Posts Tagged: milo

0 Permanent link to A full recap of eBay Inc. at NRF 2012 A full recap of eBay Inc. at NRF 2012

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, January 19th, 2012

A full recap of eBay Inc. at NRF 2012

Apologies for the delay here. I realize I’ve been back in the Bay Area for 24 hours but had to focus on eBay Q4 2011 earnings yesterday, meaning that my NRF 2012 recap post got put on hold. Without further ado, here you go folks…

Monday’s Panel:
Social Shopping: Mobility, Social Media and Personalized Services
Moderator: Kevin Permenter, The Aberdeen Group
Panelists:
Liam O’Keefe, Black Bear Saloon
Rick Orr, TabbedOut
Bob Schwartz, Magento

“Smart retailers are looking for anything that creates less friction for the customer’s shopping experience” @bobschwartz #NRF12 #ebayatNRF

— Richard Brewer-Hay (@ebayinkblog) January 16, 2012

Overview: Connected devices make what was once a solitary trip to the store a more socially connected event. Smartphones don’t serve as just another marketing vehicle—they can be a platform to combine the digital and physical worlds. As shoppers go through the process of discovering new products, testing them and reflecting on their purchases, they share these thoughts with their social networks and influence perception among their peer group. This session will examine why retailers must embrace and facilitate this sharing of information, and how retail outlets need to evolve to create experiences that drive sales in-store. Retailers will learn how to integrate mobile and social media strategies into a cohesive business model that enhances marketing and merchandising.

It was an engaging discussion with some key trends running through the presentations. It was something we heard from eBay Inc. CEO, John Donahoe last week and from Don Kingsborough on Sunday: The rules of technology are being rewritten and the rate of change is incredible – particularly in the world of retail and commerce. Again, the emphasis was made on the need for the education of – and adoption by – merchants. It was also agreed that when it comes to all the huge amounts of data coming in through social channels, the key is prioritization and delegation.

eBay Inc. at NRF 2012: Show Floor

PayPal Shopping Showcase

On my last day in New York I was lucky enough to check out the PayPal Shopping Showcase (and unlucky enough to get into a physical altercation with a NYC taxi cab on my walk over… but that’s another story).

From the PayPal Blog:
Imagine a digital wallet that stores all of your gift cards, loyalty points and offers and then automatically applies the stored money and savings for you at the point of sale. Imagine purchasing an oversized item from the aisle and having it shipped directly to your house in a matter of clicks. At the Shopping Showcase, we’ll be showing merchants and select members of the media a complete set of solutions that do all of this – and so much more

You can check out all my photos of the PayPal Shopping Showcase in eBay Ink at NRF flickr set.

Also, be sure to check out our recap and video of Don Kingsborough, PayPal GM of Retail and Prepaid, and his mobile payments panel.

It has been a whirlwind 10 days covering both CES and NRF but it’s good to be back at HQ and working on some cool social projects for 2012. Will keep you all posted.

Cheers!
RBH
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0 Permanent link to At a glance: eBay Inc. at NRF 2012 At a glance: eBay Inc. at NRF 2012

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, January 12th, 2012

At a glance: eBay Inc. at NRF 2012

Goodbye Las Vegas… Hello New York!

My time here in Las Vegas is winding down (about to head out to the Las Vegas online sellers meetup in a few minutes). I’m packing my bags and leaving one leading industry conference for another. I’ll be at the National Retail Federation 2012 from Sunday – Tuesday to cover all things eBay Inc.

eBay Ink at NRF

Sunday, January 15:
Panel Session: Mobile Payments: Making Dollars and Sense in Mobile Payments
Don Kingsborough, VP/ GM of Retail and Prepaid at PayPal
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Hall E, 1E 07/08
Overview: The mobile payments space comprises two different systems: 1) payments using the mobile network, and 2) contactless payments. Payments and the services mobile payments enable at the store level can serve as a powerful and disruptive force in the retail environment. This session reviews the latest in this rapidly evolving technology and business, and details the newest players in the mobile payments ecosystem.

