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E-Commerce Sales Rise by 5 Percent to Reach $27 Billion for the 2009 Holiday Shopping Season through Christmas Eve

Season Features Early Start and a Strong Finish

Larger Retailers Outperform Smaller Ones

Consumer Electronics Category Shows Strongest Growth

RESTON, VA, December 30, 2009 – comScore (NASDAQ : SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported retail e-commerce spending for the holiday season from November 1 through Christmas Eve. During this period, approximately $27 Billion was spent online, which represents an increase of 5 percent over the same period a year ago. For the period from Black Friday through Christmas Eve, and after adjusting for the additional shopping day in 2009, sales grew by approximately 3.5 percent.

*Individual days and weekends are compared to corresponding shopping days in 2008

“Following last year’s disappointing performance when sales fell by 3 percent, the e-commerce sector saw a positive 2009 holiday shopping season with sales up by 5 percent,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “Online sales growth this year was driven by a continued increase in the number of people buying online, but consumers’ economic challenges resulted in a slight decline versus last year in the amount spent per buyer. The season featured a strong start as a result of early retailer promotions and a very strong finish helped by the snow storms that occurred the weekend of Dec 19 – 20, retailers’ willingness to offer free shipping later in the season, and consumers’ confidence in expedited shipping arriving in time. This was also a year when retailers substantially boosted their use of social network marketing and the larger retailers significantly outperformed their smaller brethren. In these tough economic times, the retailers with sufficient financial resources and a willingness to invest in aggressive marketing and free shipping offers were clear winners. In terms of individual product categories, consumer electronics saw particularly strong sales growth of slightly over 20 percent, while jewelry and watches also turned in a strong performance, but which followed a very weak 2008 season.”

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.

Contact:
Andrew Lipsman
Director, Marketing Communications
comScore, Inc.
+1 312 775 6510
press@comscore.com

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Hey guys, I know many of you have expressed how you will miss the old B.S. Walks podcast, but do not fret! I will make sure that we bring you engaging and informative information for 2010 like you NEVER could have expected from us. Just hang tight, cause 2010 is going to be a blast for the ColderICE family. If you want to be sure you do not miss a thing, do this…

1) Go to YouTube and press my yellow "Subscribe Button" – I will be posting a lot of education and ecommerce material in the coming weeks and this will be the FIRST place to see it.

2) Be sure to join the Facebook Fanpage because that is where I will be posting daily articles, news, and lessons for all the readers. This page has just about every Twitter link I have for ecommerce business readers on it. It is becoming my personal encyclopedia for ecommerce links…killer resources.

Now, on to the exiting decade…Just to keep your appetite wet and your holiday lively, check out this latest broadcast. A year end reflection on some of the technology and changes from 2000 to 2009 as it relates to marketing, social networking and data communication. Join a lively conversation on what was hot in the last decade and what could be hot in the upcoming decade.

ColderICE Presents: 2010 Best of the Decade

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Topics and Timeline for this program….

2:23 The Age of Blogging – Blog means "weblog"
4:14 The Technology Boom and Bust plus Y2K
6:03 The Invent of the "SmartPhone" mobile devices
7:32 Remembering Lap"ROCKS" (laptops)
8:09 What was our favorite TV show in 2000 and who really cares … LOL
8:47 High Speed Internet access
9:29 The rise of super bloggers (HuffingtonPost.com)
10:23 Marketer of the Decade (Steve Jobs)
11:15 The iPod
11:51 Product Placement (Marketing) of the Decade
13:36 Cable TV Channel of the Decade
14.24 Media Company of the Decade
15:00 Social Media Showdowns (MySpace vs Facebook)
10:17 Segmentated? What the hell JB?!? … LOL
18:49 Predictions for 2010
19:04 Mobile Marketing
19:33 SmartPhone as the new PC workspace
21:23 What’s old will become new again

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New York (PRESS RELEASE – December 22, 2009) –American Express OPEN, the small business division of American Express, today launched AcceptPay (www.acceptpay.com), an online invoicing and payment solution that can help business owners improve cash flow at a time when customers are taking a longer time to pay.

“AcceptPay further demonstrates our commitment to offering entrepreneurs a full range of products and services that can help them manage through the recession and grow their enterprises.”

