Reflections on Shop.org 2007 and Looking to Web 2.0

After the dust has settled from the Shop.org conference I have had time to apply the litmus test of reflection to everything that was said. Strangely, the thing that sticks out is that which hasn’t happened yet. By that, I mean the future of e-commerce, aka Web 2.o.

Web 2.0 is a term to used to describe the technology and interaction that brings a new dimension to all things online. This is mainly the ability to interact with the content being presented. The most noticeable aspect has been the development of social networks like MySpace and Facebook. These networks allow users to develop their own content bringing life to personal pages, blogs, and interactive worlds like Second Life.

For advertisers and sellers, this creates a whole new playing field. The most noticeable effect is the concept that branding is no longer controlled by the brand. With the ability to generate content, suddenly a known brand like Coke needs to keep an eye on forums, blogs, and even Wikipedia to make sure their brand is not being hurt by disgruntled customers. Instead of the one way street created by radio and then television, the audience is beginning to generate the majority of content. This is the equivalent of the country telling The Cosby Show what an episode will be like this week.

This type of interactive building also leads to an increased emphasis on customer feedback. Today customers are much more likely to trust their peers in reviewing an item than industry experts or the company selling the goods. Companies like BazaarVoice and PowerReviews suddenly have an enviable position by allowing for consumers to generate content to help retailers sell product to an increasingly educated audience.

If you don’t believe me, then let me ask you: what do you do when you want to learn something? If you have squeaky brakes and need them fixed, do you go straight to the mechanic or do you Google “squeaky brakes” to make sure you don’t get ripped off?

All of this suggests a big leap in the near future. Tere have been a couple of years now of stardardization that will be broken up with whole new types of marketing and innovation shortly which will create a very interesting Shop.org 2008 Conference.

October 2nd, 2007