Virtual Merchant Today

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Cop Out, Cash Cow, or Both?

New e-tailer ThoughtfulGuy.com, brought to our attention by The Digitel Charleston, isn’t just another shopping site. For one thing, you can’t actually browse any products. Users must sign up or sign in to use the service, then answer a list of questions about their prospective recipient (any woman in their life, from girlfriend to mother-in-law) and her taste, as well as her age, occupation, and... More

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On-store, in-line?

It seems counter-intuitive: If the advantage of online shopping is that you can save gas and skip crowds, and the advantage of in-store shopping is that you can see the product in person, why would anyone shop online, in-store? But increasingly they do, according to eMarketer.com. One reason is the other big advantage of in-store shopping: help from a sales associate. “Said Grau, “Retail professi... More

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Just in Time for Consumers, Too

A survey of online retailers’ delivery options  by multichannel logistics specialist iForce found that less than 10 percent of retailers offer customers the option of choosing between a.m. and p.m. delivery slots and even fewer, only 6.9 percent, offer evening deliveries. Although the study focused on the U.K., the issues apply to U.S. retailers as well.  The company also found that shipping cost... More

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Local Deal Seekers Zip on Over

Newly launched Zippla.com lets shoppers search for local offline bargains by zip code. If there aren’t any matching retailers in a given zipcode, the site will suggest 10 other zip codes in the vicinity and prompt the user to search in one of them. Retailers pay a monthly fee of $100 that allows them an unlimited number of Twitter-style posts. Each post, known as a "zipple," can be up to 151 char... More

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Mobile for Mom and Pops

Got a coupon? Just show the cashier your phone. Google is enabling local retailers to display coupons for in-store use on mobile devices of Google-searching users. Retailers can create and upload a coupon using Google’s Local Business Center. But now, in addition to being able to print it out and bring it in, consumers searching on Google.com using a mobile device (AKA smartphone) will have access... More