Retail

Report: Video Game Software Sales Down 6% in Q3

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 10:18am.
New York - Video game software sales across the U.S., Europe and Japan fell 6% during the third quarter of 2009, according to a report combining sales data from NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track Limited and Enterbrain. While Japan actually saw video game software unit sales increase by 15% in the third quarter -- compared with the 20% decline seen in the same period last year -- year-to-date sales in the country are down 9%, according to Enterbrain.

Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target in Pre-Order DVD Price War

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 10:38am.
New York - After retail giant Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) cut the price of pre-order DVDs on its website to $10 on Thursday, rivals Amazon (NASD: AMZN) and Target (NYSE: TGT) followed suit by lowering their own pre-order DVD prices to $9.99, the Associated Press reported. On Friday morning, Wal-Mart responded by further discounting pre-order DVDs to $9.98. The price-cutting wars followed a similar battle over book prices amongst the three retailers -- which in recent weeks pushed prices as low as $8.98.

U.S. E-Commerce Spending Falls for Second Straight Quarter

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 8:46am.
Reston, Va. - For the first time on record, U.S. e-commerce spending has now seen negative growth for two straight quarters, according to new figures from comScore.

Walmart.com Prices Top 10 Pre-Order DVDs at $10

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 5, 2009 - 1:28pm.
Brisbane, Calif. - Walmart.com (NYSE: WMT) is now offering a $10 price tag and free home delivery on its top ten pre-order DVD and Blu-ray movie titles. Titles available through the offer include "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Star Trek" and "Julie and Julia." The DVD promotion comes as Walmart.com is engaged in a price-cutting war with Amazon and Target.

Apple: App Store Counts 100,000 Apps, Hits 2 Billion Downloads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 12:32pm.
Cupertino, Calif. - Apple (NASD: AAPL) said on Wednesday that there are now more than 100,000 applications available for download by iPhone and iPod touch owners at its App Store. The company said that users from 77 countries have downloaded more than 2 billion apps since the store's inception.

Best Buy to Launch CinemaNow-Powered Download Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 9:20am.
Minneapolis, Minn. - Electronics and media retailer Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) announced on Tuesday that it will launch its own branded, on-demand movie and entertainment service, powered by Sonic Solutions' Roxio CinemaNow.

Apple Sells 5,000 iPhones in China Debut

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 8:52am.
Hong Kong - Apple (NASD: AAPL) has sold just 5,000 iPhones in China since its launch there last week with carrier partner China Unicom, Bloomberg reported, citing comments from China Unicom president Lu Yimin.

Amazon.com Closes Acquisition of Web Shoe Store Zappos

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 2, 2009 - 8:37am.
Seattle - Completing one of the summer's largest acquisitions, online retail giant Amazon.com (NASD: AMZN) on Monday officially closed its $850 million deal to buy Web shoe store Zappos.

China Unicom Begins Selling iPhone Sans Wi-Fi

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 30, 2009 - 9:52am.
Beijing - China Unicom has begun selling Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone in China -- albeit without the key feature of Wi-Fi connectivity, Reuters reported. The iPhone is now available from 2,000 Unicom retail stores; the company hopes to sell 5 million in three years, according to Chinese news reports cited by Reuters. A company spokesman told Reuters the company expects its next batch of iPhones to include Wi-Fi.

Amazon.com Launches "PayPhrase" Checkout Shortcut

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 29, 2009 - 8:43am.
Seattle - Online retail giant Amazon.com (NASD: AMZN) has launched a new shortcut for making online payments, "PayPhrase," which lets consumers pick their own customized phrase -- such as "Fiesty Mango" -- and four-digit PIN to purchase items across the Web.

Retail Convergence to be Acquired for up to $350 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 8:09am.
Boston - Retail Convergence, the Boston-based operator of RueLaLa.com and SmartBargains.com, an e-commerce marketplace, has agreed to be acquired by GSI Commerce, a provider of e-commerce and interactive marketing services.

