This last week Payment Magnates attended the 10th annual IRCE event held in Chicago as an official media partner. The event is the largest Ecommerce expo in the world and offers presenters a platform to showcase new and innovative solutions.
The IRCE 2014 exhibitors presented all aspects of online retail, Ecommerce, and merchant solutions. With all aspects of the industry being covered we did notice a strong emphasis on new trends which are planned to soon become a mainstay in the industry if not one already. One of the stronger trends we notices was mobile and multiscreen support.
Mobile Payments and purchasing was a big part of IRCE 2014. The event kicked off with a presentation from keynote speaker John Donahoe, CEO of eBay on the future of Ecommerce. Donahoe’s coined “Commerce Revolution” strongly shows integration of mobile devices and multiscreen shopping. Donahoe continued on multiple screen usage in the mobile age showing that consumers are using all their connected devices to browse, research, and buy their products.
“Merchants, both online and offline, need to know the importance of connecting through multiple screens,” Donahoe said in his keynote presentation.
Donahoe’s eBay Inc. presented in full force at IRCE 2014 with eBay, PayPal, Braintree, and Magento showcasing their mobile solutions alongside long lasting desktop alternatives on the convention floor.
New innovations in Mcommerce were also presented. We had a chance to speak with representatives from mobileBuy and saw a demonstration of their virtual store technology, bridging the gap between traditional retail and commerce with Mcommerce. We will be doing a more in depth piece on mobileBuy’s solutions soon.
When the event’s additional keynote speaker Jimmy Wales, founder and CEO of Wikipedia took the stage, he too emphasized the importance of mobile communication. While Wales came from a less Mcommerce oriented standpoint, his message on mobile adoption was clear. The presentation included Wales showing off a $40 Android smartphone as an example of the market’s accessibility to the mobile space.
The example shows the new entry-level into the mobile connected space, primarily in the under-banked and emerging markets to which these kinds of devices are more accessible than traditional PCs.
Whether targeting emerging or established markets, IRCE proved all consumers are making the shift to smartphones and tablets when buying online.
