The trick to successful targeting of customers with deals is to “not be creepy” and “do something useful” for them, according to Ebay’s head of innovation Steve Yankovic.
In a seminar on the future of retail a the South by SouthWest festival he laid out how the company is looking at mobile as the biggest driver of sales, with $634 spent on the site on mobile each second.
The ability to target customers on mobile, he said, has led to a rise in “situational shopping” and the ability to capture the customer at the “moment of inspiration” like never before.
Yankovic also highlighted the need to remove as many obstacles to purchase on mobile as possible, saying moving the Buy it Now button on the mobile app above the fold has increased clicks by 30%.
Personalisation, awareness and technology would be the there biggest drivers of change into the future, and highlighted the number of people opting in to giving their data, saying 18 months ago only 25% did so, and no 75% do.
3D printing will also be a game changer, he said, allowing people to buy designs of certain products online and download them for printing, and even make spare parts for things like cars and cookers which are currently costly for manufacturers to create.
He also highlighted the use of mobile in store, as the “blurring of the lines” between online and offline, and forecast there would be a surge of companion apps to aid the experience.
