Groupon’s business model sucks the value out of the local merchants, “the bread and butter of Groupon’s base.” While the daily-deals giant’s pitch is great

In theory, Do Not Track is a great idea. The problem is that it doesn’t work because it requires good-faith cooperation from those on the other side of the consumers. Two large associations have created their own twisted interpretation of the law: “They have said they will stop serving targeted ads but will still collect […]

According to comScore, Amazon Sites ranked as the top retail property for smartphone owners, reaching 46.6 percent of smartphone users. eBay followed with a 30.6 percent reach, while Apple had a 16.6 percent reach. The landscape is different for iPhone and Android phones, with retailers having stronger penetration among iPhone users than among Android users. […]

The chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says the agency is aiming to know whether or not it will bring legal action against Google for anticompetitive practices by the end of 2012. The antitrust inquiry is focused on whether Google has unfairly tweaked search results related to its products. We’re doing what we’re supposed […]

Marketers are beset with deadlines, targets and expectations, a mix of pressures that can tempt them to make decisions that will wreak havoc on their efforts to properly generate leads. To help marketers fight the good fight, we spoke with some experts who discussed the Seven Deadly Sins of lead generation:

A study from TradeMob, a mobile app marketing company, declares that 40 percent of mobile ad clicks are “useless.” Twenty-two percent of this is due to “fat fingers,” while 18 percent is due to fraudulent clicks from botnets or hidden double banners. Lining this up with recent numbers from eMarketer means that about $6.2 billion […]

Have you noticed that the daily deals hitting your inbox have become less attractive lately? You’re not alone. Customer fatigue is often pointed to as the reason for consumers souring on Groupon and its competitors, but saving lots of money never gets old. The problem is seller fatigue, which is rooted offering “try it, you’ll […]

Facebook’s Offers product will no longer be free for businesses, a move that could help its revenue stream. Facebook Offers, launched earlier this year, gives retailers and merchants a chance to send deals to their fans on the social network. Soon businesses will have to pay at least $5 on ads to promote each of […]

According to estimates from eMarketer, digital ad spending in the U.S. will surpass $37.3 billion this year. This would reflect 16.6 percent year-over-year growth from the $32.0 billion spent on digital advertising last year. Naturally, Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Facebook and AOL will claim about two-thirds of this year’s spending, or $23.9 billion in ad revenues. […]

A group of Internet titans, including Google, Amazon, Facebook and Yahoo!, have joined forces to form The Internet Association. The organization will lobby for Internet freedom, innovation and growth, and the empowerment of users. Meanwhile, Yahoo! has shed its registered trademark symbol, and Groupon unveiled a credit card payments product called Groupon Payments. Read on […]