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Year 2000 E-Commerce Predictions
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January 1, 2000 *3,000 subscribers* Volume 2, Issue 1
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ECnow.com 2000 trends: Year 2000 E-Commerce Predictions

CONTENT – ECMGT.COM E-COMMERCE NEWS

  • E-STRATEGIES & TRENDS
  • E-PRODUCTS
  • E-SERVICES
  • E-MARKETING
  • SUPPLY CHAIN
  • CONTENT, PORTALS & COMMUNITY
  • GOVERNANCE & GOING GLOBAL
  • PARTNERS & DEALS
  • MOVERS & SHAKERS

E-STRATEGIES & TRENDS NEWS
This section sponsored by - ECnow.com, please visit them at http://www.ecnow.com
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ToC

  • 10 Trends 2000

  • Academia and Industry Move to Bolster E-Commerce

  • E-Commerce For Everyone

  • One-Quarter of Attempted Holiday E-Commerce Purchases Fail

  • Sites take on features of offline malls

  • Is There A Future For Free Shipping?

  • Net firms consider trade instead of cash

  • E-Business Must Consider Its Customer

  • Bloomingdale's Installs E-Commerce Kiosks

  • Why Is Circuit City Scared Of E-Commerce?

  • A Crystal Clear Web Lesson

  • Preferences or Privacy?

  • Are E-tailers Ignoring The Bottom Line?

  • Will Shopping Agents Trigger Price Wars

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10 Trends 2000
The coming year will see not only an increase in the number of offline companies that are developing Web presences, but also a rise in the number of Web-based companies that purchase, merge, and partner with brick-and-mortar businesses.

 Academia and Industry Move to Bolster E-Commerce
While market watchers and industry analysts monitor the day-to-day progress -- or lack of progress -- in online holiday sales, powerful sources from the world of academia and industry have announced moves to bolster the position of e-commerce.

 E-Commerce For Everyone
The emergence of Kmart and Wal-Mart in the e-commerce movement is symbolic of middle America's inevitable transition to online consumerism.

One-Quarter of Attempted Holiday E-Commerce Purchases Fail
One quarter of attempted holiday purchases over the Internet typically end without a sale being made, according to a study by Andersen Consulting.

Sites take on features of offline malls
Struggling to stand out on the increasingly crowded Web, small e-tailers are finding strength in numbers.

Is There A Future For Free Shipping?
Many shoppers would rather trudge to the mall than pay shipping fees, and several e-commerce retailers are trying to accommodate consumers by experimenting with free shipping promotions.

 Net firms consider trade instead of cash
The new thing in e-commerce may be to let firms do business the old-fashioned way--by trading without money.

 E-Business Must Consider Its Customer
One of the biggest causes of e-business failures is the inability of companies to build a system from the customer's viewpoint.

Bloomingdale's Installs E-Commerce Kiosks
For shoppers who are weary of struggling through crowds and waiting in lines to make purchases, but lack home Internet access, new e-commerce kiosks in stores make it easier to browse and buy.

Why Is Circuit City Scared Of E-Commerce?
If the negative things that Circuit City Stores, Inc. has been saying about e-tailers are any indication, the giant brick-and-mortar electronics chain must really be feeling the pressure from online merchants this holiday season.

A Crystal Clear Web Lesson
An enterprising 11-year-old shows the venerable Waterford Crystal company that its potential customers aren't ignoring the Net, even if it is.

Preferences or Privacy?
If consumers and Internet businesses can agree, personalized content could improve the online experience

Are E-tailers Ignoring The Bottom Line?
In the mad scramble to be the flashiest, biggest, and most dynamic Web site in cyberspace, many retailers are losing sight of the most important prize -- the bottom line.

Will Shopping Agents Trigger Price Wars?  
You know the price wars that occasionally break out between gas station owners on opposite corners of an intersection? Well, the same type of price wars may break out on the Internet because of product comparison Web sites and attendant shopping "bots."

 

E-PRODUCTS NEWS
ToC

  • Amazon, Sprint offer shopping on web phones
  • 'Secure Assure' Looks to Challenge TRUSTe as Leading Privacy Seal
  • Amazon.com Dons Diamonds, Pearls
  • Holiday E-Shopping Shuffle
  • New standards could help development of micropayments
  • Pass the Internet Remote

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Amazon, Sprint offer shopping on web phones
Online retailer Amazon.com and wireless telephone company Sprint PCS Group said on Wednesday they are offering online shopping at Amazon.com from Internet-ready Sprint PCS phones.

 'Secure Assure' Looks to Challenge TRUSTe as Leading Privacy Seal
The start-up seal program, launched last month, hopes to emerge as the true Web privacy seal by putting consumers' interests ahead of corporate prerogatives.

