Common Sense eCommerce

Morale must be pretty low at Yahoo! these days. Takeover bids, job cuts, and desperate measures - like pairing with Google for ad serving - make it seem like dark days for the internet pioneer company. Very few people are talking about Yahoo! stores in this deal. Yahoo! Stores are a well oiled ecommerce engine that few other companies can match. Google has nothing like them and neither does Microsoft. Microsoft sort of tried that a few years ago with their Microsoft Online Small Business Services but it went nowhere.

Yahoo! Stores provide a sizeable chunk of the niche ecommerce market - everything from foam earplugs to fishing tackle to piano sheet music to wedding favors. It would seem that this would provide value to Microsoft if they do indeed end up acquiring Yahoo! As far as I know, Yahoo! is the single largest eCommerce hosting provider and that’s got to count for something. If MS does take over will they recognize that as value or will they shutter it like they did with their Online Small Business Services?

For Yahoo, clock ticks down to Microsoft deadline

The 9th Annual Ecommerce Summit is taking place in New Orleans, April 22 through April 25. It has a lot of interesting looking session centering on things like navigating eBay changes using social networks in an ecommerce business. Also, there are panels on subjects like Product Sourcing and Yahoo Stores.

Cost is $299 minus travel and lodging so if you live in the south and have the time, check it out!

Ecommerce Summit 2008

I had always thought of Yahoo! as a major playa in the internet search marketing area. How odd they are fighting for survival right now. Attempting to deflect Microsoft’s takeover, which is becoming increasingly hostile, Yahoo! has taken to a Google partnership for ad serving - on a ‘test’ basis. How ironic that just a few short years ago, the shoe was on the other foot. Google, when Adwords was still in its infancy was serving up Yahoo ads (then known as Overture).

I am no industry analyst, but I see this as weak move on Yahoo’s part. Didn’t Yahoo! just spend a bunch of money and effort on upgrading their own advertising platform? Panama? Hmmm, seems like Yahoo! is chalking up the ‘throw-aways’ lately. Does anyone remember Yahoo 360? How they hyped that up and then just tossed it asunder?

Now there are rumors bubbling about Yahoo! buying AOL. Talk about throw-aways! Is AOL anything other that a relic of a different era with perhaps a mixed brand reputation? These seem like the actions of a desperate company and it’s sad to see Yahoo! in this light. At any rate, it’s an interesting story to watch unfold.

Yahoo to test use of Google’s search ad service

Yahoo Is Close to Combining With AOL