Tag Archives: Amazon

U.S. Online Holiday Spending Surpasses $17.5 Billion for First 35 Days of the November-December Shopping Season, up 12 Percent vs. Last Year

*More than 50 Percent of All E-Commerce Transactions for the First Five Weeks of the Holiday Season Have Included Free Shipping* 

RESTON, VA, December 8, 2010 – comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 35 days of the November – December 2010 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, more than $17.5 billion has been spent online, marking a 12-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year. The most recent week saw four individual days eclipse $800 million in spending, led by Cyber Monday, which became the heaviest online spending day on record at $1.028 billion. Tuesday, November 30 reached $911 million, making it the third heaviest online spending day on record, with Wednesday ($868 million) and Thursday ($850 million) also reaching high levels, although growth rates for the season subsided in the latter half of the week and through the weekend.  (more…)

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Every Website Can Now Be a Bookstore

*Kindle for the Web enables customers to read full text of Kindle books in their web browser – no download or installation required*

*Websites are invited to participate in decentralized e-book sales*

*Kindle for the Web is Chrome OS launch partner*

SEATTLE, Dec 07, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Two months ago, Amazon launched Kindle for the Web, making it possible to read free first chapters of Kindle books through web browsers. Today, Amazon announced that Kindle for the Web will expand to enable anyone with access to a web browser to buy and read full Kindle books – no download or installation required. For the first time ever, bookstores, other retailers, authors, bloggers and other website owners will be able to offer Kindle books from their own sites, let their readers start enjoying the full text of these books instantly, and earn referral fees through the Amazon Associates Program for sales made through their sites. Website owners can embed the Kindle for the Web widget in a matter of seconds and start offering Kindle books. The update to Kindle for the Web was demonstrated on-stage at a Google Chrome event today and will support Chrome OS devices, including the new Chrome OS Notebook, as well as the Chrome browser and other web browsers.  (more…)

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Amazon Web Services Achieves Level 1 Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance

*Merchants, enterprises, and service providers can now implement a cardholder environment on AWS that complies with PCI Data Security Standard*

SEATTLE, Dec 07, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amazon Web Services LLC (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc., today announced it has achieved Level 1 compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS). Merchants and other service providers can now run their applications on AWS PCI-compliant technology infrastructure to store, process and transmit credit card information in the cloud. Customers can use AWS cloud infrastructure, which has been validated at the highest level (Level 1) of PCI compliance, to build their cardholder environment and achieve PCI certification for their applications. To learn more about AWS security certifications and other AWS security practices, visit https://aws.amazon.com/security/. (more…)

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Oprah’s New Book Club Selections “A Tale of Two Cities” and “Great Expectations” Are Free on Kindle

*The works of Charles Dickens and millions of other out-of-copyright works are available on Kindle for free*

SEATTLE, Dec 06, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The 65th Oprah Book Club pick is a Charles Dickens double-header. The selections are “A Tale of Two Cities” and “Great Expectations,” and Amazon.com today announced that both are available on Kindle for free, along with millions of other out-of-copyright works. These free Kindle books can be read on the bestselling $139 Kindle (www.amazon.com/kindle) with new, high-contrast Pearl e-ink or on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, BlackBerry, Android-based devices, PC, and Mac using free Kindle reading apps (www.amazon.com/kindleapps). (more…)

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LivingSocial Announces $175 Million Investment by Amazon.com

WASHINGTON (PRNewswire via COMTEX) — LivingSocial (www.livingsocial.com) has secured a $175 million investment from Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN). LivingSocial has also secured an additional $8 million investment from Lightspeed Venture Partners. LivingSocial will use this investment to maintain a steady drumbeat of worldwide launches and overall business growth while continuing to serve more than 10 million subscribers across the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland and Australia in more than 120 locations. Because of LivingSocial’s rapid expansion, the company is currently booking revenues of more than $1 million a day on average and is projected to book well over $500 million in revenue in 2011. (more…)

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Amazon.com and Penguin Group (USA) Announce Fourth Annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Competition

*Two grand prize winners, one for general fiction and one for best young adult novel, to be published by Penguin Group (USA)*

SEATTLE & NEW YORK, Dec 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amazon.com, Inc. and Penguin Group (USA) today announced the fourth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition, the international competition seeking the next popular novel. Due to the popularity of the additional young adult category in 2010, the competition will again award two grand prizes: one for general fiction and one for best young adult novel. Each grand prize winner will be published by Penguin Group (USA). The 2011 competition will again be open to unpublished and self-published novels. Writers around the world are encouraged to begin preparing their manuscripts for entry into the competition, which will launch on Jan. 24, 2011. (more…)

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Black Friday Boasts $648 Million in U.S. Online Holiday Spending, Up 9 Percent vs. Year Ago

*Thanksgiving Day Surges 28 Percent to $407 Million as Consumers Increasingly Use Day for Online Shopping*

RESTON, VA, November 28, 2010 – comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported U.S. retail e-commerce spending for the first 26 days of the November – December 2010 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, $11.64 billion has been spent online, marking a 13-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year. Black Friday (November 26) saw $648 million in online sales, making it the heaviest online spending day to date in 2010 and representing a 9-percent increase versus Black Friday 2009. Thanksgiving Day (November 26), traditionally a lighter day for online holiday spending, achieved a strong 28-percent increase to $407 million. (more…)

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Amazon.it Launches Today, Providing Vast Selection, Significant Savings and Great Convenience for Italian Online Shoppers

  • New Site Offers Everyday Low Prices on Books, DVD, Music, Video Games and Consumer Electronics – just in time for Christmas shopping
  • Amazon Prime membership program is available with unlimited free guaranteed 2-3-day delivery at an annual fee of 9.99 Euros
  • Introductory offer includes 30% discount on the vast selection of over 2 million Italian- and foreign-language books

SEATTLE, Nov 23, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amazon.com today launched Amazon.it (www.amazon.it), an Italian-language website offering customers a vast selection of books, DVDs, video games, music and consumer electronics at everyday low prices. Launching with more categories than any other Amazon web site has launched with, the selection also includes computers, software, small home appliances, watches and toys. Amazon.it’s convenient services include Amazon Prime, the membership program with unlimited free guaranteed 2-3-day delivery at an annual fee of 9.99 Euros. (more…)

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