With the rise of third-party application development, people are starting to understand how information-based sites (like Twitter) can generate a huge variety of spin-off applications. Just think to yourself how many Twitter clients are available right now for every device, every user.
So what does this mean for your e-commerce/shopping experience? How will e-commerce models change in the next few years based on this type of "open development"?
For example, your new shopping interface would be very similar to an RSS feed (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rss) where the products you are looking for would come to you. The place/store where you purchase them from would be a secondary consideration with this kind of business model.
Using the traditional e-commerce model to buy a red pair of shoes, I would have to decide what online store (or brick and mortar store) to go to. Which brand? A little bit upscale or casual? Should I go to a department store? What if I never heard of Zappos?
Jerome introduces a new model where the consumer would have the ability to simply search for red shoes using their own "client". The location or store where you are purchasing them from would be a secondary consideration that you could investigate later. This might mean that traditional "brands" would disappear - or at least not feature so prominently. If this were the case, how would our brand-based purchasing decisions change?
Web users are used to traditional forms of online shopping. What are the barriers to this model?
Well, Jerome emphasized that we need a set of standards so that shopping online becomes the same for everyone - an e-commerce world where we don't have to have multiple accounts, multiple profiles to verify our identities, and the hassle of tracking our purchases separately. (
http://www.heppnetz.de/projects/goodrelations/)
We also need companies to open their databases and encourage third-party development. This is the biggest barrier to a new model of e-commerce. Giving developers database access to build APIs is a very scary proposition for retailers - especially when cloud computing in general is closely examined by regulatory organizations and security auditors.
Jerome's vision of semantic e-commerce will probably become reality one day. I believe mobile devices will drive this change.
The same interface for every merchant, controlled by the consumer will require an extreme leap of faith by one retailer to drive this type of business model change. It should be interesting to see how things develop over the next few years.
Now it's time to do some online shoe shopping!
~ Sue is a technical, copy and corporate writer based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ~ Wordtree Consulting ~
http://www.wordtree.ca
