"Multichannel" (or even better, "omnichannel") is something almost every self-respecting retailer wants to be. But most pure-play internet vendors resist the idea that actual stores, with their rents, payrolls and security cameras, ought to be one of those channels. The thought of having the same costs as bricks-and-mortar competitors "scares the living daylights out of me," says Charles Hunt, owner of Duvet and Pillow Warehouse, a fast-growing online retailer. Yet things are changing.

The U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding proposal to allow states to collect sales tax on internet sellers that have no presence within their borders.

Danish oil and shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk said it has entered into an agreement to explore biofuel as an alternative energy source for its ship fleet.