Amazon.com Dons Diamonds, Pearls
E-tail leader Amazon.com Wednesday added luxury goods to its ever-expanding list of online offerings through a $10 million deal with Ashford.com.

Holiday E-Shopping Shuffle
Online shopping portals add bells and whistles this holiday season.

New standards could help development of micropayments
A new standard for conducting nickel-and-dime e-commerce transactions is nearing completion, but it may arrive too late to resuscitate the concept.

Pass the Internet Remote
A new device promises to make Web surfing as easy as channel surfing. Will it catch on where others haven't?

  

E-SERVICES NEWS
ToC

  • Wells Fargo service to make online ordering easier
  • Canadian Firm Unveils Insurance For E-Shoppers
  • Juno Offers E-Mail Users Free Web Access
  • Shopping by Bar Code
  • DHL to unveil system to calculate tariff, duty fees
  • Startup Takes Outsourcing to New Levels
  • When Shopping Bots Go Bad
  • eWonders.com Launches E-Shopping Guide
  • Barnesandnoble delivers -- by bicycle?

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Wells Fargo service to make online ordering easier
Wells Fargo & Co. said on Monday it planned to offer a "digital wallet" that will let customers avoid filling out order forms at thousands of retailers when shopping online.

Canadian Firm Unveils Insurance For E-Shoppers
$ECURE-IT-e, a new service that promises to to secure credit card transactions made over the Internet, added a new wrinkle to the e-holiday shopping season by launching its Web site earlier this week.

Juno Offers E-Mail Users Free Web Access
Millions of users of Juno Online Services' free e-mail service now are being offered free Net access. What's the catch? Ads.

Shopping by Bar Code
BarPoint.com on Monday launched a Web site that allows consumers to compare the prices of goods and call up a host of information using a product's bar code.

DHL to unveil system to calculate tariff, duty fees
DHL Airways is offering a way for companies to log onto its Web site to learn what tariffs, taxes or duties a foreign government may charge before it ships goods internationally.

Startup Takes Outsourcing to New Levels
Escalate, an 11-month-old "white box" e-commerce firm led by startup artist Keng Lee, unveils list of customers.

When Shopping Bots Go Bad
Our test finds major comparison shopping engines get it wrong.

eWonders.com Launches E-Shopping Guide
Does the online world need yet another guide to online shopping? eWonders.com Inc. thinks so, and has launched as a comprehensive e-shopping guide "to assist online shoppers who are frustrated and confused by the number of merchants and amount of product information on the Internet."

Barnesandnoble delivers -- by bicycle?
Attempting to get a leg up on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble is experimenting with same-day delivery of book orders.

 E-MARKETING NEWS
ToC

  • Coupon Clickers Storm the Web
  • Pricing Errors on the Web Can Be Costly
  • E-Business Gets Personal
  • Online shoppers trust offline brands
  • The best and worst times to ask e-shoppers for info
  • Report: Brand Not Driving Drive Young Online Consumers
  • E-tailers scramble to win teen buyers
  • E-tailers learn a lesson -- the hard way
  • SurferGurlz Rule Christmas E-Commerce
  • Online Gift Certificates

 ----

Coupon Clickers Storm the Web
About 30% of Netizens are using online coupons, up from 23% six months ago, according to NPD Online Research.

Pricing Errors on the Web Can Be Costly
When traditional retailers put the wrong price on an item, they might have to apologize to a customer. On the Internet, they have to either lose face or part with a lot of money.

E-Business Gets Personal
There is another buzzword rattling throughout the e-commerce industry: "Personalization." More than ever, companies are responding to research data showing that customers want e-commerce tools with a personal touch.

Online shoppers trust offline brands
Online shoppers are heading to stores they know and trust -- and with so many first-time shoppers online, those stores are the same ones they shop at offline.

The best and worst times to ask e-shoppers for info
A new survey of 500 online adults by New York-based marketing company Cyber Dialogue suggests that cybershoppers don't mind getting asked personal questions -- but timing is key.

Report: Brand Not Driving Young Online Consumers
The new Technographics Report from Forrester Research says that young consumers' preferences for leading brands don't correlate with traffic to these companies' Web sites.

E-tailers scramble to win teen buyers
Online merchants want to discover the secrets of youth--at least those secrets that will help them sell more goods to teen-agers.

E-tailers learn a lesson -- the hard way
Shoppers discover loopholes allowing them to electronically pass discounts along to friends, family. Oops!

SurferGurlz Rule Christmas E-Commerce
Just as in brick-and-mortar shopping, women are quickly becoming a major force in e-commerce.

