1st In Video - Music World, Inc.

Burst Media recently found that the more complex the travel product, the more likely it will be researched online, but booked offline.   Customers were much more likely to book airfare and car rentals than hotels and travel destinations.  The travel industry still makes booking vacation packages too complex for the consumer.  When a customer is booking a complex  vacation involving airfare, hotels, transfers and/or cruises, it makes sense to book through a Travel Agent to make sure everything connects properly.  Help from live customer service agents was a major incentive to travelers who booked offline.

Read More: Online Travelers Bargain-Hunt on the Web - eMarketer

Southwest Airlines and Northwest Airlines now both accept PayPal as a payment option on their websites.   Both airlines announced the acceptance of PayPal earlier this summer.  PayPal allows a safe and secure way for customers to pay either using a credit card or their bank account.  PayPal enables merchants to accept payments from customers who have a bank account, but not a credit card.

Read More:

• Southwest Airlines Takes Off With PayPal For Online Ticket Purchases
• Northwest Airlines Offers PayPal for NWA.com Ticket Purchases

In a recent Yahoo!/ChannelForce study of television and digital camera sales, customers who searched online spend 10% more on in-store purchases than those that did not use an online search engine.
Read Full Story: Consumer Electronics Sales Start Online - eMarketer

• 153 million PayPal accounts (35% increase from 2006)
• Almost $1 billion turned per week.
• 1.2+ million transactions daily Read the rest of this entry »

This article is a good overview of the recent Supreme Court Decision in Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. PSKS, Inc. and how it effects resale price maintenance, MSRP, MAP and unilateral pricing. Manufacturers need to realize that “quality partners should be paired with premium products, while commodity sellers should be paired with commodity products”

read more | digg story

American Airlines in partnership with Air Cell, announce today that they will start providing in-flight wifi service in the United States.  Air Cell uses cellular technology to provide the internet access.  Customers will be able to use their own wifi equipment (laptops, PDAs, etc with 802.11 a/b/g) to access the Internet.  Initial pricing has not been set, but they say it shouldn’t be much more that ground based wifi spots.  CNN estimated the fee to be $10 per flight.   CNN also reported that Southwest Airlines is working on a similar program to attract more business customers.

Read More:

•  American Airlines selects AirCell to Launch in-flight wi-fi service Over U.S.- AirCell.com Press Release
  
• AA prepares for on-board Internet - CNN.com

The Supreme Court of the United States has recently issued a large scale decision that could have a positive effect on consumers, retailers and manufacturers. In Leegin Creative Leather Products vs. PSKS, Inc., the Supreme Court overruled the case that established vertical price fixing as per se illegal for almost 100 years (Dr. Miles Medical Co. vs. John D. Parker & Sons). The Leegin case has made it possible through a rule of reason analysis for a manufacturer and reseller to legally agree on a resale price through vertical price agreements. Read the rest of this entry »

A recent Consumer Reports survey of eBay users found that almost half of eBay buyers have encountered some type of fraud on eBay. The Federal Internet Crime Complaint Center receives more complaints about Internet auction sites than any other type of online fraud.

This is why it is important for Manufacturers to authorize select dealers on eBay. Buyers on eBay are looking for legitimate businesses to buy from and are willing to pay more for an item if they can be assured the transaction will be legitimated.

The survey also revealed that Pay Pal was used in 89% of purchases in the Consumer Reports Survey.

Source: ConsumerReports.org - Winning at eBay: How to bid smart & play safe

Quincy, IL / Business Wire / July 2, 2007 - DiscountGolfWorld.com was recently named one of Cleveland^® Golf Company’s 14 Internet Authorized Dealers. Along with being Internet authorized, DiscountGolfWorld.com has become Cleveland Golf’s first Internet Authorized Dealer approved to sell on eBay. The management team of DiscountGolfWorld.com brings over 10 years of experience working with manufacturers to not only sell, promote and merchandise products online, but also how to effectively distribute their products on eBay.

Read the rest of this entry »

With more than 200 million adults with access to the Internet, what do they do online? A KRC Research survey from Feb 2007 showed that paying bills and going to newspapers websites are the most frequent daily activities.

Approximately 75% of consumers surveyed said they use a credit card or debit card to buy something at least once a month (13% said almost every day). The study also showed that interactive activities are clearly the province of the young. This held true with buying online. Here’s the breakdown of the percent who use a credit card or debit card to buy something at least once a week: 18-24: 40%; 25-34: 39%; 35-49: 31%; 50-64: 24%; 65+: 23%.

Source: Top Daily Web Activites - KRC Research (pdf)