alibaba group, Alibaba, AliExpress, ecommerce, online marketplace, global ecommerce, Chinese ecommerce, cross-border ecommerce, online security, online security flaw, online security vulnerability, cyber security, cyber security threat

Alibaba Says It Has Addressed Online Security Vulnerability

| Mike O'Brien

Alibaba says it is doing all it can to keep on top of security issues that affect its ecommerce merchants, after a published report noted that an Israeli firm in late October found a security flaw in AliExpress, the company’s English language ecommerce site.

free shipping, ecommerce fulfillment, Pitney Bowes, same-day delivery, consumer survey, holiday shopping season, 2015 holiday shopping

comScore Reports Green Monday Sales Up 15% to $1.6B

| MCM Staff

comScore reported that that U.S. retail desktop spending on Green Monday (Dec. 8) were up 15% this year to $1.6 billion, compared to $1.4 billion in 2013. It was the third heaviest online spending day of the holiday season to date, after Cyber Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Brands: Get in the Game or Get Played

| Mark Smith

Marketers, I’ve got news for you: Consumers are on to us. If it wasn’t bad enough that they’re constantly pulled in opposing directions – moving from device to device and channel to channel with essentially unlimited buying options – they’re now learning to beat us at our own games. brands need to get in the game or risk getting played. Here are five tips to get started.

Amazon, Amazon Prime Now, Amazon Flex, Uber, Postmates, FedEx, on demand economy, contract drivers, ecommerce fulfillment

Amazon Testing Bikes for Ultra-Fast Delivery in New York

| Mike O'Brien

Amazon is once again pushing the ecommerce envelope, testing out the use of bicycle couriers in New York as part of a service called Amazon Prime Now, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

The service will provide delivery of some items purchased on Amazon.com in an hour or two, the Journal said it had been told by an unnamed source.

Affiliate Marketing Gets a $3.3 Billion Wake-Up Call

| Robert Glazer

When the parent company of an affiliate network also buys one of the largest affiliates in the space, it raises a lot of red flags and also leads to an important question: Is an affiliate program and its data the property of the retailer, the affiliate and/or the network, and who can it be shared with?

Answering that question requires creating more transparency in the affiliate industry. For many retailers that means transitioning from Generation 1 to Generation 2 affiliate programs and ensuring that, first and foremost, their best interests are being represented.

Automated Fulfillment Optimizes Shipping and Avoids Errors

| Ian Goldman

The same technology that helped converge inventory levels has evolved and is now actually able to automate inventory management and fulfillment. By removing reliance on employees to track inventory, this makes mistakes less likely and allows order fulfillment from any location to orders on any channel. Thus omnichannel fulfillment is enabled, providing higher service levels to customers, more streamlined inventory management for retailers, and less stock tied up in expensive warehouses. Many retailers find that they are able to eliminate warehouses entirely and have retail locations function as mini-distribution centers.

Tackling Omnichannel this Holiday Season

| Daniela Forte

Omnichannel continues to be the buzzword on the lips of marketers this holiday season. Consumers are expecting a seamless experience across multiple devices. See what plans marketers have this season.