Report: Nintendo to Debut Larger-Screen DSi in Japan

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 27, 2009 - 12:18pm.
Tokyo - Nintendo is prepping to release a new version of its DSi handheld game system with a larger screen in Japan, Reuters reported, citing the Nikkei business daily. The screen on the new model is expected to be over 4 inches, up from the 3.25-inch screen sported on the current model. Demand is reportedly dwindling for the DSi, which faces increasing competition from game-friendly mobiles like the iPhone. The new DSi could launch yet this year in Japan, and is expected to cost about the same as the current model, according to Nikkei.

tags: Games | Nintendo | Retail | DSi |

Roku Offers New HD Set-tops; Cuts Price of Base Model to $79

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 27, 2009 - 12:17pm.
Saratoga, Calif. - Roku, a maker of Internet-connected set-top boxes, on Tuesday introduced two new HD-capable models, and new pricing for its standard model. The $99 Roku HD player and $129 Roku HD-XR support HD-quality video and audio, while the standard model Roku SD player will now sell for $79.The devices can deliver content directly from partners including Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand and MLB.TV.

tags: Video | TV | HD | Netflix | Retail | Roku |

Palm to Release $99 Pixi Smartphone on Nov. 15

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 26, 2009 - 12:19pm.
Sunnyvale, Calif. - Smartphone maker Palm (NASD: PALM) announced on Monday that it will release its Pixi smartphone via Sprint (NYSE: S) on Nov. 15 with a price tag of $99, after rebates and a two-year service commitment. The device will sell at Sprint, Best Buy, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart stores.

tags: Mobile | Sprint | Retail | Palm | Palm Pixi |

Microsoft Opens First New Retail Store in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 23, 2009 - 10:44am.
Scottsdale, Ariz. - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) opened its first in a new line of retail stores in Scottsdale, Arizona on Thursday, which saw a line of around 500 people waiting for the official opening, Reuters reported. The company experimented with a retail store concept ten years ago with Sony at San Francisco's Metreon, but did not expand the initiative. The new line of retail stores, which carry Xbox 360 game consoles, Windows-powered laptops from Dell and HP, and the new Windows 7 operating system, among other items, will expand next to Orange County, Califorina.

Slacker Abandons Music Player; Will Focus on Mobile

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 23, 2009 - 10:19am.
San Diego - Slacker, the maker of a portable music player and accompanying interactive Web radio service, has decided to abandon the consumer electronics side of its business and focus instead on services for other mobile devices, VentureWire reported.
tags: Music | Retail | Slacker | Jim Cady |

NPR Teams with Livio to Launch New Internet Radio Device

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 23, 2009 - 6:51am.
Washington - National Public Radio (NPR), the producer of programming for independent public radio stations, has teamed with Internet radio developer Livio to launch the NPR Radio, a $200 device that lets users access more than 1,000 NPR station streams, as well as podcasts and audio archives.
tags: Radio | Music | Retail | NPR | Livio |

Amazon.com: Susan Boyle CD Breaks Pre-Order Sales Record

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 21, 2009 - 10:50am.
Seattle - Amazon.com (NASD: AMZN) said on Wednesday that "Britain's Got Talent" star Susan Boyle's upcoming album, "I Dreamed a Dream," has become the largest CD pre-order in the company's history. The company did not disclose exactly how many pre-orders it has received for the album, which is due for release on Nov. 23 from Sony Music Entertainment.

Report: U.S. Game Sales Up 1%; Sony PS3 Leads for First Time

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 20, 2009 - 7:43am.
Port Washington, N.Y. - Sony's (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3 for the first time ever led U.S. video game sales in September, which on the whole rose 1% from a year ago after several months of  decline, according to sales figures compiled by market research firm NPD Group. Overall sales were $1.28 billion in September; despite Sony's success, game hardware sales fell 6% from a year ago, to $472 million.

eBay Launches "Bill Me Later" Payment Option

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 19, 2009 - 12:02pm.
San Jose, Calif. - A year after paying $945 million to acquire Bill Me Later, online auction giant eBay (NASD: EBAY) and that it has officially added the company's service as a payment option at checkout. The service, available through PayPal, lets online shoppers pay for items without the use of a credit card, Instead, shoppers provide their birth date and last four digits of their social security number, and later receive a bill in the mail.