There’s hope for high street stores who despair of the number of shoppers who leave empty-handed. One in four buys online instead, suggests new research from Rich Relevance and Envirosell.

Online retailers Naked Wines and Cheapflights are among the finalists in the National Business Awards, announced this week.

How can marketing by email, which may arrive at varying times, keep up with the immediacy required by time-limited sales? Kara Trivunovic of StrongMail has some answers.

Christian Robinson, managing director of online gift seller Firebox, is stepping down after 10 years. Taking over the role is Paul Zimmerman, previously head of business development at Play.com.

Historically-inspired gift company Past Times says its despatch rate has grown by 300%, thanks to a new delivery system.

Retailers could miss out on their full share of a £5.5bn market at Christmas, simply by failing to deliver the customer service they require, warns customer interaction software company Eptica.

Pay4Later says its new online credit product brings retail finance to the UK e-commerce mainstream for the first time.

For any one in two minds about mobile retail, take a look at Amazon: during the past 12 months the company has generated $1billion from mobile purchases – just weeks after eBay foresees trousering $1.5billion in 2010 through the same channel

Mobile-based money saving voucher company www.shoppingvouchers.co.uk has revealed that, according to its figures, every customer who visits the site is generating £1 for UK retail sales

More than half of global consumers “have a propensity to use their mobiles for financial transactions”, suggests a study by the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), published as the organization rolls out its US M-commerce Guide

eBay’s iPhone app, which was launched earlier this year, has been downloaded 11 million times, says the company, making it the number one mobile retailer in the US – just weeks after the company said that it expects to make $1.5billion from mobile in 2010

Adoption of mobile commerce in Europe remains low, with a mere 2% of adults across the continent reporting purchasing products from their mobiles and only 5% interested in doing so, according to new research from Forrester Research

Mobile commerce isn’t just about purchasing goods on a phone, it all starts with using mobile as a marketing tool – and it appears that, if you get the right and receptive audience, it can work. Online fashion and sports retailer MandMDirect.com has seen a 6% sales conversion rate from mobile promotional campaigns over the last four months

Online luxury fashion retailer Net-a-porter.com has published the first edition of its eponymous magazine app for the iPad, which will let users shop direct from the pages of the magazine, watch video content of its clothes ‘in action’ on the runway and read interviews with leading designers

Frank Lord, VP EMEA, ATG outlines why he believes the iPad will be the first of many devices to transform the UK retail sector

Accessorize is to get its own standalone website, allowing it to sell into Europe and the US. The move, says its chief commercial officer Steve Back, reflects Accessorize’s independent high street position.

Attracting shoppers to your website and keeping them there isn’t rocket science – but GSI Commerce research shows 76 per cent of customers have abandoned purchases mid-shop. Steve Davis, president of GSI Commerce International, advises.

HMV has unveiled HMV Digital, marking its first step into the music download market. The move is part of an HMV Group strategy to diversify the business into digital.

Retailers can now find out how their customer service measures up to competitors using a new programme launched by IMRG.

Sunday July 25 was forecast to be the busiest day of the summer sales online, according to shopping marketplace Kelkoo UK. It was expected to be the day that internet sale hunters went in search of real bargains, bringing a peak to a sale season forecast to see some £1.3bn spent online.