Recent Posts In Commerce

News Byte

HomeAway Valued at $2.15 Billion in IPO

HomeAway’s underwriters priced the company’s IPO late today at $27 a share, putting it at the high end of its range. The online vacation rental company, which raised $216 million in the offering, is now valued at $2.15 billion, reports the WSJ.

Judging E-Readers by Their Book Readability

If you’re heading to the beach this summer and you plan to read an e-book, you won’t want to take your iPad. Luckily, the latest versions of the Nook and the Kindle offer glare-free screens and other reader-friendly functions.
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Groupon’s Terms Not Endearing

Groupon may be too greedy for its own good. As merchants grow more sophisticated and as more serious competitors like Google enter the daily-deal coupon market, it’s questionable whether Groupon can sustain its great payment terms.

LivingSocial Kicks Up Publicity Battle With New PR Guru Andrew Weinstein

LivingSocial has hired former AOLer Andrew Weinstein to head up communications as it faces a brewing battle against Groupon, which naturally steals the spotlight as the largest company in the daily deals space.
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One More Use for Facebook Credits: Incentives

Facebook Credits initially were used to help pay for virtual goods inside social games, then were used for other digital goods, like movies. Now other companies are leveraging Credits to lure consumers to connect with their brands.
ifeelgoods_redeem your credits

Amazon Starts an Ad Network, Powered by Your Data

A new product line for Jeff Bezos and company: Ads on other people’s Web sites, targeted using data from Amazon’s customers and visitors.
jeff bezos amazon

Supreme Court Axes Videogame Ban, but the Game Isn’t Over Yet

Videogame publishers celebrated the Supreme Court decision today that ruled that a California law banning the sale of violent videogames to minors is unconstitutional, but the issue may be far from dead.
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Google Wallet Hardware Partner Raises $24 Million in Capital

ViVOtech, one of the software and hardware providers behind Google’s mobile payments initiative, has raised $24 million to top off its third round of funding.
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News Byte

LivingSocial Expands Internationally With Acquisitions in Asia, Middle East

LivingSocial, the second-largest deals provider after Groupon, is now in 21 countries after making three acquisitions. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. LivingSocial acquired Ensogo, which operates sites in Thailand and the Philippines; DealKeren, an Ensogo company based in Indonesia; and GoNabit, which operates in the United Arab Emirates. LivingSocial also has introduced deals in the Netherlands. Groupon operates in at least 43 countries.

Oyster Makes Searching for a Hotel a More Visually Stimulating Experience

Going forward, Oyster.com, which is partially owned by the Travel Channel, will be less about hotel reviews and more about photos.
oyster_hawaii cabana beach