online sales

Web Sales Tax Looms

Attention, online shoppers! This may be the last holiday season you can dodge sales taxes by buying presents on the Web. (Admit it, you do this.) State legislators, retailers and lawyers say 2009 may be the year Internet taxes finally come to pass.

The idea, which would levy sales tax on most goods bought online, has been tossed around for nearly a decade. A perfect storm of factors, including record state budget deficits, a new Congress and continued e-commerce growth, appear likely to rekindle the issue. Experts say that cash-strapped states view this revenue, estimated to be several billions of dollars, as money left on the table. Read more...

Rookie mistakes still impact shoppers at some retail sites, Forrester says

Just like in a store, if a shopper has a bad experience on a retail web site, there’s a good chance the retailer may never see that customer again—and that customer might relay his bad experience to family and friends.

The importance of a top-notch online experience cannot be stressed enough, and retailers that hone a good online shopping experience can use it to stand out from the crowd, says Bruce D. Temkin, vice president and principal analyst of customer experience at Forrester Research Inc. Read more...

Boost your e-commerce site's search ranking

Question: I've been learning about SEO and trying to work it into my company Web site, fretzels.com, which can definitely use an SEO makeover. My company, Fretzels by Jill, makes really unique hand-dipped gourmet chocolate-covered pretzels like you've never seen or tasted before.

I have Google Analytics set up and notice that most of the traffic comes from those who are searching for my site. What can I do to increase my Web site's visibility when people are searching for more general keywords related to my product? For example, I'd love for people searching for "corporate gifts" or "unique gifts" to be able to find my site. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. - Jill

Dear Jill: Your Web site designer did a fantastic job with the layout of your site: The colors, text and images are crisp and fun and convey a unified brand image. However, the designer missed out on some back-end stuff that can really enhance your search-engine rankings. We recruited three search-engine optimization (SEO) experts to reveal tips on how to get better rankings - and on how to get visitors to make purchases once they find your site. Read more...

Web now retail necessity

Rick Martis' Physical Addictions supplement store in Indialantic does a brisk walk-in retail business, but his customer base has grown well beyond the municipal borders.

"I would say my business is one-third walk-in, one-third by phone, and one-third Internet-driven," Martis said. "You have to have an Internet presence today, if not to sell your goods, to promote your business."

Like most retailers today, Martis believes online selling is a necessity and not an option. He and others are countering the sluggish economy and winning customers from around the world by putting their wares online as well as in stores. Read more...

Despite higher fuel costs, retailers cut shipping rates

Over the past few years, retailers have increasingly discovered a powerful way to entice shoppers to buy during the crucial Christmas season: slash shipping costs.

Much higher fuel costs this season raised fears that free or cut-rate shipping would go the way of $2.50-a-gallon gas. But as retailers grapple with the shaky U.S. economy, many have calculated that they can't afford to put off shoppers with hefty shipping costs, even if it means eating higher fuel costs.

Case in point: Harry & David. For the pricey pears and gift baskets in its holiday catalog out this week, the retailer has trimmed shipping charges by up to one-third from last year's rates. That's despite the fact that the fuel surcharges that retailers pay big shippers are now about twice the level of last year. Harry & David isn't taking any chances that shipping fees might scare off would-be buyers during the season when the gift company generates two-thirds of its business. Read more...

E-commerce sales rise 19% last year in U.S.

Online retail sales continued to far outpace overall retail sales in the U.S. last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports. Retail e-commerce sales grew 19% to $136.4 billion, up from $114.62 billion in 2006, as overall retail sales increased 4%, it says. Read more...