Two key facts are being glossed over with this week’s big announcement from Pfizer: 1) It’s been possible to buy guaranteed authentic Viagra online for years; and 2) Pfizer isn’t really selling drugs directly to customers.
E-commerce
Bait and Switch: Beware Low-Price Guarantees
Retailers love that price-matching guarantees attract shoppers. At the same time, they hate it when customers actually try to take advantage of these policies.
Hungry and Lazy Consumers, Rejoice! It’s Getting Even Easier to Order Food
Burgers, pizza, and a wide range of groceries are on the menu for consumers who are too busy, or just too lazy, to make a food run—or even bother picking up the phone.
Does Kmart’s Hilarious New Ad Acknowledge That Kmart Stores Are Hopeless?
In just over a week, Kmart’s 30-second “Ship My Pants” spot — go ahead, say it quickly — has received close to 13 million views online. The viral hit should give the struggling retailer some much-needed buzz. It might also call …
The Real Significance of the Bitcoin Boom (and Bust)
Online currencies like the Bitcoin are one day likely to alter government policy, just as the bond market did in the 1990s
How Google Is Horning In on Car Dealership Sales
Usually, to get a price quote from a car dealership, you must disclose your phone number and an e-mail address—an act that comes with the risk of being hounded by car salesmen. A new car-shopping tool being tested by Google changes how the game is played.
Amazon Prime: Bigger, More Powerful, More Profitable than Anyone Imagined
Membership in Amazon Prime, which offers unlimited free two-day shipping, has doubled in less than two years. Analysts predict it’ll double again by 2017
Whodathunkit? Auto Dealerships Realize Responding to Customer E-mails Helps to Sell Cars
It turns out that responding to potential paying customers is good for business. That’s why car dealerships have been dramatically improving how they handle online inquiries.
Online Shoppers: Meh, Same-Day Shipping Isn’t That Big a Deal
Same-day delivery is being pumped up as a major step for e-retail—the service that’ll boost online shopping sales into the next stratosphere. There’s one minor problem, though: Shoppers don’t seem to want it all that much.
Online ‘Predictions’ Market Intrade Shuts Down Months After Federal Lawsuit
Amazon Gets More Same-Day-Delivery Competition: Shutl Coming to 20 Cities
Do you want some stuff, but don’t want to leave the couch? A new same-day delivery service promises near-instant gratification for millions of online shoppers all over North America.
How to Get Friends and Family — And Perhaps Some Generous Strangers — to Buy You a New Car
How’s this for a millennial-friendly mashup: Take the gift registry and online crowdfunding concepts and apply them to the purchase of a new car. Dodge is trying out the idea with a new registry service that promises something …