In March, Amazon made a sneak peak available to retailers by invitation only. The WebStore integrates with the sister services of online giant including Fulfillment by Amazon and Selling on Amazon. It features an enhanced wizard that makes for easy set up. Launching sites is faster and business will have more control over the design of their store sites and merchandising option. In addition to the integration of web systems, the new WebStore also allows phone and store ordering as well as customer service. Business will also be able to track and better manage their offers, inventories, and orders coming in from all channels.

Amazon also reportedly lowered the cost considerably to retailers and merchants. To build a website, the price is listed at $24.99 a month plus a commission of 2% per transaction for retailers. Merchants who sell on Amazon pay monthly a $14.99 fee with a commission of 1% per transaction as well as applicable Amazon seller fees. For merchants that use Fullfullment by Amazon, there is a $9.99 per month fee and a 0.7% transaction commission in addition to the applicable seller’s fees. Fraud protection and payment processing services are also offered and start at 1.9% plus a .30 fee per transaction.

Amazon is looking to make it easier for manufacturers, merchants, and retailers to operate secure and quality e-commerce businesses that suit their brand and their customers. They are looking to leverage their technology to help ‘level the playing field’ for small and medium-sized business, as well as improve the overall experience of the customer.

Since the release of the new version of the WebStore, Amazon has experienced a rise in stock prices over the last three months.

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Introduces New, Improved WebStore was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

In addition to shopping the sales, both online and off; (and shopping places with free shipping if you’re having it delivered) there is another way to save some money on your holiday shopping (actually, on your anytime shopping but you’ll probably see the most benefits when you are buying a lot in a short period of time- like around the holidays!)

Fatwallet.com has a variety of ways to help frugal shoppers like us!  Some deals are provided in the form of coupon codes, so when you check-out, you simply enter the code and receive the advertised discount.  Some of the deals are special discounts on select items; or free shipping.

One of the greatest features of Fat Wallet is that you are getting deals and discounts from the stores you’re already shopping, like Target, Kmart, Walmart, Circuit City, Dell, and more!  So you grab your discount codes or special discount links from Fatwallet.com; and then go about your normal online shopping experience with your favorite retailers.

Unique to Fat Wallet is their cash back sales.  These allow you to participate in one of the advertised deals, and even earn cash back on the purchases you make at select merchants.  Fat Wallet has worked out deals with 125 retailers.  They earn commission for all the referrals they send to the retailers through their site, and Fat Wallet shares their commissions to the people making purchases in the form of cash back!  Average cash back amounts are 2 to 5%; but I saw a few as high as 19 and 20% cash back.

If you’ve got a shopping list of things to buy for friends and family, you may as well start with Fat Wallet and give yourself the opportunity to save some money, get free shipping, or earn cash back at the same time.  With a little research and planning, the money you save could be enough to get yourself the gift you wished someone had gotten for you but didn’t!

Keep Your Wallet a Little Fatter This Holiday Season! was created by and is property of American Consumer News.