eBay platform prime for Internet age shopping

EBay set the stage for shops large and small to tap into Internet age techniques for taking payments with PayPal technology at the heart of cashless transactions. A PayPal Access online identity program and an X.commerce platform for payments were launched as eBay opened its Innovate Developer Conference in San Francisco. "We expect technology to change commerce more in the next three years than in the past 15," said eBay chief executive John Donahoe. "This creates a tremendous global opportunity for developers and merchants alike," he said. "With X.commerce, we've created an open ecosystem that is the most complete set of commerce capabilities on the planet." X.commerce is intended to match merchants with independent developers building innovative ways to handle check-outs at websites, inventories, calculating taxes and other aspects of running shops with online outlets. Meanwhile, PayPal Access will let people shop at websites anywhere on the Internet using names and passwords from accounts at eBay's widely used online financial transactions service. EBay boasted that there are more than 100 million PayPal accounts in 190 markets worldwide. "There's still too much friction in online shopping," said X.commerce identity and informatics general manager Damon Hougland. "With PayPal Access, consumers can spend less time filling out forms and more time buying," he continued. "Retailers can create a great shopping experience for millions of customers who already trust PayPal to buy online." The technology platform is open, meaning retailers are free to put whatever software applications they find useful on top of X.commerce. "Technology is changing the way that we shop," X.commerce head of community Naveed Anwar told AFP at the developer-focused conference. "Our goal is to make sure we give the best tools to our merchants to deliver the best consumer experience," he added. EBay also announced it is integrating its payment technology with the "open graph" at leading online social network Facebook. "Integrating Facebook Open Graph technology across eBay's global commerce platforms represents a powerful way to bring people together across an inherently social activity -- shopping," said Facebook director of platform and mobile marketing Katie Mitic. "We're just starting to see what’s possible with social commerce, and look forward to the new experiences developers create," she continued. Mitic on Wednesday joined the eBay board of directors. "Her expertise will be a tremendous asset for eBay as we focus on enabling the future of commerce and changing how consumers shop and pay with our global platforms," said Donahoe. The retail market is expected to reach $10 trillion globally by 2013, according to market figures cited by eBay. The majority of those deals take place in real-world shops, but the growing popularity of smartphones and Internet bargain hunting is shifting the balance. "Consumers interact in numerous settings, both real and virtual, the old boundaries no longer exist," said NPD Group analyst Marshal Cohen. "Consumers are becoming increasingly more sophisticated in their use of technology to help them get more bang for their buck," he continued. "While these changes might be daunting for some, the businesses that are able to embrace these innovations and find fast, flexible and creative solutions will have the competitive advantage."