Online Gift Certificates
At least a half-dozen Web-based ventures have rolled out in time for the holiday shopping season whose sole purpose is to sell gift certificates. Internet retailers are hastening to offer their own certificates.

  

SUPPLY CHAIN NEWS
ToC

  • 'Twas The Nightmare Before E-Christmas
  • Company Vows Next Day Delivery - Really
  • Toys "R" Us falling short on Christmas deliveries
  • Holiday E-Commerce: More Shoppers, More Spending, More Problems
  • Costco goes shopping online
  • E-tailers Reaping Benefits Of Instant Credit
  • Reach Out And Touch Someone
  • Fingerhut calls on all employees to help ship orders
  • Online Procurement: Killer App for Small Businesses
  • Many Happy Returns?
  • Free shipping draws online shoppers
  • Ashford delivering for free during holiday squeeze

 

---- 

'Twas the Nightmare Before E-Christmas
The snafus at popular e-commerce sites are starting to pile up. And, as predicted by channel executives and other observers, many of them experienced during the online shopping season center around logistics.

Company Vows Next Day Delivery -- Really
DeliveryNextDay.com is an Internet business-to-business express fulfillment system that lets companies sell products online 24 hours a day.

Toys "R" Us falling short on Christmas deliveries
Toys "R" Us, the biggest U.S. toy chain, is telling some Internet customers that it can't deliver their purchases in time for Christmas even though they ordered before the retailer's Dec. 10 deadline.

Holiday E-Commerce: More Shoppers, More Spending, More Problems
E-tailing executives say Santa is bringing loads of orders this year, according to IDC, but a number of surveys suggest he should add better return policies and site performance to his sleigh.

Costco goes shopping online
Costco Wholesale , the No. 1 U.S. warehouse-club store chain, knows when a deal is too good to pass up and that's why its buying merchandise from Internet retailers.

E-tailers Reaping Benefits Of Instant Credit
A growing number of online businesses are now doubling as finance companies for their customers, and are realizing some surprising profits.

Reach Out And Touch Someone
We've all heard the virtues of running a pure-play Internet business: e.g., low overhead, inexpensive real estate, improved inventory management, and the potential for "zero-gravity" commerce. But unless your entire product or service line can be shipped as bits, you had better think long and hard about your offline strategy.

Fingerhut calls on all employees to help ship orders
Online orders at direct marketer Fingerhut are so brisk this holiday season that the company has enlisted the help of its employees--including its chief executive--to ship orders, a spokesman today.

Online Procurement: Killer App for Small Businesses
Targeting small businesses to sell them everything from copier paper to 401k plans online are a number of young companies flush with venture capital.

Many Happy Returns?
When it comes to online shopping this holiday season, it's not really the thought that counts. It's the fine print in the company's return policy

Free shipping draws online shoppers
Online merchants are willing to make sacrifices this holiday season and are betting that waiving shipping costs will win over shoppers.

Ashford delivering for free during holiday squeeze
While some Internet companies are already hinting they won't be able to ship goods in time for Christmas, Ashford.com is promising to deliver on every order it receives up until Dec. 23.

  

CONTENT, PORTALS & COMMUNITY NEWS
ToC

  • Victims of Their Own Success
  • Ziff-Davis sells Publishing Arm
  • Net merchants close in on local advertising
  • Flycast Introduces Lower-Cost Ad Network
  • Netscape Directory Making a Splash

 

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Victims of Their Own Success
Some AOL community leaders are learning that an area's popularity can lead to commercial opportunity -- but not for them.

Ziff-Davis sells Publishing Arm
Ziff-Davis, trying to reduce its debt and streamline its assets, today sold its publishing unit, including notable magazines such as PC Magazine, PC Week and PC Computing, to Willis Stein & Partners for an estimated $780 million in cash.

Net merchants close in on local advertising
Online merchants increasingly will forsake national advertising for targeted local campaigns, according to a new study

Flycast Introduces Lower-Cost Ad Network 
Flycast, an online advertising and marketing company based in San Francisco, today introduced an online advertising network that it said should help media sites that haven't typically earned revenue from advertising.

Netscape Directory Making a Splash 
Netscape's volunteer-based Open Directory Project, once ignored by bigger players as a do-it-yourself Web directory, is drawing attention and criticism as it has become the Web's fastest-growing site list.

 

GOVERNANCE & GOING GLOBAL NEWS
ToC

  • Is 2000 The Year of International E-Commerce?

  • Europe Closing E-Commerce Gap With U.S.