Monday, January 16
Panel Session: Social Shopping: Mobility, Social Media and Personalized Services
Bob Schwartz, President, Magento
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Hall A, 1A 10/12
Overview: Connected devices make what was once a solitary trip to the store a more socially connected event. Smartphones don’t serve as just another marketing vehicle—they can be a platform to combine the digital and physical worlds. As shoppers go through the process of discovering new products, testing them and reflecting on their purchases, they share these thoughts with their social networks and influence perception among their peer group. This session will examine why retailers must embrace and facilitate this sharing of information, and how retail outlets need to evolve to create experiences that drive sales in-store. Retailers will learn how to integrate mobile and social media strategies into a cohesive business model that enhances marketing and merchandising.

Booths:
Check out the NRF floorplan with highlighted eBay Inc. booths.

Twitter:
I’ll be live-tweeting throughout the conference from @ebayinkblog using the #eBayatNRF hashtag.

Other key Twitter handles:@PayPal, @X_Commerce, @MiloShopping, @GSICommerce, @Magento, @bobschwartz

The Passport:
Attendees will receive a passport that they can get stamped at the 3 booths (PayPal, GSI, Milo) and if they get stamps from each of the 3 booths, they will be entered in a drawing for $1000 (3 drawings in all).

Finally, I sat down with eBay Inc. CEO, John Donahoe, at CES 2012 to talk about the eBay Inc. portfolio and how consumers are changing their shopping behaviors and how that impacts eBay’s participation in certain industry events, like the NRF:

Cheers,
RBH
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0 Permanent link to eBay Ink Weekly Roundup – June 24 #InkRoundup eBay Ink Weekly Roundup – June 24 #InkRoundup

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Friday, June 24th, 2011

eBay Ink Weekly Roundup – June 24 #InkRoundup

eBay Radio Party and Conference 2011
eBay buyers and sellers gathered in Las Vegas this week for the annual eBay Radio Party. Designed to educate and inspire, attendees were able to network and hear speakers, including our own Social Media Sellers John Lawson and Marsha Collier. eBay Radio celebrated its 8th anniversary this year and is the world’s longest running professionally produced internet radio show. [via eBay Ink]

Jack Abraham Redefining the Future of Retail
Jack Abraham, the master mind behind the company Milo, an e-commerce site finding products in-stock at local stores, is helping build the future for eBay. Acquiring the company in December, eBay CEO John Donahoe is relying on Abraham to help steer eBay to the future of retail. Fast Company details how Milo came into fruition and describes eBay’s future of owning “cross-channel retail”, shopping online and offline, with search power help from Milo to explore both local stores and websites. [via Fast Company]

News International Adopts PayPal Checkout to Drive Digital Subscriptions
The Times and The Sunday Times readers will now be able to use PayPal to purchase subscriptions on websites and iPad editions in lieu of credit and debit cards. Carl Scheible, PayPal’s UK managing director, says the aim of the payment system is to provide media owners with the “flexibility” needed to “monetize their content in the best way for their users and their businesses.” [via PayPal Blog]

Further News
+ Forrester Research reports $3 billion annual m-commerce business last year
+ Customers trust social contacts over retailers when shopping
+ Lone-star state’s, Austin will become a “wave and pay” city by 2012
+ According to a study by Group SJR and Liz Claiborne Inc, mobile purchases are on the rise

Looking Back on eBay Ink
June 29, 2010: It has been 3 years since eBay Classifieds launched in the U.S. and to mark the occasion they’ve launched their own blog. Good stuff! They’re just getting started with the blog so please add them to your subscriptions. The blog can be found at http://blog.ebayclassifieds.com. Also, if you’re not following them already, you should add @eBayClassifieds to your Twitter feed.

eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.
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0 Permanent link to “Milo Local Shopping” iPhone App now available “Milo Local Shopping” iPhone App now available

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, June 16th, 2011

“Milo Local Shopping” iPhone App now available

In addition to today’s availability of the enhanced eBay App for Android (now including selling functionality), Milo.com, a local shopping startup acquired by eBay in December 2010, today launched its iPhone app, called Milo Local Shopping. Milo’s new app helps people search the shelves of local stores, both at home and on-the-go. It’s the only app in the App Store that shows what nearby stores actually have a product in-stock, where the stores are located, and how the price at one store compares to another down the block. The app’s barcode scanner (using RedLaser technology) makes comparison shopping even easier – just scan a barcode and see whether a nearby store has the item for less.

Milo Local Shopping for Android has been available since last year.

Find out more about eBay’s “local” solutions and strategy at http://www.ebay.com/local/.

Cheers,
RBH
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0 Permanent link to eBay Mobile App for Android now includes selling functionality eBay Mobile App for Android now includes selling functionality

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, June 16th, 2011

eBay Mobile App for Android now includes selling functionality

eBay has enhanced its mobile application for Android to now include new selling capabilities. Based on feedback I’ve received on past posts it’s something that our users have been looking forward to.

* Selling on eBay is now supported (available in US and UK with support for more countries coming soon!)
** Quickly list an item from start to finish on your phone and include up to 8 photos
** Use the integrated barcode scanner from RedLaser to prefill item details when listing an item
** Revise an item from your Active Selling list
** Relist an item from your Unsold list
** Sell one like this feature available when viewing a similar item on eBay
** Schedule an auction to start immediately or choose a later date
** End an active auction
** Mark an item as shipped
** Contact the buyer
* Updated home screen
* View your own feedback ratings and recent comments from eBay members
* More options for refining your search results: condition, free shipping, location, completed listings and sold items only
* Fix for issue that restricted bidding for users on specific carriers/devices
* Other bug fixes and improvements

You can check out a full set of screen shots from the enhanced app on the eBay Ink Flickr feed.

The release of the enhanced app and the release of the new Milo Shopping Mobile iPhone app both come just a day after Christopher Payne, head of eBay Marketplaces North America, gave the keynote presentation at Internet Retailer Conference 2011. In his presentation, Christopher focused heavily on the future of commerce (Commerce 3.0) and the pivotal role both mobile and local will have in the evolution of shopping. Here are some key quotes from his presentation yesterday:

** “Introducing “Fetch” a plug-in that integrates QuickBooks with Milo, allowing a merchant to get their offline inventory onto eBay. “Fetch” is in Beta / free for merchants. We are only accepting data for merchants with Quickbooks POS systems.”
** “eBay believes “Local” is where “Mobile” was 2 years ago. (Hence the RedLaser, Milo and Where acquisitions).”
** “Mobile commerce gives the consumer a store wherever they are and it’s always open.”
** “1 in 6 Americans are accessing the web through a mobile device.”
** “eBay saw $2 billion in sales through mobile platform in 2010. Expects to double that in 2011.”
** “We introduced the first eBay mobile app in 2008. Since then, our apps have been downloaded 45 million times.”

You can read the full Internet Retailer Report: IRCE 2011 Report: eBay pitches partnerships

Cheers,
RBH
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1 Permanent link to eBay Brings Local Inventory Online eBay Brings Local Inventory Online

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, March 31st, 2011

eBay Brings Local Inventory Online

Bringing local commerce one step closer to shoppers, eBay announced today that it will be offering consumers local inventory powered by Milo. Shoppers will now be able to use the new local shopping tab to check a product’s local, or in-store availability. Additionally, product pages for MP3 players and GPS devices now include a local shopping tab allowing shoppers to find they product they want, whether its online or offline at a local retailer.

