E-commerce

Amazon nabs exclusive rights to stream 'Justified'

Amazon has scored a deal to distribute a couple of FX shows online, dealing another blow to rivals Netflix and Hulu.

The online retail giant today said it has reached a content licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Television to make Amazon Prime the exclusive location to watch FX's "Justified." It also said it would now offer episodes of "The Shield," but that show is not exclusive to Netflix.

Prime subscribers can watch the shows for free, while other Amazon visitors can purchase and download episodes for $1.99 apiece.

"'Justified' and 'The Shield' are … Read more

Amazon tops Netflix in customer satisfaction survey

U.S. consumers who shop online continue to enjoy the experience more than going to brick-and-mortar stores, according to customer satisfaction rankings released today, and Amazon continues to lead the industry.

A report produced by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and analytics firm ForeSee gave the general e-commerce industry a ranking of 82 out of 100 in 2012 -- a 1.2 percent increase from the year before. Brick-and-mortar stores, however, ranked 76.6.

Not surprisingly, the companies that have seen the most growth are small online retailers and brick-and-mortar retailers that also have a Web presence. This category … Read more

Oscars winners, losers jump in Amazon sales rankings

The old adage goes that it doesn't matter who wins or loses but that it's an honor just to be nominated.

Some of last night's Oscar losers may disagree, but it does prove true when it comes to movie and song rankings on Amazon.

The online retail giant says today that winners and losers from the Academy Awards all saw bumps in their sales on Amazon.com.

Seth MacFarlane, the host of the awards show, saw volume 10 of his "Family Guy" TV show rise more than 3,000 percent in the ranks to No. … Read more

Barnes & Noble to consider takeover bid from founder

Barnes & Noble may have found a savior in its founder.

The company, which has struggled in the changing bookselling market, disclosed that Leonard Riggio plans to offer to buy the retail side of Barnes & Noble's operations. Riggio has not yet made a formal bid but said in a regulatory filing that he plans to negotiate a price with the board for Barnes & Noble's 689 stores and Web site. The bulk of the purchase would be made with cash, Riggio said. He is the company's largest shareholder with a 30 percent stake.

The deal would … Read more

Vudu's in-home Disc to Digital service: Promising yet lacking

It sounds ideal. Take all those DVDs and Blu-rays you own and, from the comfort of your own home, effortlessly gain digital copies for a low price. That's the promise of Vudu's new "In-Home Disc to Digital" service. Vudu delivers on that promise in some cases but disappoints in other ways.

Last year, Walmart-owned Vudu launched its Disc to Digital service that required people to go into Walmart stores for the conversion. Who wants to do that? This is where the "In-Home" version of Disc to Digital comes … Read more

PayPal readies launch of mobile payments system in Europe

PayPal unveiled new hardware today that will allow it to take its in-person mobile payment system to Europe, expanding the lead it has in the international market on rival Square.

PayPal Here, which launched last March in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong, will debut in the U.K. this summer for its first foray into the European market. The eBay-owned payments processor plans to eventually offer the service to other countries on the continent.

About the size of a smartphone, the payments processor's new gadget will accept credit and debit cards under the Chip and PIN … Read more

Yearly online travel spending tops $100B for first time

U.S. consumers spent more than $100 billion on online travel bookings last year, making 2012 the first year ever that the $100 billion figure was surpassed, according to a report from ComScore.

The company, which tracks Web site visitors and other information, said U.S. travel e-commerce sales reached $103 billion in 2012, up 9 percent from the previous year. Air travel bookings, up 10 percent from the previous year, accounted for nearly two-thirds of all travel spending.

The data is the latest signal of just how many consumer tasks are moving online. ComScore noted that travel was a … Read more

LivingSocial raises $110M in funding from current investors

LivingSocial has raised $110 million in funding from its current investors, Chief Executive Tim O'Shaughnessy wrote today in a memo to employees, giving the daily deals site a much-needed cash infusion.

"This investment is a tremendous vote of confidence in our business from the people who know us best, our current board members and investors," he said in a memo viewed by CNET. "They have reviewed our plans for 2013, and they are enthusiastic enough to want to commit additional financial resources through this round."

The financing followed a "competitive process" in which … Read more

Feed me: eBay rolls out new homepage to all users

eBay just got a lot more personal for all of its users.

The e-commerce and payments giant today officially rolled out its Web site redesign, the biggest change in its history. eBay first introduced the new features, which it says creates a more personalized experience, in October. Since that time, eBay has allowed site visitors to opt in for the new design. Starting today, users no longer have the option to use the older design, but eBay says the new site is "more intuitive."

One feature, dubbed Feed, curates a user's favorite items on a personalized page … Read more