  • Net Retailers Face A Taxing Question

  • Making E-Contracts Count

  • E-Commerce Now A Top Presidential Campaign Issue

  • Survey: UK Online Retailers Disappoint Customers

  • International Group Plans Rules for Consumers Online

  • Online Pizza in the U.K.

  • International body adopts e-commerce protections

  • 'Locusts' Infesting E-Commerce

  • E-Commerce Tax Plan Summaries

  • Europe Offers Special Challenges for Net Retailers

  • WTO agreed on short-term Net tax ban, U.S. official says

----

Is 2000 The Year of International E-Commerce?
When the World Trade Organization WTOgave e-commerce it's blessing by extending the moratorium on Internet taxes, it may have signaled the next big step in online consumer spending.

Europe Closing E-Commerce Gap With U.S. 
According to a report released today by Forrester Research, Europe's Internet commerce will grow by more than 100 percent per year for the next five years and will reach annual online trade of 1.6 trillion Euros by 2004.

Net Retailers Face A Taxing Question
Are online stores obligated to charge sales tax on purchases? It depends on who you ask.

Making E-Contracts Count
In the first legislation of its kind in Canada, and probably North America, a legal framework for e-commerce is proposed that would give online transactions and contracts the same legal protections as those on paper.

E-Commerce Now A Top Presidential Campaign Issue
As the five front-running candidates for the U.S. presidency shift their campaigns into high gear, electronic commerce is joining education and campaign finance reform among the more popular topics of debate.

Survey: UK Online Retailers Disappoint Customers
Online Christmas shoppers may be shocked to find that some of the biggest Internet retailers are failing their customers in the festive period, according to research from marketing consultants Dial Internet on Wednesday.

International Group Plans Rules for Consumers Online
An international council on Thursday is expected to adopt a set of guidelines that tries to put in place the first global framework of consumer protections for the Internet.

Online Pizza in the U.K. 
Domino's Pizza U.K., an independent franchise of the No. 2 American pizza chain, is set to launch a British online delivery service next week, for the "significant number of PC users who are also pizza eaters."

International body adopts e-commerce protections
In the midst of the holiday shopping season, a forum of 29 nations today adopted guidelines they hope will provide broader protections for online consumers, from settling complaints over faulty products to curbing e-commerce fraud.

'Locusts' Infesting E-Commerce
International online law enforcers warned Tuesday they were seriously behind in tackling Internet crime, and said cybercrime might prove a major threat to countries as well as businesses.

E-Commerce Tax Plan Summaries
About thirty plans for changing the country's systems of state and local tax have been submitted to the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce. This document contains brief summaries of most of the plans.

Europe Offers Special Challenges for Net Retailers
Across Europe, retailers are hoping that this will be a breakthrough period for electronic commerce. But merchants in Europe have already found that varied laws, languages and customs are posing challenges that their American counterparts have largely not had to face.

WTO agreed on short-term Net tax ban, U.S. official says
World Trade Organization ministers are in agreement that the current tax moratorium on sales over the Internet should be extended for as long as two years, U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley said.

 

MOVERS & SHAKERS NEWS
ToC

  • Man of the Year: Jeff Bezos

  • Clinton the E-Commerce Newbie

  • Hall Of Fame Sports Heroes Join E-Commerce Game

  • FreeDotNet Founders Resign On Fraud Charges

  • Microsoft CFO Quits

  • Will BizRate's Davis Play in Traffic?

  • Stamps.com Founders Find the Outbox

  • The New Face of AT&T

  • Meeker Inherits the Rumors

  • Getting the Inside Dope

  • Restarting at NetZero

  • Value America's Palace Coup

  • The Prophet of the Silicon Prairie

  • Koenig Joins Epinions.com Board

 

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Man of the Year: Jeff Bezos
Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, the young entrepreneur whose vision of a giant Internet bookstore helped pioneer the global online shopping revolution, was named on Sunday as Time magazine's Man of the Year.

Clinton the E-Commerce Newbie
The leader of the free world makes his first online purchases: books and bracelets for Christmas gifts. On-time delivery to the White House probably won't be a problem.

Hall Of Fame Sports Heroes Join E-Commerce Game
Former NFL, NBA and NHL greats John Elway, Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky have announced that they will attempt to muscle into the competitive online sporting goods market by launching MVP.com next month.

FreeDotNet Founders Resign On Fraud Charges
FreeDotNet, a British Internet service provider, lost three of its founding members Friday after being charged with conspiracy to defraud investors.

Microsoft CFO Quits
Greg Maffei is leaving the software giant to become CEO of a fiber-optic network firm. He will be replaced by John Connors, VP of Microsoft's worldwide enterprise group.  

