SMB

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Postal Service, which has run at a loss for years, is even more cash-strapped. Based on USPS projections, it will lose $2 billion each month during the pandemic. That prompted Postmaster General Megan Brennan to ask Congress for $50 billion in funds ...

Retailers around the world are adjusting their business models in the face of COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Two consumer reports on shopping pattern changes during the pandemic offer two main findings: a) It is crucial for merchants to create ways to connect with new and long-term custome...

eBay is waiving seller fees and providing other initiatives to help shuttered retailers move online, as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to wipe out Main Street. The e-commerce giant on Thursday announced the launch of its Up & Running accelerator program, designed specifically to help the 70 per...

More than 20 million individuals visit Amazon every month, making the platform the top e-commerce website in the United States. Today's consumers don't use Amazon solely to make purchases -- they use the marketplace to check prices, discover new products, and research items they might want to buy. A...

Facebook has announced a $100M commitment to offer cash grants and ad credits to help as many as 30,000 eligible small businesses in 30 countries where the company operates. The program can help SMBs maintain their workforces, meet rent costs, connect with more customers, and cover operational costs...

Way back in 1995, Amazon made its first-ever customer sale. Within two short months, Amazon was selling $20,000 per week in the U.S. and countries around the world. Today, Amazon has become the go-to marketplace for more than 310 million customers, and more than 54 percent of all product searches oc...

E-commerce business leaders are already thinking ahead to the holiday season, and they want to answer one big question: What can we improve over the next 10 months to generate the most value during the holidays?

Two things are happening simultaneously: The RSA Security Conference is in full swing and so is COVID-19. It's a strange juxtaposition. The conference is going on undeterred just a few blocks from where the mayor declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing spread of the virus. There's also topi...

There's a major myth about "going paperless" that needs to be dispelled. A paperless office doesn't mean that paper is outright banned. There likely will be a need for physical paper in business for a long time, so don't throw out your printer just yet. Rather, being paperless means being able to em...

If e-commerce businesses are the killers of brick-and-mortar success, what makes an e-commerce store successful in the long term? One of the biggest advantages of an e-commerce business, without a doubt, is the low barrier to entry.

For the second time since Windows 7 reached the end of support, a bug is causing trouble for users still clinging to the OS. The first bug, related to setting a wallpaper image, turned desktops black. This new bug prevents Windows 7 users from shutting down or rebooting their computers. Microsoft's ...

Uber has launched a pilot program that lets drivers in three California cities set their own fares for airport rides. Drivers can set a fare multiple on Uber's base, time, and distance rates for UberX and UberXL trips. They can increase the fare in 10 percent jumps up to five times Uber's base price...

Every successful, long-term business has a common denominator in training as it relates to online sales customer contacts. Notice I said "long-term." A great product or unique marketing effort can fall short when a customer contacts an employee who is ill-equipped to respond. Some 72 percent of onl...

Google has inked a deal to acquire 6-year-old Ireland-based firm Pointy for $163 million. Pointy provides a $900 box with built-in cellular connectivity, which lets brick-and-mortar retailers list their stock online. It plugs into the retailer's barcode scanner and automatically obtains accurate pro...