IMPRESSIONS from a Cross-section

At a high level, there have been three phases in ecommerce development. The first phase started with the ".com" boom of the mid-to-late 1990s and lasted through the early 2000s. This was the period that saw the launch of ecommerce pure plays and new business models like eBay Marketplaces and PayPal. Not surprisingly, models that were generating revenue and profits ultimately made it through.

The second phase saw established retailers starting to take notice as the ecommerce pure plays began to chip away at their dominance and act as a key driver of growth. As we all know, ecommerce was, and is, growing at a much faster rate than traditional retail. As a result, ecommerce became an important new channel for established retailers; and over the time, brands also got involved in selling direct to consumers. New pure plays with viable business models also continued to advance.

Today, we find ourselves in the third phase of ecommerce - in a world where customers are truly hyper connected, demanding revolutionary commerce experiences while becoming more challenging to reach. These connected consumers expect a seamless experience across all of retailers' or brands' channels and touch points: online, in store, mobile, social and customer service.

Competing in this environment requires a commerce partner capable of delivering solutions for a connected consumer experience. And no one delivers the entire process as eBay Enterprise does. Our comprehensive and modular approach uncovers unique insights and cross benefits for merchants - whether they utilize one or all of our services.

With Magento Enterprise Edition, merchants are enabled to provide robust, engaging online experiences across devices. Our customers have seen upward growth of 200 per cent in sales, 100 per cent increase in site traffic and a 25 per cent increase in conversion rates.