The annual 40 under 40 list recognizes Silicon Valley stars under the age of 40, and this year’s list also includes a venture capitalist with seats on the boards of Twitter and Yelp, a robot scientist and a futurist.

Dane and Rob earned spots on this year’s list thanks to their contributions to technology innovation, but they share a connection that predates their time working for the same company. Both Dane and Rob attended Cornell University as undergraduate students, both were Computer Science majors, and they were there at the same time.

Richard Brewer-Hay has posted a video on the eBay Ink blog featuring Dane and Rob discussing their inclusion on the 40 Under 40 list as well as their Cornell connection.

Congratulations Dane and Rob!

Source: eBay USA

Part of the reason for the absence of big brand names, says eBay Korea Head of Auction Sales and Marketing Ki-Bum Kim, was the country’s historic focus on high-quality fabrics. Most shoppers were content to buy excellent, no-label clothing, offline.”

“There were a limited number of local brands and even fewer imported brands back then,” says Ki-Bum. “Many offline sellers would merchandise according to their intuition or simply imitate others.”

That all changed during the Internet shopping revolution. After the arrival of Auction and Gmarket, Korean offline fashion sellers flocked to sell online.

“Before the integration between Gmarket and Auction, competition was fierce,” recalls Ki-Bum. “Fashion category managers had to monitor promotions, forecast trends daily and update listings, sometimes in a matter of minutes. When certain categories were selling well, they made sure to showcase the right items on the home page at competitive prices, to maximize exposure.”

In the evolving marketplace, however, other issues began to surface. The vast increase in sellers made trust a growing issue. Imitation and copyright became topics of dispute between sellers, buyers and eBay Korea. To help resolve these matters, Auction put VeRO (the Verified Rights Owner Program) into effect while Gmarket ran the BPP (Brand Protection Program).

At the same time, there was a growing demand for product variety, ranging from high-quality brands to ‘fast-fashion’ items, superseding the demand for competitive pricing.

“Customers wanted fast-trend, Gap-like T-shirts with coordinating Michel Kors handbags,” explains Ki-Bum. “To create growth momentum, we began to focus on differentiating non-brands, attracting exclusive brand names, developing a ‘closed-market’ model and improving our search functions.”

In 2009, eBay Korea launched Brand+, a site on which international and local brand sellers could offer products directly to the market. Instead of hunting for reliable sellers, the five million members in Auction and Gmarket could now easily find major brands in one place, including big names like Nike, Polo and Adidas.

Despite the growing demand for famous brand labels, ‘fashionable generics’ remained a vital market. That’s why eBay Korea formed SOHO#, a site for large, non-big-brand sellers. Customers could easily navigate within this closed market and get great values at the same time, says Ki-Bum.

The ‘Style Finder’ function enables users to search for and sort items by attributes such as fabric, style and color. ‘Look Book’ – a fashion magazine within SOHO# – provides a destination where customers can check out new style trends from SOHO sellers.

At the same time, the early 2011 opening of Lotte (think Macy’s) on Gmarket and Auction sites introduced even more exclusive brands from the country’s popular high-end department store.

Since its launch, Lotte sales have been growing. Now, Japan’s huge online mall ZoZo is about to follow suit. “We’ve become the first in Korea to provide a store-in-store concept for a Japanese online shop,” says Ki-Bum.

Ki-Bum sees a strong future for eBay Korea, based on their proven ability to adapt and act quickly.

“People working in the eBay Korea fashion category make sure offerings are fresh and interesting and that our prices are competitive. This will always be our strength: Offline stores can’t change their store racks every minute. We can, thanks to the expertise of our people working behind the scenes.”

This, says Ki-Bum, will help eBay Korea maintain its competitive edge in the future.

Source: eBay USA

“We are engaging consumers in innovative ways and attracting top technologists to shape the future of commerce”

Hunch’s technology talent and its deep expertise in areas like machine learning, data mining and predictive modeling are expected to help eBay expand and grow merchandising and relevance capabilities to further improve the shopping and selling experience for eBay customers. For example, eBay buyers are expected to benefit from Hunch’s predictive ability to generate meaningful, yet often non-obvious, recommendations for items available on eBay based on their specific tastes.

