IRCE 2008 Session Descriptions

Listed below is the individual session description. To view a speakers' bio simply click the links inside the session description.

Powering Your Store with a Third-Party Engine—June 12

This Workshop will tell retailers how to create a web presence without investing a lot in infrastructure and technology by using a third-party, all-in-one platform, leveraging the platform provider's expertise as well as the knowledge of the platform's users. It will also detail how they can best use e-shopping malls, whose single goal is to drive sales. Speakers will help retailers understand their choices and ensure that they are maximizing the benefits of using an outside platform.

10:00 - 11:15 a.m.

eBay: The platform made for independent sellers

Todd Lutwak, Senior Director of Seller Development, eBay

Bill Frischling, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, Dyscern

Stacie Sefton, CEO, B&H Express

Jon Sefton, CFO, B&H Express

No other company in history has expanded the concept of retailing as much as eBay has. More than 750,000 people make primary or secondary income selling on eBay and another 1.5 million supplement their income with eBay sales. In addition, eBay hosts 532,000 stores worldwide. Sellers transacted $59.3 billion in sales in 2007—and those sellers included not just individuals who have used eBay to create their own companies but also major retail and manufacturing brands that are using eBay to expand their market shares. But as eBay's popularity continues to grow, the competition to stand out among all the sellers gets fiercer. This session will provide practical tips for small and large retailers alike using the eBay platform. It will examine such eBay platform offerings as designing a site and managing content, creating cross-sells and upsells, making the most of e-mail and search engine marketing options, managing costs and tracking results. This session will also discuss eBay's ProStores platform, which is designed to help growing retailers move from selling on eBay to creating stand-alone stores with their own identities.