I spent today with the lovely people (and I mean it – they *are* lovely) people from ChannelAdvisor at their Insite conference in London. I don’t mind admitting that I was expecting this to be a rather dry pitch for CA’s services: in fact, it was a usefully informative day that would benefit any seller wanting to move their online activities beyond just eBay, with ne’er a mention of signing up with CA, even when one or two might have been justified.
The real point of Insite, though, is to show online retailers the breadth of selling channels available to them: if you’re used to selling solely via eBay and/or your own website, there are lots more places to sell, and lots of interesting strategies you can utilise in doing so. Comparison Shopping Engines and Marketplaces (eBay, Amazon, Play.com, PixPlace) were covered in two sessions each – intermediate and advanced – with lots of emphasis on practicality. ChannelAdvisor have no vested interest in any of these companies and so can talk about their respective merits and problems with impartiality: all CSEs, for example, are not created equal, and which ones you should list on depends on what you sell.
Highlight of the day for me, though was the two talks on paid search. ChannelAdvisors Russell and Fred do not talk like people giving PowerPoint presentations: they talk like people who’ve just discovered a truly exciting new secret. This wasn’t boring stuff about keywords and ROI and metrics: they sounded like people who’d just had a religious experience. And more importantly, they made me want to go home and sort my rather jaded business out.
It wasn’t all CA. eBay themselves were there, of course: the timing of today’s event, the day after eBay’s major announcements, couldn’t have been better, and eBay staff were around to answer questions. As well as their presentations, eBay, Amazon, PayPal and PriceRunner were available in the “round table room” all day: if you have account issues you need to resolve, it’s probably worth attending just for this.
It’s often said of eBay University and similar events that the real point of going is the networking: this is certainly true of Insite. There’s both scheduled “networking” time, around coffee, lunch and the bar afterwards, plus plenty of opportunity to sneak out of the more formal sessions for chats with potential business partners.
There are more Insites in Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester later on in the year, so if you can make it to one, I’d heartily recommend it. But don’t go expecting a sales pitch 😉
8 Responses
Hi,
I concur – this was one of the most interesting events that I have been to. To meet and listen to ebay, amazon and CA staff was a treat. Also networking with other ebay sellers (large & small) was also in itself worth the £50 entrance fee. There was a bit of a problem with the agenda which threw things a little…but all in all a well organized event. Highlights for me were the well prepared and delivered talks by ebay and amazon.
John.
I went to the Birmingham Insite last year, very informative and an excellent look at eBay that wasn’t from eBay and highlighted the things about Amazon that I didn’t know at the time.
If eBay are there this year that will be even different but just as good. It’s bound to be beneficial for people to attend after the recent announcements and get the gen from the horses mouth.
I didn’t get any hard sell either, just lots of excellent advice and motivation, the CA team are friendly and approachable, so if you get the chance GO!
Insite 2007 positive feedback 5* all the way.
Insite 2008 will be attending if logistically possible 😎
I have been to channel advisor events in the and have found them to be well organised and informative.
However I do slightly object to paying for these event which are in essence an opportunity for the speakers to advertise their services (for any presentation on a commercial service is really an advert). They should really be paying for delegates to attend.
@Trevor – can’t compare this to any other CA event, but Insite was so much *not* a sales pitch; even off-stage, there wasn’t a whole bunch of sales pitching going on. I would rather have to pay my fifty quid (though in this case, CA comped me) and have a much smaller group of rather more dedicated people, than have it free for all, packed, and therefore much less useful.
@Trevor
I don’t agree at all. I couldn’t attend Insite this year (horrendous trip to Salcombe to sit drinking red wine and watching boat types got in the way) but I did attend last years event and have attended other CA events and have NEVER been sold to. Not even once. And when I did ask at Insite last year whether a certain aspect of selling on Amazon would be improved using CA products was told ‘please talk to someone after the event if you want to look at our products – this event isn’t for that’.
Without sounding like I’m on the CA payroll – I’m not – I have been to events run by your old company whose name shall not be mentioned here as they’ve gone under so to speak – and they were nothing less than sales pitches from start to finish.
#3 you are right that its a sales opportunity, but its also a opportunity to learn, in the same way a magazine has a balance between information and adverts. If you don’t think the information is worth the cost you don’t go, try going to a free event and you will see a lot more pressurised sales.
Myself i wish i worked for a company rather than been self employed so I could put it on expenses as a jolly 🙂
Newcastle date has been cancelled which is a blow as I operate my business quite near.
I rang CA to ask about it and was simply told it was cancelled/ AMAZINGLY I wasn’t even offered Glasgow or Manchester so felt quite cheated by the indifference by the CA employee. Couldn’t care less whether I sent or not..
So I probably won’t go!
That was a lesson to me to CARE about every sale I make (and most of all to deal properly with every sales inquiry because CA to me is now a company who couldn’t care less even though I know from other encounters with that company that that is simply not true)
Newcastle date has been cancelled which is a blow as I operate my business quite near.
As to a sales pitch I don’t object -after all I am experienced enough in business to say yes or no but I equate a sales pitch as someone saying I believe enough in my company to highlight the plus points. To be told ‘please talk to someone after the event” suggests that we don’t have time for you – so that attitude can work both ways (for me anyway!). Face to face discussion can iron out my problems there and then even if I then BUY after the event, which neatly brings me to this:-
I rang CA to ask about it and was simply told it was cancelled/ AMAZINGLY I wasn’t even offered Glasgow or Manchester so felt quite cheated by the indifference by the CA employee. Couldn’t care less whether I went or not..
So I probably won’t go!
That was a lesson to me to CARE about every sale I make (and most of all to deal properly with every sales inquiry because CA to me is now a company who couldn’t care less whether I go or not even though I know from other encounters with that company that that is simply not true as I have discovered recently over an online seminar)