Will BizRate's Davis Play in Traffic? 
Just as some online merchants have developed a newfound fondness for shop bots, Chuck Davis, president of Disney's Go Network, has found affection in his heart for the automated crawlers - especially when he learned he could run one.

Stamps.com Founders Find the Outbox
After seeing their idea for Internet postage become a federally-approved, $2.5 billion business in just over three years, the founders of Stamps.com are leaving for greener pastures.

The New Face of AT&T
Much of the top management talent at AT&T is leaving the company when the wireless group is spun off in an IPO.

Meeker Inherits the Rumors 

Rumors of famed Internet investor's Mary Meeker's move to the Left Coast are just that -- rumors. Morgan Stanley said it's not losing one of its best-known analysts, despite press reports.

Getting the Inside Dope

Magazine veterans Kurt Andersen and Michael Hirschorn have teamed up to form a news site. They've got cash, ambition -- and plenty of buzz.

Restarting at NetZero

With a new captain at the helm and plenty of IPO cash, the company hopes to become the America Online of free ISPs.

Value America's Palace Coup

First the CEO quit. Then the board deposed its chairman. Now the general merchandise e-retailer thinks it can turn a profit.

The Prophet of the Silicon Prairie

Flip Filipowski is determined to lead -- or drag -- his hometown of Chicago into the tech future.

Koenig Joins Epinions.com Board
Bradford C. Koenig, the influential co-head of Goldman's global high technology group, is taking a director's chair at startup Epinions.com.

PARTNERS & DEALS NEWS
ToC

  • Way Cleared for E-Trade-Telebanc Merger
  • Retailers, Web companies pick partners
  • AOL to Buy MapQuest.com for $1.1 Billion
  • After the USWeb Merger
  • Oxygen Media Flashes the Cash
  • Retailers, Net Firms Do The 'Click-And-Mortar' Two-Step
  • Attention, Shoppers: Kmart Turns On Blue Light
  • CMGI Buys Yesmail.com
  • Driveway to Link With Microsoft Office
  • Death of the Free?
  • Ashford and Amazon Strike $10 Million Deal
  • DoubleClick Opts to Buy Opt-In Email.com

 

----

Way Cleared for E-Trade-Telebanc Merger

The U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision describes E-Trade's application to acquire Telebanc as "complete."

Retailers, Web companies pick partners
Wal-Mart is linking with America Online and Best Buy is teaming up with Microsoft, the latest in a spate of alliances between giant Internet companies and retail chains that are looking for new ways expand their reach on and off the Web.

AOL to Buy MapQuest.com for $1.1 Billion 
AOL will combine MapQuest's navigation capabilities with its Digital City content network and MovieFone movie ticketing service.  

After the USWeb Merger 

This week's $5.9 billion acquisition of USWeb/CKS by Whittman-Hart creates a homegrown behemoth in the Internet business-consulting sector. So why doesn't Wall Street like it?

Oxygen Media Flashes the Cash

Billionaire French luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault snapped up a $122 million minority stake in women-oriented Oxygen Media.

Retailers, Net Firms Do The 'Click-And-Mortar' Two-Step 

Three Internet superpowers went looking for new customers among the aisles of brick-and-mortar giants. By week's end, they joined forces with some of the mightiest offline retailers in a string of alliances that could reshape the Internet economy.

Attention, Shoppers: Kmart Turns On Blue Light
Kmart stormed the Web world today with a wide-ranging partnership with Internet heavyweights Softbank, Yahoo and others that will give the retailer's millions of customers free Internet access and the opportunity to buy its products online.

CMGI Buys Yesmail.com 

CMGI agreed to acquire direct e-mail marketing firm Yesmail.com today for about $520 million in stock. And it wants to acquire your e-mail address, too.

Driveway to Link With Microsoft Office
Driveway, one of more than a dozen services offering Web-based file storage, is expected to announce today that its service will be integrated into Microsoft's Office 2000 and Internet Explorer, a move that could give it a strong leg up over its rivals.

Death of the Free? 

When Free PC was acquired by Emachines this week, many were quick to sound the death knell of one of the splashier business models to come along on the Web - giving stuff away for free.

Ashford and Amazon Strike $10 Million Deal

In a move that helps secure Ashford.com's position in the cutthroat market for luxury goods sold online, the company sold a 16 percent stake to Amazon.com in return for $10 million and marketing commitments, the companies said today.

DoubleClick Opts to Buy Opt-In Email.com
Online ad giant DoubleClick today acquired Opt-In Email.com, a Colorado firm that makes Internet e-mail marketing, publishing and list management tools for about $16 million.

 

 

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