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