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/.

eBay Warns Australian Sellers It Will Tighten Validation

July 24, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay issued an “important update” for sellers in Australia regarding product identifiers upon which its structured data initiative is based. The marketplace will tighten product identifier validation, it said, warning sellers to ensure their listings contain all the correct product Read more

Using Data to Improve Shipping and Fulfillment

July 23, 2017 Ina Steiner

Dsco helps retailers work with suppliers to create efficiencies in fulfillment and standardizing the way they exchange inventory, order, and catalog data. It’s now partnering with shipping software company Shippo to help clients make better informed decisions about which carrier Read more

Top Back-to-School Shopping Day Prediction: August 5

July 23, 2017 Ina Steiner

RetailMeNot predicts August 5th will be the top shopping day for the back-to-school season, which actually spans between July 9 and September 9. Its survey also found most retailers and brands will offer more back-to-school deals in 2017 compared to Read more

Shyp Scales Back Fulfillment Service

July 23, 2017 Ina Steiner

Shyp is scaling back its pickup-and-packaging service and announced layoffs. CEO Kevin Gibbon explained in a blog post that Shyp is suspending operations in three of the four cities where it operates and will focus on achieving profitability in a Read more

PayPal Takes a Spot in Samsung Pay Mobile Wallet

July 23, 2017 Ina Steiner

A week after announcing it would be accepted as a payment method by Apple, PayPal announced it would soon be an accepted payment method in the Samsung Pay mobile wallet. PayPal’s Bill Ready explained the strategic partnership would enable customers Read more

eBay Grows Q2 2017 GMV 5 Percent

July 20, 2017July 23, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay grew its second-quarter Gross Merchandise Volume by 5%, excluding the impact from changes in foreign exchange rates, and grew revenue by 7%. In the second quarter, eBay added two million active buyers across its platforms, for a total of Read more

Walmart Expands Fulfillment Network for Online Orders

July 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

Walmart is opening a new fulfillment center in Florida dedicated to fulfilling online orders, enabling faster shipping directly to customers or to stores for free pickup. The 2.2 million square-foot warehouse will house millions of items and is part of Read more

PayPal Partners with Chase and Citi, Expanding In-Store Reach

July 20, 2017 Ina Steiner

Two years to the day PayPal went public after the breakup of eBay Inc., PayPal’s CEO Dan Schulman announced some new partnerships with Citi and JPMorgan Chase. Schulman said the partnership with Chase would drive more choice, flexibility and value Read more

Using Artificial Intelligence and Pinterest to Peg Shoppers’ Styles

July 19, 2017July 19, 2017 Ina Steiner

Williams-Sonoma’s West Elm home-furnishings chain is using Artificial Intelligence to help define shoppers’ styles. Unlike other shopping tools that rely on a user’s buying or browsing history, West Elm uses image-recognition technology and AI with the help of Pinterest. The Read more

eBay Messaging Crackdown: Part 2

July 18, 2017 Ina Steiner

eBay has been cracking down on buyer-seller communications through its messaging system, which, as we wrote in June, has the potential to hamper sales. Now it appears the other shoe has dropped. A reader wrote today to let us know about Read more