Michael Matzer, our new Germany editor, will be creating a German-language version of Internet Retailing in 2010. He is beginning with the first in a series of letters from Germany, bringing IR readers in the UK up to date with the state of play in this key European market.

Adobe Scene7 is conducting its annual global retail survey, this time focusing on Customer Experience in the New Decade, and Internet Retailing readers who complete the questionnaire will have the chance of winning an iPod Touch…

69% of respondents to an international survey conducted by Strongmail plan to integrate social media and email marketing next year — but only 42% of those who have already done so have seen a lift in the performance of their campaigns

Sales were up 11% overall this year compared to last year, but several major retailers had problems keeping their sites online.

‘Driving traffic’ has been replaced by ‘conversion’ as the criteria of measuring ecommerce success, but GSI Commerce’s Steve Davis and Jeff McCall warn that placing too much importance on conversion as a measure of success can be an over-simplified and even dangerous approach.

Growth in online sales dipped by 5% during the postal strikes at the end of October, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index.

There’s much more to designing an ecommerce site than making it pleasing to the eye, says Shine Marketing’s Stephen Pratley, as he outlines the three key skills that must be brought together to make sure your site isn’t a triumph of form over function.

Search specialist Endeca’s Robert Swint shares his top five steps to increased sales, more traffic and higher margins.

In a world where every online retailer is searching for ways to raise their conversion rate, Adobe Scene7′s Sheila Dahlgren makes the case for interactive video, where customers can change the content on the fly to get to the information they want to see…

Meaning Based Marketing is a new way of finding, interpreting and exploiting data previously not available to marketers. Here Autonomy Optimost’s Greg Kelton explains how it works, why adopting a meaning-based, customer-centric approach to marketing is the only way forward for etailers — and why you should be careful not to be trampled by hippos…

It’s easy to ignore, or write off as something just for the bigger players, but testing creatives, propositions, navigation and other site elements against each other is something everyone should be doing. Here David Hefendehl, ecommerce manager at digital agency Pod 1, offers hard-won tips to get you up and running quickly.

Research shows that 44% of US shoppers have already started their Christmas shopping, and the trend looks similar in the UK.

When consumers know their rights, enquiries can be resolved more quickly, there is less scope for conflict and expectations can be managed, argues Kevin Brennan MP, the Government’s minister for consumer affairs.

Non-food non-store (internet, mail-order and phone) sales in August were 7.9% higher than a year ago — down from 20% growth last month.

Online reputation management is a growing challenge as the internet affords ever-increasing opportunities for people to post comments on a proliferation of blogs and social media websites. Feefo’s Bill Cawley explains how to manage negative comments and turn them to your advantage…

So you’re a bright young thing that can see the potential of user reviews and interacting with customers via Twitter and Facebook, but before you can run with it you need to get buy-in from your boss. Here ATG’s Frank Lord gives four key pointers that will help you make the case for social…

Now is an excellent time to audit your site against your competitors to find out where you can refine your offering in time for Christmas, says Steve Davis of GSI Commerce, as he presents strategies for making sure you have yourself a merry little Christmas.

Incentivising cash-strapped consumers to repeatedly purchase your products or services rather than search for the best deal from your competitors has become an imperative for retailers, says Guy Keeling of online loyalty specialist Maximiles. But, with loyalty tactics ranging from coalition marketing, cashback and voucher codes through to reward schemes, how can a marketer determine which components will work best for their brand?

Adopting a centralised view of customers across all channels will place retailers on the front foot when planning business strategies, product developments and customer service techniques, says Convergys’ Frank Sherlock.

… or is that “profit per engagement second”? Video post on the argument – looking forward to comments, rebuttals and improved ideas.