Photos: Magento

Earlier this week, 1500 developers and merchants from 45 countries descended upon the M Resort in Las Vegas for the 2013 Imagine eCommerce conference to network and share their ecommerce ideas, innovations and best practices around the Magento Platform. Here’s a recap of the most memorable moments and takeaways.

Day One

Day One focused on how Magento is driving quality in the marketplace and how developers and technology partners can achieve further ecosystem success. The day concluded with sessions on best practice search engine optimization techniques and a networking “BarCamp” event for developers to learn about a myriad of Magento topics in short, rapid-fire presentations. Among the most popular topic “tracks” were “Developing Magento Apps using the Mobile SDK,” “Previewing Extensibility in Magento 2” and an “Open Forum” with Magento Chief Technology Officer, Matthew Mengerink.

Day Two

Day Two kicked events into high gear, with keynotes from eBay Inc. Chief Executive Officer John Donahoe, Magento Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer Roy Rubin, Jeff Jordan of Andreessen Horowitz and Magento Chief Technology Officer, Matthew Mengerink.

Roy Rubin was the day’s first main speaker. He addressed Magento’s amazing year of growth for both the platform, as well as for the customers and ecosystem worldwide.  He also spoke to the conference theme — “The Art of Commerce” — and inspired the audience by conveying to them that they are the artists, and with the Magento tools available, they have the continued ability to create something powerful and unique.

Rubin was followed by John Donahoe, whose keynote focused on how technology is “obliterating” the lines between online and offline, calling it all “connected commerce.”  In this commerce revolution, he said, the individual is at the center and the consumer is in charge. Jeff Jordan, meanwhile, spoke to existing trends in the ecommerce market, like the physical retailer disadvantage and show-rooming 2.0, and Matthew Mengerink closed out the morning keynotes with a discussion on how to push the boundaries of how we think about things and how the commerce of today no longer marries yesterday’s principles.

Afternoon breakout sessions from the technology and business tracks were standing room only, and included topics ranging from “Creating Successful Magento ERP Integrations,” “SEO/SEM Trends for 2013” and “Where, Why, and How of Responsive Web Design.” In particular, Roy Rubin highlighted how Magento is leveraging the power of  eBay Inc. to create an even brighter future and that moving forward,  “this will translate into more benefits for merchants.”

Day Two concluded with a keynote by Sharon Meers, Magento’s Head of Enterprise Strategy, who took to the stage to share Magento’s tremendous success within the fashion industry. She kicked off the segment with a discussion of how Magento Enterprise Edition has become the platform of choice for many of the world’s most prestigious brands and concluded with a live, fashion runway showdown with 14 models showcasing the latest looks from Magento customers Custo Barcelona, Erin Fetherston, Missguided, Nanette Lepore, Paul Smith, Rebecca Minkoff and Zadig & Voltaire.

Day Three

Jimmy Duvall, Head of Product for Magento, introduced the Magento Enterprise 1.13 release and spoke to how the release was designed to enable large and growing merchants to scale more effectively and support even greater numbers of visitors and buyers to their core eCommerce sites, while streamlining their back-end operations.

PayPal Chief Technology Officer James Barrese also addressed the crowd on Day Three and announced that two new PayPal extensions – “order ahead” and “in-aisle selling” – would immediately be available on Magento Connect.

Closing out the morning session was “Freakanomics” co-author Steven Levitt, who captivated the audience with his anecdotes and stories. His most poignant messages were that people don’t spend enough time thinking about ideas, and that we often overlook even the most obvious ones. Further, he exclaimed that we can make up for the low quantity of ideas by the high quality of ideas. Even one or two breakthrough ideas per year from each of us can help bring about great change, he said.

For more detailed write-ups and recaps of the Magento conference, be sure to check out the Imagine website  and stay tuned to Magento’s LIVE page.

The article focuses on eBay Inc.’s evolution into a world class platform for retailers of all sizes, enabling consumers to shop whenever, wherever and however they want. Delving into eBay’s GSI Commerce, X.Commerce and Magento acquisitions, as well as the company’s innovative mobile and social efforts, Demery highlights how eBay is shedding its identity as an auction house and transforming into a top destination for retailers and customers.

“We are a different eBay today, no longer just an e-commerce leader but a stronger, more diverse global commerce company shaping the future of shopping and payments,” Demery quotes eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donohoe.

