Federal Trade Commission investigators have been interviewing small businesses about Amazon and asking about how much revenue they get from the platform compared with other online marketplaces. The FTC is examining how Amazon is using its market power.

Customers who buy items from Amazon online can return them using a QR code at select Amazon Go stores in New York and San Francisco under a pilot program. The effort is expected to save Amazon money, as in-store returns cost retailers much less than those done by mail or handled by a third-party company.

Distributors can improve e-commerce revenue with sites that load quickly, accept multiple payment options and are optimized for mobile users, writes Marty Acks. "If your e-commerce store doesn't have a social media component, there is a large swath of potential buyers with whom you'll never connect," he writes.

Jessica Huhn describes 14 tactics to enhance business-to-business growth, including developing an in-depth knowledge of target audiences, identifying and monitoring strategic goals, and personalizing content. She also covers optimizing websites, providing social proof through customer reviews and creating landing pages that will lead to conversions.

Business-to-business companies should be proactive about turning customers into brand ambassadors, writes Patricia Jones. By encouraging employees to focus on customer success instead of customer service, aligning customer success teams with sales personnel and quickly owning any mistakes that negatively affect customers, B2B firms can encourage buyers to advocate for their services, Jones writes.

Long-term, high-level strategies are falling out of favor as agile, concrete and data-driven strategies begin to show promise, writes Jeroen Kraaijenbrink. "With the increasing popularity of business modeling, a lot of effort is now being made in opening up the black box of strategy," he writes.

The support of co-workers after a cancer diagnosis taught Lynne Levy the importance of being open and personal in the workplace. "Whether a graduation, a marriage, or recovering from an illness, it is important to celebrate often," she writes.

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