AcceptPay is a new online solution that allows business owners to create, send and track invoices – all in one place. Through AcceptPay, customers can pay the invoice through a variety of methods, including major credit and debit cards, eChecks, cash, or checks. Resulting payments are deposited directly into the business owner’s bank account.

“At a time when every dollar counts, business owners need tools and resources to help them better manage their firms’ finances, and that is why we created this innovative payment collection solution that can help them get paid faster,” said Mary Ann Fitzmaurice Reilly, Senior Vice President, American Express OPEN. “AcceptPay further demonstrates our commitment to offering entrepreneurs a full range of products and services that can help them manage through the recession and grow their enterprises.”

According to the American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor, a semi-annual survey of business owners, 60% of small business owners have cash flow concerns, with 20% of business owners reporting that the ability to pay bills on time is the most significant cash flow issue. In addition, 32% of small business owners are most likely to be more aggressive in collecting accounts receivable in order to improve cash flow – the most popular tactic of those offered in the survey.

AcceptPay features and benefits include:

* Faster payments: Customer payments are deposited directly into a linked bank account designated by the AcceptPay user;
* Variety of Payment types: Customers can choose multiple online payment options including major credit and debit cards, eChecks, cash or checks;
* Improved efficiency: Business owners can create and send invoices, as well as track and organize invoices, payments and outstanding receivables online – through a single web-based portal;
* Added financial control: Business owners can track and view invoices and receivables via automated or custom reports. All of these records can be seamlessly integrated into QuickBooks® software.
* Ease of use: AcceptPay does not require a software download or customer website.

Every business owner, whether or not they are an American Express OPEN Cardmember, is eligible to apply for AcceptPay from American Express OPEN. There is no set up fee, and the service is priced at $20/month. Any business owner can also register for AcceptPay Lite, which is a free invoicing-only solution that provides the opportunity to test the product.

American Express OPEN partnered with PaySimple, a leading provider of SaaS (Software as a Service) on-demand electronic payment solutions for small businesses, to design AcceptPay. OPEN and PaySimple worked with business owners to create product features and integrated feedback from product test groups.

Small Business Owners Ask “How can I get Paid Faster?” in New TV ad Featuring AcceptPay

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American Express recently launched a television spot featuring real business owners asking each other questions about how to better run their businesses. The national ad underlines the primary thing small business owners want to know – how to get paid faster – and highlights AcceptPay as a solution for business owners looking to turn the page on a challenging 2009. Small business owners are also encouraged to ask their own questions and join the conversation by logging on to OpenForum.com, an online resource and networking site for business owners. The business owners featured in the ad include:

* Ahmed Mady, Paragon Remodeling, Vienna, VA
* Candace Nelson, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Beverly Hills, CA
* John Lawson, 3rd Power Outlet, Atlanta, GA
* David Hughes, Skydive Santa Barbara, Lompoc, CA
* Lynn McMahan, Southern Eye Center, Hattiesburg, MS
* Jasmine Takeshi, Laughing Lotus Yoga, San Francisco, CA
* Rafe Totengco, Rafe New York, New York, NY
* Chris McIntyre, Eagle Rider Tours, Los Angeles, CA
* Chris Zane, Zane’s Cycles, Branford, CT
* Dan Marino, Jackson Hole Buffalo Meat Co, Jackson, WY

About American Express OPEN

American Express OPEN is dedicated exclusively to the success of small business owners and their companies. OPEN supports business owners with exceptional service. With tailored products and services, the team delivers purchasing power, flexibility, control and rewards to help customers run their business. Specifically, business owner customers can leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings, including charge and credit cards, convenient access to working capital, robust online account management capabilities and savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more information about OPENSM, visit www.OPEN.com, or call 1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply for a card. Terms and conditions apply.

American Express Company www.americanexpress.com is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

About PaySimple

PaySimple creates platforms that simplify and empower the lives of small business owners. PaySimple provides an on-demand Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that enables small businesses to bill, collect, and manage their customer payments under one user-friendly system. The PaySimple solution includes: recurring billing, email invoicing, ACH direct-debit, credit card processing, echeck processing, online payments, and more. For more information please go to http://www.paysimple.com.

Company:
American Express Open

Company URL:
http://www.acceptpay.com/

It is the end of the first decade of the 21st century time for a quick recap of what has transpired and how our life, county and beliefs have been transformed. This decade possibly more than any I have lived was FULL of some really major changes to the fabric of America. The evolution of human existence and thinking continues and hopefully that continues to improve the lives of us all.

