Online Retail Trend Reaches Pharmaceuticals

As with almost all other products that are bought and sold in the 21st century, pharmaceuticals are being ordered over the internet and shipped via mail more frequently. It’s a growing trend, but is it viable -- or even ethical -- enough to become the new way we get our medicine? In the United States, [...]

As with almost all other products that are bought and sold in the 21st century, pharmaceuticals are being ordered over the internet and shipped via mail more frequently. It’s a growing trend, but is it viable — or even ethical — enough to become the new way we get our medicine? In the United States, we hold 45 percent of the global pharmaceutical market, a share valued at almost $446 billion. We spent $425 billion on medicine in 2015, and another...
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What is Cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrency has become a hot topic over the course of the past few years, with some hailing it as the future of money. However, many of us don’t really understand what it is or how it works. Let’s break down where it came from, why it’s useful, and where the trends seem to be headed. [...]

Cryptocurrency has become a hot topic over the course of the past few years, with some hailing it as the future of money. However, many of us don’t really understand what it is or how it works. Let’s break down where it came from, why it’s useful, and where the trends seem to be headed. Digital money has been around longer than you might think, taking a variety of forms. In fact, even the money in your bank account is...
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Amazon Alternatives: A Look At The Competition

Amazon makes up a dominant portion of our online sales -- so much so that we often don’t even bother looking beyond it to try and find better deals or more convenient service. Many businesses find it easier to simply sell through Amazon Marketplace rather than trying to compete on their own. However, there are [...]

Amazon makes up a dominant portion of our online sales — so much so that we often don’t even bother looking beyond it to try and find better deals or more convenient service. Many businesses find it easier to simply sell through Amazon Marketplace rather than trying to compete on their own. However, there are still companies fighting for sunlight that offer either a superior alternative to Amazon, or simply an enhanced experience on the Amazon website itself. With Amazon delivering...
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Online Sales Grow to $1 Trillion in 2016

A recent report by Internet Retailer found that worldwide sales from online marketplaces surpassed $1 trillion in 2016. Huge corporations are battling it out for a piece of the pie, and consumers seem more than happy to continue the trend. What do eleven Bill Gates clones, the GDP of Mexico, and last year’s worldwide sales from [...]

A recent report by Internet Retailer found that worldwide sales from online marketplaces surpassed $1 trillion in 2016. Huge corporations are battling it out for a piece of the pie, and consumers seem more than happy to continue the trend. What do eleven Bill Gates clones, the GDP of Mexico, and last year’s worldwide sales from large online marketplaces have in common? They all have $1 trillion. That’s a massive, almost incomprehensible amount of money. To put it into further perspective,...
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The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Amazon Marketplace

While Amazon Marketplace seems like a good idea when taken at face value, there have been widespread gripes from private and commercial sellers using the program. With that in mind, let’s look at what Amazon is doing well, what third-party sellers are complaining about, and what can possibly be done to alleviate the problems that [...]

While Amazon Marketplace seems like a good idea when taken at face value, there have been widespread gripes from private and commercial sellers using the program. With that in mind, let’s look at what Amazon is doing well, what third-party sellers are complaining about, and what can possibly be done to alleviate the problems that exist. When many businesses sell their goods through Amazon, they do so playing by Amazon’s rules: businesses sell their goods, often in bulk at wholesale...
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Retail Doomsday: How Businesses Are Adapting (or Dyi...

As retail giants Amazon and Walmart duke it out for America’s top retail spot in an increasingly digital economy, the news is littered with companies that haven’t made the cut and have been forced to close. Let’s take a look at a few of these now-derelict companies and break down why they failed. By all [...]

As retail giants Amazon and Walmart duke it out for America’s top retail spot in an increasingly digital economy, the news is littered with companies that haven’t made the cut and have been forced to close. Let’s take a look at a few of these now-derelict companies and break down why they failed. By all accounts, Amazon is today’s King of Ecommerce, boasting 43 percent of all U.S. online retail sales last year. Thus far, the only corporation with the...
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A Clash of Titans: A Look At Walmart’s Strategy For ...

