ecommerce20
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Commerce technology is a massive opportunity (and retail is not dead)
There has been recent discussion about whether retail is dead. We couldn’t disagree more. We predict that over the next five years consumers will experience completely new retail models that effectively use physical locations combined with world class Internet and mobile sites to offer truly unique and delightful shopping experiences for their guests. These retailers will thrive. These companies will... -
CEO Supper Club: With mobile commerce, milliseconds matter and Android is a ghost town
Mobile commerce is one of the most powerful drivers of ecommerce 2.0, but only when it’s done right. But how do you do it right? Our CEOs from Warby Parker, Birchbox, Jack Threads, and One Kings Lane started out the conversation by debating whether everyone really needs a native app or not. The table was pretty much divided. Doug Mack... -
Ecommerce: Who’s got the bigger piece of the pie?
In the startup and VC world, the hope-vs-hype debate on ecommerce 2.0 has been focused primarily on pure-play ecommerce companies such as Fab, Zulily, Birchbox, Shoedazzle, Beachmint, just to name a few. If you look at mixed performance of these companies, it is difficult to determine which will ultimately succeed. However, it is indisputable that the e-commerce sales of traditional... -
CEO Supper Club: Ecommerce 1.0 ended with Zappos, ecommerce 2.0 began with Gilt
Anytime you are in New York talking about ecommerce 2.0 part of the conversation has to center on Gilt. As flash sales have lost their luster, Gilt has as well. But as Erin Griffith has detailed, the company has left an indelible mark on the New York tech scene, and as our dinner guests discuss below, it’s left an... -
CEO Supper Club: “I want to trade as an Internet company not a retailer”
I’m skipping ahead a bit in the chronology of our dinner with the CEOs of Birchbox, Warby Parker, Thrillist, and One Kings Lane, because I wanted to post the conversation we had around “buying revenue.” Yesterday, we wrote about how some ecommerce companies are being very top line aggressive — and the cost to their business. It cost Ecomom’s... -
CEO Supper Club: Commerce can add content, but can it go the other way?
Our dinner with New York-based ecommerce CEOs was a great time to ask whether content companies have better leverage to get into content or content companies have better leverage to add on commerce. It’s a topic plenty of sectors of the New York ecosystem are debating as magazines seek to be more relevant and ecommerce companies start to look more... -
Why shoes have dominated this generation of ecommerce
Ecommerce, in all of its various permutations, works when it offers something not otherwise available through brick and mortar retail. In some cases it’s selection. In others it’s convenience or value. In the rarest of all cases, it’s a combination of all three. One category where this is very much the case is in footwear. When compared to other items... -
Ecomom’s aggressive discounting culture should be a cautionary tale for all of ecommerce
I’m hoping this will be my last post about the sad demise of Ecomom. In case you are new to the story, Ecomom was a once promising ecommerce startup that told investors it was going to start liquidation last week following the tragic suicide of its founder and CEO Jody Sherman. This came just weeks after jobs were slashed, promising... -
CEO Supper Club: What makes ecommerce so hard?
Welcome to part two of our dinner with the CEOs of One King’s Lane, Birchbox, Warby Parker, and Thrillist/Jack Threads. This month, we are dissecting the ups and downs of the ecommerce 2.0 movement: Are the valuations too high? Are the fads sustainable? Are any of these companies $1 billion exit material? We asked our dinner guests about all... -
Is Grand St. the distribution engine the hardware movement has been looking for?
Everyone is still trying to figure out the future of retail. If you’re a tech hardware company, life is even harder – because you’re also trying to wrap your head around retail’s present. Unlike software, hardware needs a physical distributor, and there’s only so much room (or economic opportunity) at Best Buy, or even the Apple store. And direct sales... -
CEO Supper Club: Does technology even matter in ecommerce right now?
Earlier this week, I announced our month-long series on ecommerce by raising a bunch of questions. Our first stab at getting answers was to pull together founders and CEOs of four of the more interesting ecommerce companies and ask them. It’s the second installment of our CEO Supper Club series, and this time, we did it in New... -
Diamondere: How to update a legacy brand (Hint: technology helps)
The custom jewelry ecommerce site Diamondere boasts its speed. But, it’s about 6 p.m. on Valentine’s Day…so if you still don’t have a gift for your significant other, you’re probably out of luck. The company can’t help you there. They’re not that fast. On the front end, the site looks like your garden-variety jewelry site – almost less impressive, even;... -
Squarespace partners with Stripe to launch Squarespace Commerce
Squarespace is today announcing the launch of Squarespace Commerce, a suite of tools that will allow users to turn their Squarespace-built websites into online shops. CEO Anthony Casalena says that an e-commerce offering has been “one of the most requested things pretty much since the company was founded,” and that the launch of Squarespace 6, an updated version... -
Ecommerce 2.0: Hope or hype?
