Australia’s does not have the online applications or retail knowledge to deliver enterprise strength capability for retailers who are currently struggling to move online, an eBay executive has said at a technology conference on the Gold Coast today.
Adrian Christie, head of PR and communications at E Bay said that retailers can benefit from a multitude of proven applications that are currently being used by some of the biggest retailers in the world without having to pay up front for the technology.
He said that retailers like Harvey Norman was already benefitting in the role out of their online operations, via a relationship with EBay and Pay Pal and that other retailers can also benefit from a host of enterprise strength services that are available via their X.com service fo no up front fee. Instead eBay takes a small percentage of between 2 and 6%.
EBay who is cuddling up to Australian retailers in an effort to become the online version of Westfield believes that the size of the Australian market Vs the cost of enterprise services is a key factor for Australian retailers.
Christie said that Australian consumers today want and expect more choices in how and where they shop. And multi-channel innovations – online, offline, mobile, and the fast-blurring spaces in between – are best delivered via the use of the services that eBay with their X.com capability can deliver.
He claims that the technology is changing every day and for retailers to keep up with this is costly and time consuming. “The API’s offered by EBay are a real benefit for an Australian retailer”.
He said that today consumers are armed with more knowledge before they buy than ever before including reviews and recommendations from media sites like SmartHouse.
Daily deals, barcode scanning and instant price comparison are all par for course in a day online for a retailer. “As today’s consumers use technology innovations to seize control, the question is how can merchants of all sizes keep up?”
“No technology has emerged that empowers merchants to deliver standout experiences across devices and channels. None has emerged to help merchants manage the entire commerce process, easily and cost-effectively. None has emerged that unleashes the creativity of developers to define the next wave of innovation across the entire commerce ecosystem” Christie said.
To see the full list of X.com capabilities go here.
