commerce

Protesters take to skies asking Google to quit U.S. Chamber

The skies over Mountain View will bear a message of protest today aimed at Google: quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

SumOfUs.org, a nonprofit that has been campaigning for corporations to end their financial support of the Chamber, said it would fly a plane over the Googleplex Monday at noon with a trailing banner that reads "Google: Quit the Chamber."

The group opposes the Chamber for reasons including its opposition to climate change legislation and its support for anonymous corporate spending on elections. It has mounted similar campaigns designed to get Microsoft, IBM and Pepsi to … Read more

U.S. consumer online deal market to reach $3.6B in 2012

Spending on deals found online -- including the daily deals, instant deals and "flash sales" offered by Groupon and the like -- will reach $3.6 billion by the end of 2012, according to new research.

The figure means the online deal market will grow 86.9 percent compared to 2011, market research and advisory company BIA/Kelsey found.

Deal spending is expected to grow by a further 23 percent in 2013, with between 1 percent and 9 percent growth in the following few years. As a result, deal-hungry U.S. consumers could boost the market to $5.… Read more

Size up your body using a Webcam

Next time you shop online, you may be able to get the perfect fit -- without even having to try any clothes on.

A German startup called UPcload has developed a program that uses a Webcam to get accurate measurements of the body.

All you have to do is stand in front of your Webcam in four poses while the program scans you from head to toe, using a regular compact disc for calibration. The site claims its measurements are as accurate as those taken by a professional tailor. … Read more

Thrillist Media Group raises a whopping $13M

In what started out as a small newsletter to 600 friends has grown into a company worthy of $13 million in Series A funding.

Thrillist Media Group, a man-about-town newsletter and e-commerce company, announced today that it has raised this wad of cash with funding led by Oak Investment Partners that has been joined by Lerer Ventures and Pilot Group. What's more, Fred Harman from Oak will be joining Thrillist's board of directors.

Thrillist was co-founded by Ben Lerer who comes from a family that knows about media. He's the son of Ken Lerer, who co-founded the … Read more

Apple reportedly in talks to buy small social commerce site

Apple is in talks to acquire social commerce site The Fancy to further entrench its position in the growing e-commerce arena, sources tell Business Insider.

Backed by co-founders of Facebook and Twitter, the site is a Pinterest rival that allows users to make lists of things they find interesting. The goal of the acquisition, BI reports, is to better leverage the 400 million or so credit cards Apple has on file at its iTunes store.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, who usually shies away from larger social-networking sites, reportedly started using The Fancy after meeting with the company's co-founder and … Read more

Alibaba close to $8 billion funding goal, report says

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is nearing the close of an investment round designed to reduce Yahoo's equity in its operation, according to a new report.

The company is closing in on its $8 billion investment goal, according to The New York Times, citing sources. The news outlet says the funds are being raised from a host of sources, including hedge funds, mutual funds, and private equity firms. The company will sell preferred and common shares in the transactions, and will borrow about $4 billion, the Times says.

Alibaba and Yahoo entered into an agreement in May that prompted … Read more

eBay's next target: The under-18 crowd

eBay has historically been a place for adults to buy and sell goods. But in the coming months, kids might make their way to the service.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in an interview published today, eBay's president of global marketplaces, Devin Wenig, said his company is currently working on plans to allow kids under 18 years old to establish accounts and start participating in auctions.

Aware of the obvious privacy and parental implications, Wenig told the Journal that the accounts would be opened only with parental authorization. Wenig said eBay would not allow "a 15-year-old unfettered … Read more

Mac users pay more than PC users, says Orbitz

Apple customers are known to pay a premium for their Macs, strong design, and integrated software. Apparently, Mac users will also shell out more for hotel rooms too.

According to the Wall Street Journal, travel site Orbitz has been able to segment its audience in Apple and Windows camps. The upshot: Mac users will pay $20 to $30 a night more on hotels than PC users.

The Journal noted:

The sort of targeting undertaken by Orbitz is likely to become more commonplace as online retailers scramble to identify new ways in which people's browsing data can be used to … Read more

Don't be the next victim of Internet scammers

Tough economic times are a boon to the crooks who prowl the Internet looking for their next victims. They know how eager (desperate?) so many of us have become in our quest to remain solvent.

It seems not a day passes without the appearance of some new Internet scam. Unfortunately, many of the ruses people fall victim to are older than the Internet itself.

Wiring money and Internet purchases don't mix Take, for example, the bogus cashier's check. In last week's Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, Cathy Bussewitz wrote about Bart Edson's disastrous attempt to sell an antique … Read more