Ecommerce is a weird category that seems to be getting weirder. It was by far one of the first things to take off when people started adopting the Web. People were relatively comfortable buying things online, because it was similar to the pre-existing catalog business. And deep incentive payments, funded by venture capital, allowed companies to further incentivize bargain hunters... -
Flash sales are (still) the most scalable e-commerce business model
The past four years have offered us no shortage of twists on the straight e-commerce business model. No longer are stores tied to the tyranny of the shopping mall, so why not tack on some crackpot flavor-of-the-month twist and call it innovation? That’s what brought us waves of companies pedaling the next big thing in commerce, from group buying, daily... -
Braintree finally delivers on Venmo promises with Touch
The payment wars have been raging for the better part of a year with upstarts like Square, Stripe, and Braintree all nibbling away at PayPal’s entrenched but unpopular hegemony. Stripe and Braintree have been the two most similar in the battle– both try to up the PayPal ante by being more customer friendly. Stripe excels with developers for easy...
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Xbox One will do random authentication checks
In other words, the Xbox One will periodically “phone home” to Microsoft to verify that users own their games. That said, a user will not have to buy a new license for used games. [Source: Polygon]
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Google, Verizon, and Acer help tornado victims
Google has teamed up with Verizon and Acer to offer Chromebook stations with free Internet to tornado victims in Moore, Oklahoma. [Source: Google]
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Is Gmail getting a redesign?
Leaked screenshots of a possible Gmail redesign reveal five tabs at the top of inboxes to allow for better organization. Like Google+ Circles for your emails kind of? Google has not commented on the authenticity of the images. [Source: The Next Web]
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Four simple strategies for monetizing your video
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Forget Aereo: Broadcasters sue Aereokiller
Aereo wants to kill broadcasters, Aereokiller wants to kill Aereo. But in this case, the enemy of my enemy is not my friend, as Fox, NBC, ABC and Allbritton Communications sue Aereokiller for providing broadcast television over the Internet. [Source: Variety]
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John Doerr: “Venture capital has changed and I need to adapt”
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Tumblr's David Karp in his own words
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Is the Internet of Things the future of narcissism?
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Google reportedly working to bring wireless networks to the developing world
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is deep into an effort to build, fund and help run wireless networks in emerging markets like sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The plan is to connect more than a billion new people to the Internet. [Source: Wall Street Journal]
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Twitter account of UK’s largest TV broadcaster hacked by Syrian Electronic Army
ITV is the latest victim of the Syrian Electronic Army’s attacks. The AP, Financial Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Onion were all attacked previously. This comes days after Twitter unveiled two-step authentication to prevent such a thing. [Source: Reuters]
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Lessons from Segway: Why John Doerr no longer makes $1 billion predictions
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Google and Microsoft collaborate on new YouTube app
Google will work together with Microsoft on a new YouTube app for Windows Phone, after Google had demanded Microsoft remove an unauthorized version from the platform. The collaboration will bring the Windows YouTube app up to pace with YouTube’s API terms of service. [Source: The Verge]
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Google planning to fund wireless networks in emerging markets
Google is reportedly funding, building, and helping run wireless networks in emerging markets. Markets include sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, and will be used to make internet available to those outside of major cities, as well as improve connection speeds in urban centers. [Source: The Wall Street Journal]
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LTE comes to AT&T’s prepaid service
Starting today AT&T GoPhones will be able to support LTE network. Before, only high-end contract customers were able to use AT&T’s high-speed LTE service. [Source: GigaOm]
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Google Glass user calls it too “creepy”
Reports are now beginning to come in about user experience with Google Glass. One user found that the wearable device was too creepy and made those around him feel uncomfortable. [Source: BGR]
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“As an entrepreneur, you have to rely on luck. Honestly, being an entrepreneur, in my opinion, is 95 percent luck; four percent knowing when to recognize it; and one percent hard work. I mean, that’s the equation.”
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Better Place to file for bankruptcy
Electric car company Better Place is reportedly planning to file for bankruptcy in the next few days. According to Fortune, over the last seven months the company has seen two CEOs come and go. [Source: Fortune]
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Facebook Phone will not be sold in UK
UK network EE has confirmed that the HTC First — also known as the Facebook Phone — will not be available in the United Kingdom. According to Forbes this is so that Facebook can increase the customization experience of its Home screen before it gets released across the pond. [Source: Forbes]
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iPad software tech maker Erply raises $2.15M Series B
Erply, a startup that makes iPad-oriented and cloud-based software for retailers, has raised $2.15 million Series B. Funding was led by Redpoint Ventures. [Source: TechCrunch]
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PayDragon sees spike in mobile grocery ordering
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Yahoo places bid on Hulu
Yahoo has entered into the bidding storm for video streaming site Hulu. According to AllThingsD, other possible contenders placing bids for the company include DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, and Guggenheim Digital. [Source: AllThingsD]
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Samsung’s Galaxy S4 camera outperforms the competition
According to a French firm that specializes in camera optics, the camera inside Samsung’s Galaxy S4 smartphone outperforms the iPhone 5 and Nokia’s Lumia 920. The iPhone 5, however, is better than Samsung for video. [Source: BGR]
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Amazon launches App Engagement Reports
Amazon today launched a service aimed toward developers called App Engagement Reports. The reports are aimed to help developers track app performance and revenue. [Source: TechCrunch]
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SuccessFactors CEO leaving post in company shake-up
In 2011, cloud-based human resources software company SuccessFactors was acquired by German software giant SAP. Today it’s been announced that SuccessFactor’s CEO Lars Dalgaard is leaving his post to become an investor. [Source: AllThingsD]
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Kickstarter and the view from the trenches of TechShop
