startup launched its mobile app. Available on both iOS and Android, the app is a mobile shopping platform that is intended to make in-store shopping more convenient by allowing people to shop, scan, get deals, and then checkout with a smartphone app…. Read More…

Online holiday shopping off to a fast start, jumps 16 percent

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Americans are spending more money online this holiday shopping season. For the first 26 days of the November-December 2012 holiday season, Americans spent $16.4 billion, a 16 percent increase over the same period last year, according to a report from comScore. On “Cyber Monday,” comScore tallied $1.465 billion in online spending, up 17 percent versus year… Read More…

Windows 8 is a big hit … on budget PCs at Walmart

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How did Microsoft’s new Windows 8 fare on its first big holiday shopping weekend? Here’s an encouraging picture, submitted by a GeekWire reader who took the photo at a Walmart in Indiana after the Black Friday mayhem had ended. The HP, Gateway and Toshiba notebooks ranged in price from $328 to $248. However, the scene… Read More…

Decide.com’s Shauna Causey on CBS: Black Friday is now a “common misconception”

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Here’s some advice for those planning to camp for hours outside of the local Wal Mart to nab those Black Friday deals: Don’t do it. Decide.com vice president of marketing Shauna Causey was on the CBS This Morning show Monday and had some advice for those gearing up for this week’s “deals.” “Our advice is… Read More…

Decide.com unveils daily deal site, promises cash if prices later fall on gadgets

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Prior to his appearance on the GeekWire podcast a few weeks ago, Decide.com CEO Mike Fridgen hinted that the Seattle online shopping service was cooking up something new and exciting. At the time, Fridgen didn’t disclose what they were doing. But we’re now starting to get an inside look. The company, which launched a consumer electronics research site… Read More…

Study: Mobile websites top apps for shopping, and Amazon is the king

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Despite all of the focus on smartphone apps these days, mobile websites are more popular in the U.S. for shopping-related activities on the go, according to a new report from Nielsen this morning. Amazon.com’s mobile website is the most popular, the research firm says. Nielsen’s numbers show the reach of Amazon’s mobile website topping 20… Read More…