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INDEPENDENT RETAILER magazine is now the official news outlet for Wholesale Central visitors.
Each monthly issue is packed with new product ideas, supplier profiles, retailing news, and
business strategies to help you succeed.
See new articles daily online at IndependentRetailer.com.
Dec 01, 2012
Smartphone users download entertainment and game apps more often than any other applications, with social media, finance and productivity apps also popular mobile downloads, according to a study by customer service technology company Virtual Hold Technology (VHT).
Nov 01, 2012
Quick Response (QR) codes originated in Japan under Denso Corporation, a Toyota Motor Corporation subsidiary, and were intended to hasten the code reading process, while at the same time allowing for more data to be captured in a single scan. Their efficiency was harnessed to help track vehicle parts during the manufacturing process, but has now spread across every industry as a savvy square for sharp consumers.
Nov 01, 2012
Internet retailers have enjoyed exemption from the requirement to collect sales taxes since 1992, when the U.S. Supreme Court passed a ruling closing the case of Quill Corporation v. North Dakota, at which point it was decided that, in states where online retailers have no brick and mortar presence, or nexus, they were not required to collect sales tax.
Nov 01, 2012
Escalating the global fight between Samsung and Apple, the former filed a patent lawsuit against the latter over the iPhone 5, requesting that the device be added to an existing lawsuit underway in U.S. Federal Court. The October 1 filing says that as soon as the iPhone 5 was available for purchase, Samsung began its investigation of the product and within a week determined that the iPhone 5 practiced its patented technologies.
Nov 01, 2012
Berlin, Germany, ballooned with excitement at this year's annual Internationale Funkausstellung (Radio and Television Exhibition). Fingertips were the focus for technology and engineering executives as they gathered to kibitz about the latest touchscreens, smartphones and tablet accessories.
Oct 01, 2012
The slew of promises that comes with many mobile apps approaches productivity from every angle. As business owners find themselves becoming more and more mobile, the curiosity surrounding these collectible tools makes a visit to an iTunes or Android store feel like the grown up version of a trip to the candy shop. Hundreds of thousands of apps are available for iPhone, iPad and Android, with more being added by the minute.
Sep 01, 2012
Efficient ecommerce platforms are a vital part of Internet wholesalers' and retailers' businesses. They provide a variety of tools that automate web based sales, such as creation and maintenance of product catalogs, shopping cart services, payment processing and order tracking.
Sep 01, 2012
Instagram, Groupon and LinkedIn are amazing success stories that serve different markets yet share a common link. Each was born in "The Cloud," a complex infrastructure that, in real time over the Internet, extends an online business's IT capabilities without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel or licensing new software.
Aug 01, 2012
Starting this fall, just when the retail holiday shopping season is in full swing, Google will do away with its free Product Search platform in a move to a paid format called Google Shopping.
Aug 01, 2012
Online shopping cart abandonment rates are sky high, topping 70 percent according to some studies, and incomplete sales can be a problem for today's online retailers.
Jul 01, 2012
Mobility changed communication. Freedom from wires and landlines, freedom from cables, cords and tangles has spread like wildfire in a culture that prizes speed and efficiency. The demand for mobility has affected the way we live and, in turn, the way customers shop. Text-ready thumbs are now interested in making purchases, placing orders online via cell phones and tablets.
Jul 01, 2012
When it comes to making a buying decision, nothing can be more important in closing the sale than customer reviews. A form of social proof, non-biased peer-to-peer reviews are just as good as getting a referral for a product from a friend. "What online tool most influenced your purchase decision?" The number one answer was product ratings and reviews.
Jul 01, 2012
Google recently upended the ecommerce marketing world with the announcement of upcoming changes to what will now be called Google Shopping. Many retailers and marketers we spoke with are positive about the switch. One might think taking a product from free to paid would cause an outcry, but for many it is an answer to long time concerns about control.
Jun 01, 2012
Walmart recently launched its first social gifting platform, Shopycat, a Facebook application that suggests gifts for friends based on their Facebook use.
Jun 01, 2012
Conversion funnels help website owners understand the online behavior of visitors during a conversion process.
May 01, 2012
If you only use the standard data gathering and reporting features present in Google Analytics, you are not getting a complete picture of how your business is performing.
Apr 01, 2012
Sure, you can wade through standard reports to gather all the data needed to make a decision.
Mar 01, 2012
When selling merchandise online, it is not enough to simply track sales.
Mar 01, 2012
In March 2011 Google released its new and improved version of Google Analytics.
Jan 01, 2012
On a planet with about seven billion people, 2011 saw an astonishing 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions, about 77 percent of the total population.
