Google vs Amazon, eBay changes their logo, Google goes ecommerce local in China and Alibaba claims that they are the world’s biggest ecommerce business in terms of value of sold items.

Phew, what a mouthful. The week has sped by but the above is only a smidgen of ecommerce news. Let me say this once, we are at the beginning stages of one of the biggest rivalries the world has seen. I can’t get the Google vs Amazon storyline out of my mind. The implications is huge and impacts the ecommerce industry and user wallets. We are going to be seeing a lot more of this. Secondly, I fear for flash sales and group buying companies. It seems the ship has sailed..

1. Is Fab.com Foretelling the End of Daily Deals? Readers will be aware that Groupon is losing share value faster than Usain Bolt running an Olympic 100m race. I think Fab.com removing the walled garden and making their entire catalog available to all is the sign that flash sales is sunsetting. Gilt Groupe has gone this route as well..

2. Google Charges Retailers to Appear on Shopping Site – I fear the paid for Google Shopping for retailers. I think that Google is testing their relationship strength with going paid. 2 bad campaigns on Product Listing Ads and you might need to close your business. This wont be the last post on this topic.

3. Google launches China-only Boutique app for shoppers – this is a market test I believe with a potential global roll out later. I see this as an extension of their domination in local and adding commerce to the mix makes sense. I would love to know the platforms supported in China for this app as I think Google invested quite a bit in getting that to market. Lets all be clear – Google has commerce ambitions.

4. Goodbye Mizado, Hello Jumia: Inside Rocket Internet’s Newest Gamble in Egypt – The musical chairs at Rocket Internet has been going on for a few weeks. I would love to know how aggressive pricing strategies are for all Rocket Internet ecommerce companies. If you are consistently the lowest price then either you are selling  at cost price or incredibly low margin, right?

5. The world’s self-proclaimed e-commerce champ – Alibaba claims that they are the world leader when it comes to the value of merchandise sold via its e-commerce sites. It would make sense as their main market of operation is the biggest in terms of people found in a country. I must ask why is this such a big deal suddenly?

6. Brazilian group Buscapé Company acquires social commerce platform Shopcliq.it – Product discovery is a big deal. Help your user find the product they are looking for and you have the beginning of a journey that ends in a transaction. Remember Pinterest anyone?

7. eBay CEO John Donahoe: Israel Plays Significant Role in Driving Innovation in Commerce -” Speaking at the HTIA2012 hi-tech conference in Jerusalem, eBay CEO John Donahoe said that the Israel R&D centers of the E-commerce giant and its subsidiary PayPal will continue to help drive the company’s innovation in commerce and payment in the foreseeable future.” I wonder why so few of the ecommerce super powers have offices in Israel? If you have read Startup nation you will understand why..

8.Growth in Argentina, Mexico Drives Ecommerce in Latin America– Despite Brazil’s dominance, Argentina and Mexico will be the driving forces behind Latin America’s ecommerce growth. Ecommerce in Latin America is fast approaching matured status (hello Brazil) but there are still some very big challenges (payment legislation, logistics and most importantly retail is still fighting ecommerce.)

9.  Amazon, Forced to Collect Sales Tax, Aims to Keep Its Competitive Edge – Remember that tax collection was supposedto be the element that would kill long term growth? Classic Bezos – take a weakness and make it an asset. I am not buying their lack of interest in same day shipping..

10. Google quietly adds car insurance comparison to financial services portfolio – When BeatThatQuote was acquired by Google it was a given that they would be adding value to the offering. I am expecting roll out in a variety of regions and a continuous adding of verticals that they want to service to ensure a “better user experience”.

Bonus links for the past week: