March 2009

This series of posts about Ecommerce is brought to you in conjunction with Vodafone, who are currently recruiting a Head of Ecommerce, see Chinwag Jobs for more information.

Mobile e-commerce has been talked about for more than a decade. Back in 2000 publications like vnunet were asking "Mobile commerce - big or REALLY big?". It has been a long journey since the days of WAP sites and slow data services. Today's mobile phones give users web browsing and video playback just as happily as dealing with phone calls.

It has been a busy couple of days for the Digital Mission companies here at South by South West. These are just a few highlights from the last 48 hours, much of which has centred around Stand 413 on the Exhibition floor, where the the companies have been meeting with the press and SXSW visitors.

Saturday had the Brits flying the flag, wearing T-shirts with the Digital Mission logo and their Twitter IDs. It turned out to be a great way to connect with Twitter followers from both sides of the pond.

This series of posts about Ecommerce is brought to you in conjunction with Vodafone, who are currently recruiting a Head of Ecommerce, see Chinwag Jobs for more information. 

It's an interesting time for e-commerce, certainly challenging, but there are potentially even bigger things afoot. Away from the on-line world, the last few months have seen numerous collapses in the high street.

Pick-n-mix legend Woolworths closed its doors. Music and games retailer Zavvi pulled down their shutters, and the fashion retailer Principles closed its doors too. That isn't the end of the tale though.

Debate on the “content-for-free” model continues to dominate various forums and industry blogs.  Commentators argue that it’s crippling online publishers and driving some out of business.

From the never-ending financial problems of the New York Times to the demise of small digital media companies, the issue is occupying the minds of analysts, commentators and media owners across the industry.