“We are engaging consumers in innovative ways and attracting top technologists to shape the future of commerce,” said Mark Carges, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President, Global Products, Marketplaces. “With Hunch, we’re adding new capabilities to personalizing the shopping experience on eBay to the individual relevant tastes and interests of our customers. We expect Hunch’s technologies to benefit eBay shoppers as they browse and buy, and to bring sellers on eBay new ways to connect the right products with the right customers.”

Hunch’s familiarity with and expertise in tailoring data to meet customer needs can also be applied to other technology opportunities across eBay, including search, advertising and marketing initiatives, to better surface product and search results based on customers’ tastes.

Hunch uses inputs from across the Web including social networks, things members like, who they follow, and answers to Hunch’s own questions – to build unique user profiles that make more personal recommendations and model individuals’ tastes. Once integrated, unlike traditional online retail approaches, Hunch will enable eBay to move beyond standard item-to-item recommendations and use a broader variety of members’ online tastes and interests to suggest new and interesting items for them to browse and buy on eBay.

Hunch’s employees will remain with the company, including co-founders Chris Dixon, Tom Pinckney and Matt Gattis. Hunch will continue to be based in New York.

Source: eBay USA

“We are proud to bring this technology to the market and empower holiday shoppers to confidently purchase whatever they want, wherever they are – at the best price.”

Key Facts

• Barcode scanning is becoming increasingly popular, with over 14 million downloads of the original RedLaser app. The company is observing continued scanning momentum from users leading into this holiday shopping season. As the lines between online and offline shopping continue to blur, RedLaser 3.0 empowers consumers to shop at the very moment inspiration strikes.
• It is the first conversion of Milo local, PayPal™ Mobile express check out and RedLaser barcode comparison shopping. By integrating Milo, local inventory can be easily accessed via mobile devices. With Milo added to eBay’s already robust marketplace means consumers can always find the best price. The demo video can be viewed here with additional information at www.RedLaser.com and mobile.eBay.com/RedLaser.
• RedLaser 3.0 is eBay’s first mobile retail partnership with the world’s leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer, Toys“R”Us. Users of the app can purchase this year’s hottest toys at the best prices and avoid the lines by picking up their gifts from the closest Toys“R”Us retail location that same day. More partnerships will be announced soon.
• The new RedLaser 3.0 application features a redesigned interface with easier access to scanning, searching lists and QR code creation. It also offers more pricing information for even better results and product coverage.
• RedLaser 3.0 also empowers shoppers to stay connected with their friends and family. With categorized shopping lists, you can now organize your products to create shopping lists, wish lists or gift lists and easily share them via Facebook, SMS and email.
• To get these features and more, consumers can download the RedLaser 3.0 app for free in the iTunes® App store. Users of the RedLaser “Classic” app must download RedLaser 3.0 separately.

“Train Up” for the Holiday Shopping Season with RedLaser

• eBay is inviting iPhone and Android™ users to “Train Up” for the holiday shopping season. The company launched a new video campaign series featuring barcode scanning expert, Redd ‘The Laser’ Laser. Redd demonstrates not only how to scan UPC codes to find the best deals, but also shows his captive audience how you can use RedLaser to find nutritional information, entertainment, and more.
• Redd is also offering RedLaser users a chance to win his RedLaser Holiday Wish List, including great prizes like a GoPro® HD Helmet Video Camera, an Apple® iPhone® 4s and more, plus $2,500 towards their own wish list.
• For entry, participants simply use the new RedLaser list feature to create their own holiday wish list and scan at least five items to add to it. They then click “share” right from the app and e-mail their RedLaser Games lists to games@redlaser.com. The promotion runs from Black Friday (November 25) through December 23. There will be one winner each week for the length of the promotion for a total of 4 grand prize winners. More information and the training videos can be viewed at http://redlaser.com/games.

Key Quotes

“This new version of RedLaser is a major stepping stone in the evolution of mobile shopping. Through integration with PayPal and Milo we can now offer consumers the unprecedented ability to research online and offline inventory at the same time and purchase their items with a truly seamless end-to-end shopping experience,” said RedLaser general manager and senior director of eBay Mobile, Rob Veres. “We are proud to bring this technology to the market and empower holiday shoppers to confidently purchase whatever they want, wherever they are – at the best price.”

