We’re in full swing here at Innovate 2011 and one of the big announcements this morning is the integration of Facebookâs new Open Graph functionality into eBay Inc.’s Magento and GSI global commerce platforms. This will allow developers to build new social shopping experiences for millions of consumers and retailers of all sizes, from small business entrepreneurs to national and global brands.
One of the key trends I’ve been seeing over the last year+ at eBay is the emphasis on social commerce. It has been an extensive topic of discussion at our eBay: On Location events and is in the heart of every meeting I’ve attended for the past 18 months. Given my particular profession, I find this considerably exciting and I’m very fortunate to have a ringside seat as the vision turns into a reality. I plan on setting up an onsite visit to Facebook in the near future to talk more about what this means for the eBay Community but with the Facebook Open Graph integration, it’s clear that Facebook and eBay are driving new forms of community and advancements in social commerce. Together, they’re giving developers the technology to create new social experiences, empowering consumers to share their shopping interests, and enabling retailers to add social functionality to their apps and websites.
Exciting days indeed. Remember to follow the #innovate2011 hashtag on Twitter for all conversations coming out of this week’s conference and please use the comments section of Ink to leave questions that I can take back to the appropriate folks and get answers for you.
Cheers!
RBH
