PR Newswire's Business Technology Round-up, 10th December 2012

LONDON, December 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Growth in US online spending revealed, Groupon launches new Merchant Centre and Machinima reveals winners of its Inside Gaming Awards

The US e-commerce market has experienced an explosive period of growth over the past month, with new figures revealing that total sales volume for November was up by 13% on this time last year.

November's sales figure reached a previously unheard of $26.6 billion, with the final three days in the relevant period all witnessing sales in excess of $1billion. Online sales received a huge boost from successful Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales in the US, which saw a 32% and 28% year on year rise respectively, swiftly followed by a 17% increase in the relatively new "Cyber Monday" sales day.

Industry experts are now predicting this stellar growth to continue over the Christmas period, with a spokesman from market research firm ComScore believing that a lull in spending during the first few days of December was merely a "temporary effect, having more to do with the extended shopping calendar this year...rather than weakening consumer fundamentals."

Online voucher expert Groupon has announced the launch of its new Merchant Centre this week, bringing an entirely new business element to its British business partners.

The new centre will allow Groupon's network of partner businesses in the UK to access a number of key sales statistics on a real time basis, allowing them to easily track their ROI (return on investment) figures from the company's website. In addition to these key figures, those listing deals on the site will also have instant access to direct customer feedback on their products, allowing businesses to better tailor their deals and respond to customer experiences.

According to one satisfied business user, "It is fantastic to have all the information regarding redeemed vouchers, as it takes away a lot of stress." The new system is available for use from today.

Machinima, an innovative developer of global video entertainment networks specifically for the young male market, has announced the latest tranche of winners following its annual Inside Gaming Awards.

A number of well-known companies were recognised for their contribution to the video game market, with the X-Box only Halo 4 cleaning up in no fewer than three categories including the prestigious "Game of the Year Award". Other winners included the World of Warcraft series for "Best Additional Content", whilst Assassin's Creed 3 won the "Gamer's Choice Award".

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