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Half of adult Internet users bought something online in last month

Internet Users Now Spending an Average of 13 Hours a Week Online

New York, N.Y. — December 23, 2009 — A new Harris Poll finds that adult Internet users are now spending an average of 13 hours a week online.  Of course, people’s usage varies greatly; one in five (20%) of adult Internet users are online for only two hours or less a week while one in seven (14%) are spending 24 or more hours a week online. These are a few of the results of a Harris Poll of 2,029 adults surveyed by telephone between July 7 and 12 and October 13 and 18, 2009 by Harris Interactive.  Over the years the average hours spent online have increased from 7 hours in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, to between 8 and 9 hours in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.  In 2007, it increased to 11 hours.  Last year (in October after the financial crisis broke and before the presidential election) Internet users were online for 14 hours a week, double what it was from 1999 to 2002. Those who are online Other interesting findings in this Harris Poll include: ·         The age groups that spend the most time online are those aged 30-39 (18 hours) and those aged 25-29 (17 hours) and 40-49 (17 hours). ·         Half (50%) of all those online bought something on the Internet in the last month.  This includes 62% of those aged 30-39 and 56% of those aged 40-49. ·         The number of adults online, now 184 million (80%), has not changed significantly since 2008 and 2007.  This includes those online at work, at home, at school or any other locations. ·         However, the number of adults who are online at home has increased to 76% this year, and 75% last year, compared to 70% in 2006, and 66% in 2005. So what? The increase in the number of hours spent online in the last two years compared to all previous years is striking. It probably reflects a growing ability to use the Internet, an increase in sites and applications, increased TV watching online and increased purchasing online.  Also, hours online may have increased because of the recession.  Going online is free; going out usually costs money.   TABLE 1 ONLINE FROM HOME, WORK OR OTHER LOCATION – TRENDS 1995–2009 "At home/at work/at another location, do you personally use a computer to Access the Internet/World Wide Web?" "Excluding email, how many hours per week, on average, do you typically spend on the Internet or World Wide Web?" Base: All adults   Online Adults Average  (Mean) Hours Per Week Spent Online Total Online at Home Online at Work Online at Other Location % % % %   2009 – July/October 80 76 40 32 13 2008 – October/October 81 75 43 32 14 2007 – July/October 79 72 37 31 11 2006 – February/April 77 70 35 22 9 2005 – February/April 74 66 36 21 9 2004 – June/ August 73 65 34 17 8 2003 – October/December 69 61 31 16 9 2002 – November/December 67 57 28 18 7 2001 – September/October 64 52 28 19 7 2000 – October/November 63 49 29 17 7 1999 – December 56 46 N/A N/A 7 1998 – January/February 35 22 22 N/A N/A 1997 – May/June 30 16 18 N/A N/A 1996 – June/September 19 16 16 N/A N/A 1995 – September/November 9 N/A N/A N/A N/A Note: N/A means "not asked"   TABLE 2 HOURS SPENT EACH WEEK ONLINE – BY AGE "How many hours per week do you typically spend on the Internet or World Wide Web?"At home/at work/at another Base: Online users   Total Age 18-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-64 65+   % % % % % % % Less than 1 hour 1 - - 1 1 1 4 1 – 2 hours 19 19 19 9 22 22 29 3 – 5 hours 24 23 16 30 22 24 22 6 – 7 hours 6 5 6 4 7 7 11 8 – 15 hours 27 33 22 29 25 25 21 16 – 23 hours 7 5 11 8 9 7 5 24 – 168 hours 14 15 26 19 12 13 7 MEAN 13 14 17 18 17 15 8   TABLE 3 PURCHASED ONLINE IN LAST MONTH – BY AGE "Last month did you purchase any products or services over the Internet?" Base: Online users   Total Age 18-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-64 65+   % % % % % % % Yes 50 35 41 62 56 54 37 No 50 64 58 38 44 46 63 Not sure * 1 1 - - - 1 Note:  Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% because of rounding.   TABLE 4 PC AND INTERNET USE – TRENDS 1995-2009 "Do you personally use a computer at home, work or another location?" "At home/at work/at another location, do you personally use a computer to Access the Internet/World Wide Web?" Base: All adults   Proportion of All Adults (from work, home, school or other location) Percent of Computer Users Who Are Online Use PC Are Online % % % 2009 – July/October 82 80 98 2008 – October/October 83 81 98 2007 – July/October 81 79 97 2006 – February/April 81 77 95 2005 – February/April 79 74 94 2004 – June/ August 78 73 93 2003 – October/December 75 69 92 2002 – November/December 74 67 92 2001 – September/October 73 64 88 2000 – October/November 74 63 85 1999 – December 69 56 81 1998 – January/February 63 35 56 1997 – May/June 61 30 49 1996 – June/September 54 19 35 1995 – September/November 50* 9 18 Notes:  1. All samples of 2,000 or more adults, conducted by telephone. 2. "Are Online" includes all adults who use Internet from home, office, school, library or other location. * Estimated from other sources.   TABLE 5 ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF ADULTS WHO ARE ONLINE (IN MILLIONS) "At home/at work/at another location, do you personally use a computer to Access the Internet/World Wide Web?" Base: All adults   In Millions 2009 – July/October* 184 2008 – October/October 184 2007 – July/October 178 2006 – February/April 172 2005 – February/April 163 2004 – June/August 156 2003 – October/December 146 2002 – November/December 140 2001 – September/October 127 2000 – October/November 121 1999 – December 113 1998 – January/February 70 1997 – May/June 59 1996 – June/September 33 1995 – September/November 17.5 *Based on July 2008 U.S. Census estimate released January 2009 (230,117,000 total adults aged 18 or over)   Methodology This Harris Poll was conducted by telephone within the United States July 7 and 12 and October 13 and 18, 2009 among 2,029 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, number of adults in the household, number of phone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

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Palo Alto, CA– December 22, 2009 Shipwire™, a leading provider of e-commerce product fulfillment, announced today an expanded partnership with online auction and shopping behemoth eBay™. With the expanded partnership, eBay merchants will find it even easier to sell their goods on eBay and fulfill with Shipwire, thanks to a free eBay shipping tool that connects their eBay and Shipwire accounts. The announcement underscores Shipwire’s commitment to helping merchants outsource the hassle of shipping and storage, leaving them free to focus on growing sales.

eBay merchants have come to rely on Shipwire to conduct their domestic and international shipping. Developed by Shipwire, the enhanced free eBay shipping tool includes an online wizard to walk users through simple steps to connect their eBay and Shipwire accounts. Once connected, merchants can seamlessly sell on eBay and fulfill orders with Shipwire – both domestically and abroad – enabling them to grow their business across borders.

Shipwire merchant and eBay seller Andrea Thein of HappyTiffin.com sells steel lunch box food containers on eBay and through her own Web store. “Outsourcing shipping to Shipwire allowed me to focus on sales,” said Thein. “eBay is an important sales channel for me, and the free eBay shipping connection will help me automate my eBay fulfillment while cutting shipping costs.”

“The Shipwire Store-Sell-Ship platform makes it easier than ever to grow sales on eBay and offer competitive shipping rates to buyers in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. With our eBay fulfillment, sellers can cut up to 75 percent off the cost of eBay international shipping,” said Nate Gilmore, VP of Marketing and Business Development for Shipwire. “eBay sellers can now locate inventory in six warehouses, in three countries, on two continents, and cut eBay shipping costs and delivery times — all with one free Shipwire account.”

For more information, please visit http://www.shipwire.com/ebay. To begin a free trial, please visit www.shipwire.com/trial.

CNBC PRESENTS "PLANET OF THE APPS: A HAND-HELD REVOLUTION!"

One-Hour Documentary Reported by CNBC’s Scott Wapner to Premiere on CNBC on Thursday, January 7th at 10PM ET/PT

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., December 22, 2009—They’re quick, helpful and maybe even a little addictive. There are more than 100,000 apps available today and they do just about everything from helping you catch a cab to balancing your budget. CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, looks at how this cultural phenomenon has truly changed the way we live.

On Thursday, January 7th at 10PM ET/PT, CNBC presents "Planet of the Apps: A Hand-Held Revolution!," a CNBC original reported by CNBC’s Scott Wapner that goes inside the apps gold rush. CNBC introduces viewers to some of the creators who are designing applications and striking it rich and explains just how the big business of apps really works.

