The past week was one dominated by earnings. Amazon disappointed but showed signs of where their growth is coming from. One thing that seems to have gone missing this week in all the Amazon doom and gloom is that they have a long term strategy. So they had a bad quarter.. yes, there are others who would not mind being in their position.

I believe that we are also beginning to see the power of the marketplace for a variety of verticals. Amazon is the standard and the results back it up, startups are trying to assist users either sell no longer needed items or help them them acquire items. The point is this vertical is growing in importance.

One other thing that struck me this week is the re-emergence of the different types of content that ecommerce companies are using. It is videos, bolt on services and augmented reality. IKEA, Zappos and Wajam are the examples for the past week.

The 10 stories that got my attention was:

1. How online shoppers shop – from country to country – Some interesting observations that Rakuten have from data collected.  I think it highlights that every ecommerce company, should be looking at user behaviour is some way or form.

2. Hello La Mode Launches eBay-Like Marketplace for Luxury Goods – Luxury Goods rival fashion as a vertical that has seen a great deal of innovation. “Hello La Mode’s platform is aimed at anyone looking to sell their high-end fashion items, or people looking to purchase luxury items at more affordable prices.”  Aspirational commerce is a great network effect creator – think about it. It helps the consumer (lower pricing) and the brands (end of season stock).

3. Wajam Partners With Shopping.com To Add Comparison Shopping To Its Social Search Engine – I find this interesting. Shopping.com is an eBay property and they agreed to a browser plugin which could potentially take traffic away from their platform. Is this a sign that users are looking for a social search engine?

4. Zappos at Forefront of Video Commerce – Video commerce is something that both intrigues me but also is a scary idea. Videos leave users more informed on the product which is great but the concern for me is how do you leverage it on a product page? One additional attention grabbing element that could adversely effect the user’s decision making process..

5. Mr Price ready to launch online store – A retailer adding an ecommerce play in South Africa, exciting. Looking forward to having a look on their launch date ( 30 July 2012). Come on Massmart, where are Game etc for online users?

6. Location, location, location: Foursquare debuts paid search ads – Location based commerce is at the moment driven by technology companies. Foursquare and facebook seem to be the leaders  at the moment. Groupon have been very quiet over Groupon Now! Which leads me to wonder – how do you execute location in your ecommerce play without causing awkwardness for your users?

7. Amazon’s Mobile Push Borrows From Both Apple & Samsung – Amazon.com is borrowing ideas. This article is a great read as the parallel between devices companies (Samsung, Apple) and a hybrid company (Amazon) are definitely there.

8. Stealthy Online Shopping Startup Commerce Sciences Launches A Meebo Bar For E-Commerce – Having something unobtrusive on multiple pages on a website is an interesting idea. I have concerns over this solution as for example how does this handle the browser cookie law change in the EU?

9.  Ecommerce Company Ordoro Raises $1.2M to Make “Confirm” Button Hassle-Free – Regular readers will be aware that I value logistics. It is one of the most under appreciated parts of digital commerce yet it seems it is slowly getting more attention. I wonder how long it is before Ordero is acquired by one of the big players?

10. Flipkart Launches Private Label DigiFlip For Accessories; Why? I am always concerned when retailers or eretailers go in private labels. In my mind private labels is something that you go to when you are a dominant player in your market. The hard work and grafting  is done and you have a slick operation before you move on to a private label. Flipkart I think sees Digiflip as a way to make more profit. Higher profit margins are possible with a private label and provide greater control for the retailer.

Bonus link: The newsonomics of Amazon vs. Main Street – “Amazon, of course, just wants to make money. Yet, it has already, in part, disintermediated shopping itself.” A great read..

Onwards.