SCHED* SXSW 2011

event::type Panel → Interactive
Venue: Radisson, Town Lake Ballroom (111 East Cesar Chavez St)
Speaker: Laura Chambers, Steve Yankovich, Rob Veres
About: At SXSW Interactive 2011, Rob Veres, general manager of RedLaser and senior director of Mobile, eBay Inc., and Laura Chambers, senior director of PayPal Mobile, are poised to speak on the topic of mobile commerce and virtual wallets. As one of the driving forces behind eBay's and PayPal’s mobile initiatives, Rob and Laura sit at a unique vantage point regarding the evolution of mobile. How can brands, entrepreneurs and developers make money from mobile commerce? Specifically, how will mobile devices evolve to become the “virtual wallets” of the future? In grappling with these questions, eBay and PayPal have led the way in mobile shopping and payments. Not surprisingly, the company’s mobile sales and transactions have grown dramatically. In 2010, eBay's mobile sales more than double to nearly $2 billion from $600 million in 2009. PayPal's mobile transactions grew from $25 million in 2008 to $141 million in 2009. eBay and PayPal have also led the way in creating innovative mobile commerce apps. The companies have incorporated technologies like augmented reality to virtually try on sunglasses and "bump" so that two iPhones can seamlessly transfer money. To date, eBay's and PayPal's mobile apps have been downloaded more than 36 million times worldwide. eBay and PayPal have also encouraged third-party developer innovation through its RedLaser and PayPal X platforms.