If any merchant knows how to do mobile commerce, it’s eBay Inc. The online marketplace projects $10 billion in m-commerce sales this year, double that of 2011. It boasts more than a dozen smartphone and tablet apps, an m-commerce site, QR code programs, augmented reality technology, and more. So when eBay talks, retailers may want to take notes.
“Retailers know their shoppers are using their mobile phones to influence how, what and when they shop. The more pressing question is: How are retailers taking advantage of these mobile phones to offer the best shopping experiences whenever inspiration strikes?” says Steve Yankovich, vice president of mobile at eBay. “From image recognition and bar code scanning to push alerts and geofencing, the technologies packed in these mobile phones are all prime opportunities for retailers to make shopping fun, relevant and easy.”
Yankovich will be sharing lessons eBay has learned in m-commerce and pointing retailers, travel companies, ticket sellers and other organizations toward the best tactics and technologies in his keynote address at the 2012 Internet Retailer Mobile Marketing & Commerce Forum Oct. 8-10 in San Diego. The address is entitled “Mobilizing for the Future: How eBay Inc. and Mobile are Transforming the Way the World Shops.”
EBay has long been an innovator in m-commerce. It added live streaming video from racing events and image recognition search to its eBay Motors app earlier this year. The marketplace sells 2,800 cars through its mobile apps every week, it reports. Late last year it debuted tablet app technology that enables a consumer watching television to enter the show he is watching and view products featured in that show. Also late last year, eBay unveiled a web site dedicated to the iPad. When iPad users type in eBay.com, eBay automatically redirects them to a unique site specially optimized for use on the popular tablet computers.
“In my keynote, I’ll share how retailers can best use mobile to design the most personalized experiences that will urge consumers to shop,” Yankovich says. “From sharing insights on how to use location-based technologies to tips on the best time of day to interact with shoppers, I will explain to attendees just how to take advantage of mobile—ultimately helping them compete and win in a new commerce environment that demands a multichannel approach.”