Author: Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.

Music Marketplace Discogs Goes Mobile

January 16, 2018 Ina Steiner

A popular niche marketplace for music lovers announced it has gone mobile. Discogs announced it is adding commerce capabilities to its Android app this week. The company explained it had first released the official Discogs app as a tool for Read more

Why It’s Critical to Get Search and Shipping Right

January 16, 2018 Ina Steiner

Most people have an item in mind when they shop online, according to a study released by the National Retail Federation today its annual conference in New York, NRF 2018: Retail’s Big Show. That means it’s critical for sellers and Read more

FedEx Consolidates Specialty Logistics and Ecommerce Solutions

January 16, 2018January 16, 2018 Ina Steiner

Fedex is consolidating its specialty logistics and ecommerce solutions to simplify access for customers. The realignment under FedEx Trade Networks, led by the founder’s son, allows FedEx to offer its customized services in more convenient ways. A new company within Read more

UK Holiday Retail Sales Underwhelm

January 15, 2018 Ina Steiner

UK retail sales increased by only 1.4% in December year-over-year, or 0.6% on a same-store sales basis, according to retail trade group BRC (British Retail Consortium). Those numbers are anemic compared to US growth rates (5.5% growth in November and Read more

eBay Runs Sweepstakes to Encourage Recommended Shipping Practices

January 15, 2018 Ina Steiner

eBay is running a splashy sweepstakes to encourage sellers to use its recommended shipping practices, such as offering free and fast shipping. The ShipShipHooray sweepstakes offers four weekly prices as well as a grand prize that includes a trip to Read more

eBay Brain Sends Signals Telling Shoppers Why to Buy

January 14, 2018 Ina Steiner

eBay said it has added “Why to Buy” signals to its mobile app to tell shoppers the reasons they should buy items they are look at – the feature has been running on the desktop version of the site since Read more

Strong Holiday Sales with Online Shoppers Buying More Everyday Items

January 14, 2018January 14, 2018 Ina Steiner

First Data said the recent holiday shopping season was the strongest in four years. Ecommerce represented 29% of total transactions, up from 26% in 2016, it reported. First Data also observed a dip in the average ecommerce ticket size along Read more

From the Editor – January 14, 2018

January 13, 2018January 13, 2018 Ina Steiner

Congratulations to the ten Sellers Choice 2018 finalists, including one marketplace that appears on the list for the first time, and thanks to everyone who took the time to participate in the nominations process. This is the 9th annual Sellers Read more

Ecommerce Trends to Watch in 2018

January 13, 2018January 13, 2018 Ina Steiner

One of the most intriguing ecommerce trends to watch in the coming year is “voice shopping.” Amazon and Google are accelerating the adoption of home assistants/speakers that let users interact with them and order items they need to purchase by Read more

Amazon Turns to Video Format for Product Reviews

January 13, 2018January 13, 2018 Ina Steiner

Amazon may have a workaround as Product Reviews are increasingly being gamed by merchants looking to boost their exposure and harm their competitors. (See this post on the EcommerceBytes Blog to see how bad it’s getting.) The solution? Actively promote Read more