eBay’s Chaos Theory

With its buyers swamped by a sea of choices-and its growth rate slowing-the online giant gambles on helping shoppers find what they want

Fast Company, November 1, 2007 — It was early in 2006, and Matt Carey, the new CTO of eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), was attending his first focus group about the online shopping site. It was a memorable experience, to say the least. "It's hard to use," complained a longtime customer. She had been collecting antique glass on eBay for years. But lately, the treasure hunt was more frustrating than fun. "I get lost," she said. "I can't get back to my search results. I have to go all the way out and start over."

"This is not good," Carey thought to himself. This particular buyer was, as he puts it, a "dyed-in-the-wool, right-down-the-center customer." What she was describing is known by the pejorative "pogo sticking." To Carey, who had just moved to eBay after 20 years at Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), it was... continue reading

Are EBay and Others the New New Media?†

Standard Definition Gets Foggy When E-Commerce Sites Start Selling Ad Space

Advertising Age, September 18, 2007 — What makes media "media"? Increasingly, that question is getting harder to answer.

The web, it turns out, is doing more than just transforming media-business models — it's blurring the definition of media in the first place.

EBay Moves to Recharge Its Auctions

In making upgrades intended to make its site more friendly, eBay may endure criticism from more than 700,000 sellers who rely on it for their livelihoods.

New York Times, June 18, 2007 — At eBay, subtle change is about to become a thing of the past. Under pressure from analysts and investors to jump-start growth in its core auctions business, eBay is making a series of upgrades intended to make the site more friendly to buyers

Innovation Scouts

How creative businesses in technology and media are unearthing new ideas in unexpected places--from an American Idol-style contest at Adobe Systems to eBay's new "disruption" team. Meet the new cool h

Fast Company, May 1, 2007 — In a connected economy, businesses can’t rely on the same old ideas from the same old people. To succeed, you need to seek out innovation from unexpected sources, in unexpected ways.A portfolio of sleuths, impresarios, and connectors who travel the leading edge in search of the undiscovered.

Forget Message Boards. Wikis Are Where It's at†

T-Mobile, eBay, Others Embrace Tool as a Way to Connect With Consumers

Advertising Age, February 5, 2007 — Marketers have added another item to the multichannel checklist: wikis. A wiki, popularized by the community-created encyclopedia site Wikipedia, is an easy way for a group of users to collaboratively author content.

Brand Innovation: Change isn't All Plain Sailing

Marketing Week, September 22, 2006 — Keeping abreast of social and technological trends through successful product innovation isn't easy for iconic brands, which tend to have embedded cultural systems that defy change, as Coke is finding to its cost. But without such progress, they risk being cast adrift

Breakaway Brands 

FORTUNE, September 18, 2006 — Ten companies that boosted their fortunes by cutting down on hype and connecting with customers