Amy Gesenhues says, “According to a recent report from the US Department of Commerce, e-commerce sales brought in $394.9 billion in 2016. The Commerce Department reports online sales grew 15.1 percent in 2016 and accounted for 8.1 percent of total retail sales for the year. Internet Retailer, which covered the Commerce Department’s report last week, noted that the Commerce Department’s retail sales data included items not normally bought online, such as fuel and automobiles. Excluding fuel and car sales, Internet Retailer’s calculations showed e-commerce growth slightly higher at 15.6... [...]

Greg Sterling says, “The $354 billion in 2016 e-commerce sales is small potatoes compared with offline retail spending: over $4.5 trillion according to US government figures. But what’s also larger than e-commerce is offline spending influenced by the internet — between $1 and $2+ trillion, depending on the estimate. According to a new Forrester research report, $1.26 trillion of local retail sales were affected in some way by digital media in 2016. The firm also projects that by 2021 mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. Forrester’s total retail figure is... [...]

Phil Barrett says, “After Wal-Mart acquired Jet.com last year, Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillion predicted that “Walmart.com will grow faster, the seamless shopping experience we’re pursuing will happen quicker, and we’ll enable the Jet brand to be even more successful in a shorter period of time.” Company executives brokered the partnership to create a standout digital experience, making it ever easier for consumers to shop online. The Wal-Mart app, its website and stores all were part of the strategy. Already, the move is putting pressure on ecommerce leader Amazon.com. As two of the... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “Wal-Mart’s acquisition of Moosejaw is the latest in a series of recent moves that illustrate the retail giant’s lack of a coherent e-commerce strategy, industry experts say. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s acquisition of outdoor gear retailer Moosejaw is puzzling to a number of retail industry experts. Consider the context: Wal-Mart is buying up relatively small—and in some cases unprofitable—retailers like Moosejaw, Shoebuy.com Inc. and Jet.com Inc., while Amazon.com Inc. is feverishly swallowing up the e-commerce market and posting growing profits. Amazon, No. 1 in... [...]

Don Davis says, “A new Internet Retailer report analyzes the value of privately held e-retailers and provides guidance on how to build the value of an e-commerce business. Every entrepreneur starting an online retail business at her kitchen table dreams of getting rich. It can be done, even if Amazon.com Inc.’s growing dominance of online retailing makes it tougher, and Internet Retailer has produced a new, 32-page report that shows how. The report, “Valuing America’s Top E-Retailers: A Guide for E-Retailers and Investors,” is based on an analysis of 553 privately held web-only and... [...]

Joshua Sophy says, “If your small business hasn’t been “hacked,” it can be difficult to quantify the potential impact of cyber crime. True the impact of a cyber crime committed against your small business can range from simply annoying to potentially crippling. But in the end, the question remains whether a way exists to measure that impact in dollars and cents? Cost of a Data Breach Well, new data from cyber security software provider Symantec (NASDAQ:SYMC) and eCommerce platform BigCommerce reveals the true cost of a hack on an eCommerce retailer. According to that data, the cost... [...]

Greg Sterling says, “Full year US e-commerce spending numbers are out from comScore. In the holiday quarter, consumers spent $109.3 billion online, which was the highest figure on record. Mobile spending contributed $22.7 billion of the total. Total e-commerce spending for the year was more than $354 billion. However, total retail spending was nearly $5 trillion in 2016, making e-commerce just under 8 percent. US government figures are somewhat higher for both overall online spending and e-commerce as a percentage of total retail. In Q3 2016 mobile consumer spending was 20 percent of total... [...]

Matt Lindner says, “E-commerce sales in the fourth quarter increased 18.2%, and comScore reports sales on mobile devices accounted for nearly 21% of online sales in that period. Online shoppers in the United States spent significantly more on their mobile devices during the 2016 holiday season and during the fourth quarter of 2016 as a whole, according to a just-released report from web measurement firm comScore Inc. Shoppers spent $22.7 billion via their mobile devices during the fourth quarter, up 45.5% from $15.6 billion in Q4 2015. That growth helped push total online sales (desktop and... [...]

Nikki Gilliland says, “At the end of 2015, Poundland embarked on an ecommerce trial in a bid to transfer the success of its bargain stores online. However, it’s just been reported that the retailer is to call time on the venture after failing to ignite much interest. So, why exactly did it fail? Here’s a bit of insight into the story. Failure to convert existing shoppers Having opened its first ever store over 25 years ago, Poundland is built on a tried and tested formula. The reason behind its success is that it knows exactly what its customers want and it unashamedly delivers it. Its... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “Pinterest today rolls out three products, including ’Shop the Look’, which lets a consumer tap a blue circle on a product pin to get recommendations for similar items she can buy on Pinterest or from a brand. Pinterest Inc. wants to bridge the gap from inspiring consumers’ future purchases to driving them to make a purchase by rethinking the way consumers search for products on the web. The social network today rolled out “Shop the Look,” a tool that enables Pinterest users to identify, shop and buy products within fashion and home pins, as well as two other visual... [...]