FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Della
Domingo
909/978-6723
dellad@sema.org
eBay Vice President of Mobile Steve Yankovich
to Lead Discussion of Mobile's Role in the Automotive Industry at the 2011 SEMA
Business Technology Symposium
-- Famous Rhodes, Sr. Director of eBay Motors, will discuss best practices
for online marketing and lead generation for aftermarket brands and businesses
--
DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (July 6, 2011) - Today's automotive consumers increasingly rely on their mobile devices to make purchases and do product research. To help automotive professionals understand the opportunities this trend presents, Steve Yankovich, eBay vice president of mobile, will discuss the growing impact of mobile as a medium for automotive customers at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Business Technology Symposium. The event will take place at 10 a.m. on July 27 at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, Calif.
As part of the keynote address, Yankovich will outline how mobile has become an increasingly influential medium when it comes to auto purchases, especially with mobile innovations such as VIN barcode scanning to upload vehicle information, and one click parts finder technology to locate vehicle-specific parts and accessories.
"Mobile enables customers to shop or source vehicles, parts and services right when they're thinking about them, while they're on the go," Yankovich said. "Customers are most likely to remember a part that they need or think of a vehicle that they are interested in while they're at an auto show, talking with a friend at an event or just strolling past a unique vehicle at a parking lot. That's why automotive is such a great fit for mobile."
In his role at eBay, Yankovich creates new products to leverage the eBay platform across all of eBay Inc.'s properties. He is also responsible for eBay's mobile business, and product development worldwide on platforms including the iPhone®, iPad®, AndroidTM, Windows® Phone 7, BlackBerry® and the mobile web. Under Yankovich's leadership, eBay Mobile has become the largest player in the m-commerce space. eBay generated nearly $2 billion in mobile sales in 2010, and is expected to reach $4 billion in 2011.
Additional panels taking place at the symposium include:
- Manufacturer and Distributor Online Marketing Essentials - Famous Rhodes, Senior Director of eBay Motors, and industry thought leaders from Swirl, Part Authority, Falken Tire and Cie Studios will discuss how auto parts businesses can leverage online marketing channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and eCommerce to engage with customers and generate new leads.
- Product Design and Manufacturing Technology That Could Change the Aftermarket - Executives from SEMA, Whole Hog Technologies and Wohlers Associates will provide insight on how design innovation, the latest in scanning tools, CAD/CAM software and additive manufacturing machines will impact the aftermarket industry.
- Connecting with Customers: Effective Content Marketing - Robert Rose of Big Blue Moose will share expertise on how businesses can create and effectively deliver tailored, compelling content to engage with their customers.
- Capture, Manage & Nurture Leads to Win More Customers - Kristen Knipp of HubSpot will discuss how to successfully attract leads and efficiently convert them into loyal customers.
The SEMA Business Technology Symposium is an annual event developed by the SEMA Street Performance Council to provide attendees with insight on strategies and best practices in the fields of eCommerce, digital marketing, social media and business development. To learn more about the SEMA BTS or to register for the conference, visit http://www.sema.org/bts.
About SEMA
SEMA, the Specialty
Equipment Market Association founded in 1963, represents the $28.6 billion
specialty automotive industry of 6,461 member-companies. It is the
authoritative source for research, data, trends and market growth information
for the specialty auto parts industry. The industry provides appearance,
performance, comfort, convenience and technology products for passenger and
recreational vehicles. For more information, contact SEMA at 1575 S. Valley
Vista Dr., Diamond Bar, CA 91765, tel: 909/396-0289, or visit www.sema.org
or www.enjoythedrive.com.
About eBay Mobile
eBay launched its
first application for the iPhone in July 2008 and has since become a leader in
mobile commerce. Its core iPhone application, which is available free via
iTunes® in eight languages and 190 countries, has been downloaded more than 19
million times and allows users to fully browse and buy without leaving the
application. The eBay app for the iPad debuted in the top ten most downloaded
free iPad apps in the iTunes Store and delivers a dramatically different,
visually compelling shopping experience to browse and purchase the vast
selection of products available on eBay. eBay's suite of mobile apps, including
RedLaser, Fashion, Motors and StubHub, make selling and buying possible
virtually anywhere, anytime. In 2010, eBay's mobile gross merchandise volume
(GMV) - the value of all goods sold - was nearly $2 billion. eBay expects to
generate $4 billion in GMV through mobile commerce in 2011.
eBay Inc.'s PayPalTM division has been delivering mobile payments since 2005 and has a mobile app for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones, as well as SMS and WAP-based payments solutions. PayPal offers merchants an easy way for shoppers to checkout on mobile websites via Mobile Express Checkout and mobile developers can use PayPal for in-app payments using PayPal's Mobile Payments Library. In 2010, $750 million in payments were transacted over PayPal's mobile applications. PayPal expects to almost triple mobile payment volume in 2011 to more than $2 billion and grow to more than $7.5 billion by 2013. For more information on eBay mobile, visit mobile.ebay.com.
About eBay Motors
eBay Motors, a part of eBay Inc., is the Internet's largest marketplace for
buying and selling all things automotive. The site offers everyday cars
for everyday drivers, as well as collector cars, motorcycles, auto parts and
accessories. eBay Motors is consistently ranked the first or second most
visited automotive site on the web according to ComScore2 (April 2011).
Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This announcement contains forward-looking statements about the future performance of eBay's businesses that are based on its current expectations, forecasts and assumptions. These statements include future growth in mobile commerce for eBay's Mobile applications and involve risks and uncertainties - actual results may differ materially from those discussed. Factors that could cause such differences include consumer acceptance and use of eBay's mobile applications.