As Walmart attempts to stay relevant in a rapidly changing commercial climate, it’s been acquiring smaller businesses in an effort to diversify and add talent to their executive roster. With arch-rival Amazon looming and employing a similar strategy, Walmart has been buying out corporations at a rapid pace since the middle of last year. Walmart [...]

As Walmart attempts to stay relevant in a rapidly changing commercial climate, it’s been acquiring smaller businesses in an effort to diversify and add talent to their executive roster. With arch-rival Amazon looming and employing a similar strategy, Walmart has been buying out corporations at a rapid pace since the middle of last year. Walmart is 55 years old, and it’s going through a mid-life crisis. However, where most of us buy fancy cars or go skydiving, the massive corporation...
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5 Books to Make You a Marketing Maverick

Sales and marketing go hand in hand. Needless to say, it is pretty hard to have one without the other. That’s why we put together this list of books to help you navigate a range of marketing tactics from the standard and steady to the new and improved. Customer Service Modern marketing lives on the [...]

Sales and marketing go hand in hand. Needless to say, it is pretty hard to have one without the other. That’s why we put together this list of books to help you navigate a range of marketing tactics from the standard and steady to the new and improved. Customer Service Modern marketing lives on the Internet, but the best way to make a positive impression is still good old customer service. Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service written...
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What’s All the Buzz About?: Amazon Prime Day in the ...

On July 11, Amazon hosted its third annual Prime Day, a day of exclusive deals for subscribers to Amazon’s membership service, Amazon Prime. If you opened the Internet that day, odds are you knew about it. News outlets from Forbes to Buzzfeed posted “What to Buy on Prime Day” lists, while outlets like Reuters News [...]

On July 11, Amazon hosted its third annual Prime Day, a day of exclusive deals for subscribers to Amazon’s membership service, Amazon Prime. If you opened the Internet that day, odds are you knew about it. News outlets from Forbes to Buzzfeed posted “What to Buy on Prime Day” lists, while outlets like Reuters News Agency, a division of Thomson Reuters, stuck to harder news. Facebook friends shared their recent purchases and television stations shared their tips and tricks for...
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Encrypted Transparency: Corporations Fight Counterfe...

In 2017, counterfeit goods represent a massive problem for retailers both digital and physical. Even though many retailers are now cooperating to remove these items from the market, it remains extremely difficult to track and identify the culprits. Ulmart, Russia’s largest national retailer, is now examining blockchain technology as a possible way to track an [...]

In 2017, counterfeit goods represent a massive problem for retailers both digital and physical. Even though many retailers are now cooperating to remove these items from the market, it remains extremely difficult to track and identify the culprits. Ulmart, Russia’s largest national retailer, is now examining blockchain technology as a possible way to track an item from production to point of sale, and verify its authenticity on an individual level. In a recent post, we discussed Russia’s position as a...
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Barrier to Entry: Is Ecommerce Investment Drying Up?

While ecommerce is definitely on the rise, as more people get a taste of the pie, others are less willing to fund them. Initially painted as "tech companies," people are less willing to invest in start-up retailers; as ecommerce becomes more commonplace, the less special it seems for capital investors. So what's the current investment market [...]

 

While ecommerce is definitely on the rise, as more people get a taste of the pie, others are less willing to fund them. Initially painted as “tech companies,” people are less willing to invest in start-up retailers; as ecommerce becomes more commonplace, the less special it seems for capital investors. So what’s the current investment market like to start up your own ecommerce venture and what are some ways to stay competitive right out of the gate? In the late ‘90s...
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Comparing U.S. & Foreign Ecommerce Trends 2017

China and Russia have been stepping up their ecommerce game in the past few quarters; South Korea is maintaining its dominance in online/mobile grocery shopping. Where do we stand along with other major countries and regions in the world? We’ve been covering ecommerce trends in the United States, but in the face of an increasingly [...]

 

China and Russia have been stepping up their ecommerce game in the past few quarters; South Korea is maintaining its dominance in online/mobile grocery shopping. Where do we stand along with other major countries and regions in the world? We’ve been covering ecommerce trends in the United States, but in the face of an increasingly interconnected global economy, it’s important to keep an eye on where the market’s headed worldwide. These days, even things happening on the other side of...
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