Following moves by several other online companies including Amazon, Ebay has announced its own experimentation with same-day delivery called Ebay Now. The move toward instant gratification and numerous other e-commerce trends will have many implications for online companies large and small in the near future.
A New Approach
For your eyes only. Selected customers in the San Francisco area have been invited to participate in the new Ebay Now program offering same-day delivery of items from participating stores including Macy’s, Toys R’Us, Target, and Best Buy. The service has several conditions including a minimum order requirement and added shipping fee, but may be the shape of things to come. TechCrunch
Reinventing retail. Ebay’s new service is just the latest in a surprise comeback for the online retail giant. Surprisingly, Ebay’s turnaround is not coming from its traditional auction or retail businesses but from its very popular mobile retailing app and its PayPal division, which helps small businesses beyond Ebay receive payments from customers easily. The New York Times
Shopping with Your Smartphone
Top of the charts. In fact, Ebay’s mobile shopping app is so popular, Nielsen recently listed it as having the largest unique audience among U.S. smartphone users, even outdistancing Amazon’s mobile shopping app with only fourth ranked Shopkick beating it in terms of the amount of time spent on its app. Nielsen Wire
Maintaining mobility. The most important e-commerce lesson coming out of all this may be that mobile commerce will soon dominate. According to one set of figures, m-commerce revenue in the U.S. alone could hit $18 billion by 2014, and $119 billion world wide the year after that. Businesses already selling online should be prepared for the shift. Fox Small Business Center
E-commerce evolution
Building a better shopping cart. If you’re just at the starting point of creating your online store, things can be a bit overwhelming in terms of the choices you need to make. Perhaps the most important decision is which online shopping cart you will use for your business. Instead of reinventing the wheel, take a look at these six easy suggestions perfect for small business. CIO
Customize our e-commerce solution. Or depending upon your needs, a new breed of e-commerce store providers may take many of these decisions completely out of your hands by creating basic stores and allowing you to customize the merchandise and other specifics to your needs. One example is Kitsy Lane, an e-commerce platform that allows small fashion businesses to customize their own online boutiques. Direct Marketing News
Sales Tax Scenarios
Equity acts may be unfair. But another cloud is looming for small business owners interested in moving into the e-commerce space. Two bills already discussed in Congress could force small e-commerce companies to collect sales tax even from customers living in a different state. Critics say the bills as written could create an unfair burden for small e-commerce businesses. Forbes
