Webware

Daily-deals provider LivingSocial has decided against an initial public offering for now.

Rather than test the IPO market, LivingSocial's management has decided to raise $400 million in funding, based on a $6 billion valuation. According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing outlining its plans, LivingSocial has already raised $176 million of the sum.

Bloomberg, which was first to report on the funding yesterday, cited sources who claimed the entire amount will come in the form of both equity and debt.

Back in June, LivingSocial was rumored to be eying a $1 billion IPO, based on a valuation of … Read more

People who use Amazon's PriceCheck app to compare prices while holiday shopping can score a 5 percent discount this coming Saturday.

Here's how it works:

Amazon's free PriceCheck app lets you look up almost any item to compare the store's price with that of other retailers. You can either scan the product's barcode, snap a picture of it, speak its name, or just simply type its name. In return, the app shows you prices from both online and offline retailers, including of course, Amazon.

The new holiday promotion will start on December 9 at 9 … Read more

Tablet owners are quite comfortable buying goods and services through their devices, a trend that's fueling the growth in mobile shopping, says mobile media firm JiWire.

As tablet ownership has doubled over the past year, a new study from JiWire found that 82 percent of tablet users are OK buying items through their mobile devices (either tablets or smartphones), compared with 76 percent of smartphone users.

Further, tablet owners aren't afraid to spend big bucks. A full 67 percent of the tablet users are willing to spend $50 or more on a purchase, compared with just 57 percent … Read more

Microsoft will share more information about its Windows 8 app store at a special event Tuesday.

Slated to take place in San Francisco, the two-hour Windows Store preview event should provide the latest details about the Windows Store to the invited developers and members of the press.

Microsoft has been mum about the Windows Store lately, but it did reveal some facts at its Build conference in mid-September.

Trying to outdo Apple's Mac App store, the Windows Store will let users download free trial copies of Metro-style apps to check out for a limited time. So developers won't … Read more

Amazon said it supports a federal law that would let states collect sales tax from online retailers, but only if smaller businesses are not exempt.

Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president for global public policy, yesterday expressed support for an "even-handed" method of collecting state sales taxes from Internet vendors in congressional testimony (PDF).

"Congress should authorize the states to require collection, with the great objects of protecting states' rights, addressing the states' needs, and leveling the playing field for all sellers," Misener said, according to a transcript of his testimony.

But the Amazon executive argued … Read more

Cyber Monday has typically been a big day for online retailers, but yesterday was a significant step up over last year, IBM has revealed.

According to the company, online sales were up 33 percent compared to Cyber Monday 2010 and 29.3 percent compared to Black Friday 2011. Consumers spent an average of $198.26 per order this year, IBM said. Last year, the average Cyber Monday order was $193.24.

"Cyber Monday was once again the big winner for the Thanksgiving holiday shopping season, with a record number of consumers focused on finding the best online deals," … Read more

When Groupon went public earlier this month at $20 per share, the daily-deals provider saw its stock soar. But now, Groupon has become a losing proposition for its shareholders.

The company's shares yesterday dropped 9.01 percent, or $1.51, to settle at $15.24. That's despite the fact that Nasdaq was up 3.5 percent yesterday.

Since Groupon went public, the company's stock has declined 41.63 percent, and by the look of things, the drop could continue until shareholders start to see some positive financial news come out of the company.

The issue is, Groupon … Read more

The holidays are shaping up to be a big revenue generator for online companies, according to new research from ComScore.

According to the company, U.S. consumers will spend $37.6 billion online in the last two months of the year, up 15 percent compared to the $32.6 billion they spent last year. To put that figure into perspective, online customers in the U.S. spent $124.3 billion between January and October of this year.

ComScore has based some of its findings on the cash consumers have already spent. According to the company, between November 1 and November … Read more

There's gold in them thar closets.

That's what Zappos founder Nick Swinmurn is telling people with his new startup, RNKD, which is aiming to dole out rewards to people who share with the world photos of what's in their wardrobes.

The idea behind RNKD, which launched today, is fairly simple. Swinmurn, who came up with the idea for what eventually became Zappos, and who got eventual CEO Tony Hsieh to invest, wants to help brands learn more about shoppers' tastes. And Swinmurn thinks that the best indication of their future behavior is their past actions.

The more … Read more