Does E-Commerce Have Anything to Offer Small Business? 12/7/99, Rob Spiegel, E-Commerce Times. While it has become the fastest-growing business group, its involvement in e-commerce has been spotty at best. How do small companies buy online? How do small companies sell online? Do small companies even go online? www.ecommercetimes.com/news/viewpoint/view-991207-2.shtml
The Early Numbers on E-Christmas '99 12/7/99, Maryann Jones Thompson, Industry Standard. Service Metrics reports only 15 percent of the 120 e-commerce sites measured during Thanksgiving week had download times exceeding 8 seconds – a figure often used as a benchmark for acceptable site performance. www.thestandard.net/metrics/display/0,2149,1086,00.html
Survey Shows How Web Merchants Fare 12/20/99, ASSOCIATED PRESS, Las Vegas Sun. Most online merchants are on target to meet or exceed their aggressive sales forecasts for the holiday season, but there are some e-retailers that haven't brought in the business they had hoped for this Christmas. www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/tech/1999/dec/20/122000912.html
Govt. to review e-commerce laws 12/6/99, Bloomberg. A White House-backed panel will begin reviewing all pre-Internet laws and regulations to determine if those rules might impede development of electronic commerce. www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ctg827.htm
E-Comm Consumers: What, Where They Buy 12/6/99, Industry Standard. The Industry Standard has partnered with Odyssey, one of the nation's premier consumer research firms, to bring you essential information on e-commerce trends. www.thestandard.com/research/store/odyssey
The Next E-Commerce Hurdle 11/15/99, Paul A. Greenberg, E-Commerce Times. Research from various sources indicates that once the online buying experience becomes too cumbersome and slow, would-be customers log off. And, since there are already enough obstacles presenting themselves to e-tailers, slow access is the last thing they need. www.ecommercetimes.com/news/articles/991115-1.shtml
When Does E-Marketing Cross The Line? 11/8/99, Mel Duvall, Inter@ctive Week. The marketing robots are coming. But as companies look to deploy increasingly sophisticated software to analyze and exploit customers' shopping behaviors, they run the risk of angering or alienating customers, industry experts said. www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,2389627,00.html
Canada's E-Commerce Edge 11/10/99, Matt Friedman, Wired. The Canadian government made a move to stake out the high ground in online consumer protection when it unveiled a set of guidelines for fair Internet business practices for Canadian businesses. www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,32447,00.html
From Clicks to Bricks 11/8/99, Tom Stein, Chronicle Staff Writer. There's a new twist in the evolution of e-commerce: A handful of online companies are starting to move offline. They are opening up physical stores and showrooms as a way to better connect with consumers, bolster credibility and ultimately drive more traffic back to their Web sites. www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/11/08/BU67049.DTL
Opposition growing to Internet sales tax 10/4/99, Anne E. Kornblut, Globe Staff. But the movement to collect taxes on the $20 billion Internet commerce industry is floundering on Capitol Hill, opposed by a growing coalition of officials who believe taxing the infant industry will smother it. www.boston.com/technology/latest/04/opposition.shtml
