eCommerce 2012

eCommerce 2012

Over the past week I have noticed eCommerce pop up in several articles. I was also recently contacted to consult on an eCommerce build for the Middle East. Quite the coincidence. I find it interesting that a term which essentially kickstarted my digital career in 1999 is now rearing its head into my life again.

Initially when contacted by an agency in Dubai about assisting with an eCommerce project, I was excited (after all, it was the Middle East!). However after awhile of mulling it over, I started to think…an eCommerce website? How 20th century! That was until I did some further research and began to understand the digital climate in the region as well as the psychology behind online purchasing.

Living in the west where it is “normal” to have at least 2-3 different types of credit cards in your wallet, where access to the internet is, well, expected and where customer service is the value proposition AND best practice for customer loyalty, it is easy to forget that the rest of the world is just not built the same way.

This is why I LOVE working on projects that are global! The learning curve on lifestyle is fascinating, the mentality and culture…truly unique.

Back in the wild west, we have taken eCommerce to a entirely new place. It is beyond shopping on a website. It is F-commerce (Facebook), it is linking to items through Flipboard and Pinterest amongst other visual content…didn’t we say Context was King in a previous post? Eventually, Instagram will give the user opportunity to not just photograph an item but add a link to where it is online and likely give the viewer the opportunity to purchase…we are way beyond UGC…we are now potentially looking at UGE (User-Generated eCommerce).

But I digress…

Below are a few links which detail Flipboards plan for eCommerce and how retail is using Pinterest as a platform to sell products.

Additionally, there is a link which I have included which is a great addition (although not necessarily dealing with eCommerce per se). It discusses how multiscreens are key to the context of content (much like the interview provided by Brian Solis in an earlier post). What is uniquely different in argument is that this article still states content as king…time will tell on that front.

What I did enjoy about this article is how well it tied in to the eCommerce situation I am currently working with in the Middle East. As mobile is and has generally been the medium used for accessing information, it is of no surprise that mobile is mandatory for incorporating into any eCommerce platform.

Read articles below for more info!

view Flipboard here

view Pinterest infographic

view TechCrunch article on Multiscreens here.