“Shopping is deeply embedded in our DNA,” says Alan Marks, eBay Inc. SVP of Corporate Communications. “We understand how to create commerce platforms at scale.”

“EBay’s new technology portfolio is still under construction,” concludes Demery, “but the company seems well on its way to growing beyond its auction-house roots.”

Be sure to read the full article for an insightful, in-depth look at eBay’s transformation from a second-hand marketplace into a world-class technology innovator and commerce leader.

Imagine is where merchants, partners, developers and Magento enthusiasts from around the world come together for three days in an engaging and exciting environment for collaboration, learning, networking, inspiration… and of course – Imagination!

Don’t worry if you weren’t able to make it down there (unfortunately, neither was I). There are a number of ways to stay up to speed on news and happenings down in Las Vegas:

* Subscribe to the Magento Blog.
* Follow @MagentoImagine on Twitter.
* Follow all tweets coming out of the conference, using the #MagentoImagine Hashtag.

To follow all content in real-time, check out the Imagine eCommmerce LIVE page.

Cheers,
RBH

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

My time here in Las Vegas is winding down (about to head out to the Las Vegas online sellers meetup in a few minutes). I’m packing my bags and leaving one leading industry conference for another. I’ll be at the National Retail Federation 2012 from Sunday – Tuesday to cover all things eBay Inc.

eBay Ink at NRF

Sunday, January 15:
Panel Session: Mobile Payments: Making Dollars and Sense in Mobile Payments
Don Kingsborough, VP/ GM of Retail and Prepaid at PayPal
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Hall E, 1E 07/08
Overview: The mobile payments space comprises two different systems: 1) payments using the mobile network, and 2) contactless payments. Payments and the services mobile payments enable at the store level can serve as a powerful and disruptive force in the retail environment. This session reviews the latest in this rapidly evolving technology and business, and details the newest players in the mobile payments ecosystem.

Monday, January 16
Panel Session: Social Shopping: Mobility, Social Media and Personalized Services
Bob Schwartz, President, Magento
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Hall A, 1A 10/12
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.

Booths:
Check out the NRF floorplan with highlighted eBay Inc. booths.

Twitter:
I’ll be live-tweeting throughout the conference from @ebayinkblog using the #eBayatNRF hashtag.

Other key Twitter handles:@PayPal, @X_Commerce, @MiloShopping, @GSICommerce, @Magento, @bobschwartz

The Passport:
Attendees will receive a passport that they can get stamped at the 3 booths (PayPal, GSI, Milo) and if they get stamps from each of the 3 booths, they will be entered in a drawing for $1000 (3 drawings in all).

Finally, I sat down with eBay Inc. CEO, John Donahoe, at CES 2012 to talk about the eBay Inc. portfolio and how consumers are changing their shopping behaviors and how that impacts eBay’s participation in certain industry events, like the NRF:

Cheers,
RBH

eBay Inc. today announced that it has agreed to acquire Magento Inc., the creator of Magento, a leading open source ecommerce platform. The deal follows eBay’s acquisition of a minority stake in the company in 2010. Upon closing of the transaction, eBay will own 100% of the outstanding shares of Magento. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2011.

It was also announced that Magento will join X.Commerce, eBay’s newly created integrated open source platform group. Something I’m particularly interested in. According to today’s announcement, the group is focused on leveraging the company’s assets and partner technologies to build a strong, robust developer community as a resource for merchants and retailers of all sizes. More details will be shared with developers during the X.Commerce Innovate conference on Oct. 12-13 in San Francisco and I’d like to sit down with key members of the group to share more info here with Ink readers too. In the meantime, here is a video message to developers from John Donahoe, CEO, eBay Inc.

A video message to developers from eBay Inc. CEO, John Donahoe

About Magento
The Magento platform serves tens of thousands of merchants worldwide and is supported by a global community of solution partners and third-party developers. Magento is a feature-rich, open-source, enterprise-class commerce solution that offers merchants a high degree of flexibility and control over the user experience, catalog, content and functionality of their online store. Magento Go, the company’s hosted software-as-a-service solution, provides small and growing merchants with the tools to help them succeed online – from payments to inventory management. Magento is a Los Angeles-based company with more than 290 employees.