From the press release:

“In the new retail environment, eBay is uniquely positioned to help retailers, large and small, compete globally in new ways and to help consumers shop for whatever they want – anytime, anywhere.,” said Dane Glasgow, vice president, global product management, eBay. “Our customers tell us they want eBay to make it even easier and more convenient to find great deals, whether they’re shopping online or around the corner. We are enabling a new kind of commerce, connecting eBay shoppers to local merchants.”

By bringing local inventory into the core search experience on eBay.com, shoppers who opt-in through the Garden will now see local shopping results on a new tab alongside the traditional search results on eBay.com

To connect small retailers and local shoppers, eBay is also introducing pluginfrom Milo that will help small to mid-size retailers easily integrate their offline merchandise onto Milo and eBay. Beginning with retailers who use QuickBooks, this software will allow independent retailers to upload their local inventory through a one-time, three-step installation and automatically share the real-time availability of their products with millions of shoppers nationwide, whether on eBay.com, eBay’s RedLaser mobile barcode-scanning application, or Milo’s affiliate partner sites. Retailers can sign up for the program here: http://www.milo.com/retailer-signup

Additional information about the new features is available at: http://www.ebay.com/local
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1 Permanent link to Need that last minute gift to fill an empty stocking? eBay’s new GiftsNearby is for you Need that last minute gift to fill an empty stocking? eBay’s new GiftsNearby is for you

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

Need that last minute gift to fill an empty stocking? eBay’s new GiftsNearby is for you

Another sign that ecommerce sites are tapping into all things local to augment existing services, eBay has introduced GiftsNearby – giftsnearby.ebay.com – the first integration of Milo’s local inventory availability onto eBay. It’s a new way for last-minute shoppers to simplify their final shopping sprees by showing them gift options available for pick-up at local retailers. In addition to the Milo integration, it also signals a first-of-its-kind agreement with Best Buy that allows shoppers to reserve / purchase a gift on GiftsNearby from a local Best Buy store and pick it up at their convenience (and earn eBay Bucks in the process).

Available specifically for the homestretch of holiday gifting, GiftsNearby shows shoppers a selection of popular holiday gift options ranging from electronics and other gadgets to home appliances and toys that are available at local retailers in or near their zip code. Only items that are in stock at a selection of more than 25 trusted retailers are offered as gift options, ensuring last-minute Santas can fly out to pick up exactly what they want and know it will be there… For Santas who have run out of time to comparison-shop, GiftsNearby shows local retail prices for each item, directions to the closest store with inventory availability, and an option to browse eBay for the gift.

Related Reads:
Thanks To Milo, eBay Goes Local With Product Inventory Tool GiftsNearby
For eBay, Milo represents a way to break into the local shopping market. Forrester estimates that online research to offline buying is a $917 billion market that will eventually reach $1.3 trillion and account for nearly 50% of total retail sales by 2013. [TechCrunch]

eBay Sends Shoppers to Offline Stores
This is not the first time eBay has funneled shoppers on its marketplace to other retailers. In the past, it experimented with mixing results from its comparison shopping engine, Shopping.com, with eBay.com’s search listings for certain products… [NY Times Bits]
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0 Permanent link to eBay Adds @miloshopping results to RedLaser Apps for iPhone and Android #ebaynews eBay Adds @miloshopping results to RedLaser Apps for iPhone and Android #ebaynews

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

eBay Adds @miloshopping results to RedLaser Apps for iPhone and Android #ebaynews

Not wasting anytime at all (I literally just said hello to the Milo.com folks as they were getting their welcome tour to eBay HQ), eBay has already added local shopping results from Milo to its RedLaser barcode scanning applications for both iPhone and Android. With the integration of Milo, shoppers on RedLaser can immediately find out, through a single scan, which nearby retailers currently have that perfect gift in-stock and who has the best local price.

** Download the RedLaser App for iPhone.
** Download the RedLaser App for Android.

It has only been two business days since the Milo acquisition was announced.

The following interview with Milo founder, Jack Abraham, was uploaded on Friday.