“We expect this holiday season to be the biggest mobile and tablet shopping season we’ve seen yet. The lines between offline and online retail are blurring and we want to give consumers the best of both worlds by providing them access to both and online and offline merchandise all the time and directly on their phones,” said Richelle Parham, chief marketing officer, eBay North America. “eBay and RedLaser are at the forefront of mobile commerce offering a great selection of shopping tools for the holidays.”

Source: eBay USA

“This holiday season, we’re giving people an innovative way to window shop for good that will benefit Toys for Tots”

Key Facts

• eBay teamed up with Toys for Tots to spread some holiday cheer this season and give people an innovative way to window shop for good.
• Interactive store windows feature popular toys that represent different donation levels, from $2 to $25. Download the eBay mobile app to scan custom Quick Response (QR) codes on virtual price tags using a mobile phone. This triggers the toys to animate and “come to life.” As donations are made to Toys for Tots, the virtual toys celebrate and express their gratitude.
• Actress Debra Messing joined eBay to launch The Give-A-Toy Store in New York City, located at 35th Street & Broadway, near Herald Square. A Give-A-Toy Store also opened at 117 Post Street in San Francisco, near the busy Union Square shopping district. Both locations will be open for enjoyment and charitable window shopping through December 9th.
• Shoppers not in New York or San Francisco are able to experience the Give-A-Toy Store and make donations by visiting www.eBay.com/GiveAToyStore. Facebook users are also invited to interact with the Give-A-Toy Store on Facebook, through the Build a Toy campaign that allows fans to customize a virtual toy at Facebook.com/eBay. eBay will donate $1 for every toy customized, up to $50,000.
• Powered by eBay mobile and designed by eBay’s ad agency, Venables Bell & Partners, The Give-A-Toy Store brings to life eBay’s on-the-go shopping experience. The eBay mobile app lets consumers scan and shop anytime, anywhere, anyhow.

Key Quotes

“This holiday season, we’re giving people an innovative way to window shop for good that will benefit Toys for Tots,” said Richelle Parham, chief marketing officer, eBay North America. “We’re leveraging our mobile technology to power The Give-A-Toy Store, which offers a differentiated, interactive experience for shoppers who wish to give using their smartphone.”

“It always feels good to give, but I think it is especially gratifying during the holiday season,” said actress Debra Messing. “I’m really excited eBay and Toys for Tots asked me to help open The Give-A-Toy Store here in New York. It’s a fun and interactive way to spread some holiday cheer this year – you can donate toys to kids in need, right from a smartphone.”

Source: eBay USA

When shoppers scan the QR codes for prices, which range from $2 to $25, the toys in the window come to life and cheer in gratitude. eBay will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from this campaign to Toys for Tots.

The Give-a-Toy store windows launched online at www.eBay.com/GiveaToyStore. Visitors can make donations, play virtual games and share their activities on Facebook and Twitter. Facebook users can also like the Give-a-Toy page on Facebook on Facebook and customize virtual toys. For each virtual toy a user customizes, eBay will contribute $1, up to $50,000 to Toys for Tots.

“This holiday season, we are leveraging our technology and platform to power The Give-a-Toy Store, which offers a differentiated experience for shoppers who wish to give using their mobile phone,” said Richelle Parham, Chief Marketing Officer, eBay North America. “Consumers are more inclined to give to charity during the holidays, and eBay is gearing up for what we believe will be our biggest mobile shopping season ever. We partnered with Toys for Tots to spread some holiday cheer and give people an innovative way to window shop for good.”

The new pop-up stores will be open to the public now through Dec. 9 at 117 Post Street in San Francisco and 35th Street and Broadway in New York City.

“It always feels good to give, but I think it is especially gratifying during the holiday season,” said actress Debra Messing, spokesperson for the campaign. “I’m really excited eBay and Toys for Tots asked me to help open The Give-a-Toy Store here in New York. It’s a fun and interactive way to spread some holiday cheer this year – you can donate toys to kids in need, right from a smartphone.”

Source: eBay USA