The one-hour program looks at how the launch of the Apple iPhone in June of 2007 gave birth to a revolution in mobile technology—an apps explosion. As the popularity of apps continues to soar and users view them as an essential tool for everyday life, Apple has opened the door for outside developers to create new apps and a new breed of entrepreneurs allowing anyone from an engineer to a Hollywood star to an everyday person to become an app developer.

CNBC also profiles two new app entrepreneurs from Chicago, Darren Marshall and Phil Tadros, who want to get in on the phenomenon with a budget management tool called Texthog. The app would allow users to immediately record their expenses by texting them to their Text Hog account. The documentary follows Marshall and Tadros as they develop, design and program the app and ultimately submit it to Apple for approval, a process, which can be both stressful and time consuming.

While the apps business is a huge success, CNBC takes a look at just how difficult it is to turn a quick profit on an app. Now, with more than 100,000 apps available, developers need to market their apps and companies like The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and even CNBC are looking to apps as a tool to complement their print and broadcast media.

CNBC takes you inside Medl Mobile, a Southern California company whose mission is to work with anyone and everyone who has an idea to get an edge in the app world and whose goal is to launch 1000 apps over the next two years.

And, with the number of Smartphone users exploding, CNBC takes a look at Apples’ competitors who are working hard to unlock the secret to the world of apps. At this point, the biggest threat appears to be Verizon/Google whose biggest selling point is their less restrictive approval process. Although it is too early to tell if any of the competitors can knock Apple off the throne, it has already opened up a whole new marketplace for app developers who want to make a business out of their ideas.

For more information including video clips and slideshows log onto planetoftheapps.cnbc.com.

"Planet of the Apps: A Hand-Held Revolution!" is produced by Kurtis Productions. Sharon Barrett is the Executive Producer and Jennifer Bernardi is the Producer for Kurtis Productions. Charles Schaeffer is the Executive Producer for CNBC. Ray Borelli is the Vice President of Strategic Research, Scheduling and Long Form Programming.

"Planet of the Apps: A Hand-Held Revolution!" will re-air on Sunday, January 10th at 11PM ET.

It is kind of of surreal to actually see yourself on a TV commercial. Even though you go to the set and shoot it, it does not really hit you like it does seeing it on the TV. American Express contacted me to be in one of there card member commercials the week of Thanksgiving. I was scrambling to make arrangement with them to fly me to Hollywood for the shoot and it really was the time of my life!

If you have not had a chance to see it, I wanted to show it to you…

Please pass this on… Tell your buds, hey I know that guy!

When I came back from the shoot in California, my good friend Brent Leary asked me to come into the studio for an interview about the experience. Check that out below…

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Of course you know it would NOT be a ColderICE experience if I did not have the "behind the scene" video of the making of the commerce right? Well you are absolutely right! I do have some killer footage from the making of the commercial. I am still putting the edits together, so watch for that post in the next week or so.

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You can upgrade easily from your Dashboard by going to Tools > Upgrade, or you can download from WordPress.org. And of course, it wouldn’t be a major release without a short video summarizing some of the cool things about the new version:

When it comes to WordPress I must admit that I normally am a few releases behind, especially on new verision major jumps. Why? Well some things I just don’t need to be first on. I like beta for testing and then new releases are still for more testing in my opinion.

I simply do not want to get the bugs out with the rest of the users so I normally wait for the .x1 or .x2 upgrade. But for those of you willing to do the debugging (LOL) here you go.

The coolest new stuff from a user point of view is:

1. Global undo/”trash” feature, which means that if you accidentally delete a post or comment you can bring it back from the grave (i.e., the Trash). This also eliminates those annoying “are you sure” messages we used to have on every delete.
2. Built-in image editor allows you to crop, edit, rotate, flip, and scale your images to show them who’s boss. This is the first wave of our many planned media-handling improvements.
3. Batch plugin update and compatibility checking, which means you can update 10 plugins at once, versus having to do multiple clicks for each one, and we’re using the new compatibility data from the plugins directory to give you a better idea of whether your plugins are compatible with new releases of WordPress. This should take the fear and hassle out of upgrading.
4. Easier video embeds that allow you to just paste a URL on its own line and have it magically turn it into the proper embed code, with Oembed support for YouTube, Daily Motion, Blip.tv, Flickr, Hulu, Viddler, Qik, Revision3, Scribd, Google Video, Photobucket, PollDaddy, and WordPress.tv (and more in the next release).