Cheers,
RBH
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0 Permanent link to [VIDEO] An exclusive conversation with Milo.com founder, Jack Abraham, on the eBay acquisition [VIDEO] An exclusive conversation with Milo.com founder, Jack Abraham, on the eBay acquisition

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Friday, December 3rd, 2010

[VIDEO] An exclusive conversation with Milo.com founder, Jack Abraham, on the eBay acquisition

I was fortunate to visit the Milo.com offices yesterday afternoon on the same day they were celebrating becoming a part of the eBay Inc. family.

In addition to enjoying some good beer and meeting some great people, I also got to sit down for a few minutes with Milo.com founder, Jack Abraham, to talk about the origins of the company, the future of online and local business, and why he felt eBay was such a good fit.

Cheers!
RBH
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0 Permanent link to CONFIRMED: eBay Acquires Leading Local Shopping Engine – Milo CONFIRMED: eBay Acquires Leading Local Shopping Engine – Milo

FEATURED POSTRichard Brewer-Hay / Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

CONFIRMED: eBay Acquires Leading Local Shopping Engine – Milo

In a move that further emphasizes the fact that local commerce continues to blur the lines between traditional and online retail, eBay has announced that it has acquired Milo, a leading local shopping engine that provides consumers access to accurate, real-time, local store inventory and pricing. The acquisition will enable eBay to provide consumers with access to millions of products from approximately 50,000 stores across the USA. Additionally, this will allow eBay sellers to reach more shoppers. Essentially, Milo lets consumers search the inventories of local stores online, providing a new channel for retailers, including eBay sellers, to reach more shoppers.

From the press release:

“Local commerce companies like Milo are blurring the lines between in-store and online shopping,” said Mark Carges, chief technology officer and senior vice president, global products, eBay Marketplaces. “By making accurate, real-time, local store inventory and pricing available to online and mobile shoppers, we see a huge opportunity for local retailers, small businesses and eBay sellers to reach more buyers, and for consumers to make more informed buying decisions.”

Carges continued, “Since eBay is an online marketplace and doesn’t compete with brick-and-mortar stores, adding local store inventory to the eBay marketplace is a natural extension of what we’ve been doing for 15 years – bringing buyers and sellers together to access the largest selection available anywhere.”

I’m interested to see how this will coexist with eBay’s local classifieds sites. There are distinct differences of course. On the one hand, eBay Classifieds connects consumers who are buying and selling to one another. On the other, Milo connects merchants of all sizes with consumers in their local vicinity (it’s a case of B2C rather than C2C). eBay has said it will continue to evaluate the best way to surface locally available merchandise of all conditions – new, used and refurbished – from any retailer or seller.

eBay plans to integrate Milo’s local product feeds into both its online marketplace and its leading mobile applications, providing millions of U.S. shoppers with accurate, real-time product pricing and local product availability inventory. eBay’s barcode-scanning iPhone application RedLaser will soon be available with the addition of Milo local results.

I’m going to have the opportunity to interview folks on both sides of the deal later today – including Milo founder, Jack Abraham – I’ll update this post with that video once I’ve had a chance to shoot and edit for you guys.

In the meantime, check out the full press release. Milo has also posted to their blog.

Cheers,
RBH
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Posts Tagged: milo

A full recap of eBay Inc. at NRF 2012

At a glance: eBay Inc. at NRF 2012

“Milo Local Shopping” iPhone App now available

eBay Mobile App for Android now includes selling functionality

eBay Brings Local Inventory Online

Need that last minute gift to fill an empty stocking? eBay’s new GiftsNearby is for you

eBay Adds @miloshopping results to RedLaser Apps for iPhone and Android #ebaynews

[VIDEO] An exclusive conversation with Milo.com founder, Jack Abraham, on the eBay acquisition

CONFIRMED: eBay Acquires Leading Local Shopping Engine – Milo

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