A year ago eBay acquired a company called Where, a location media company with a local discovery app for mobile phones. At the time they announced their intention to integrate Where with PayPal making PayPal the payment method of choice for customers to pay for local deals served as adverts on their mobiles.
I have to admit to having been a bit skeptical of eBay’s intentions, they’ve not always managed to use the technology that they’ve purchased (Think Skype and Stumbleupon. Skype was one third of “The Power of Three” slogan and the new way to communicate on eBay and Stumbleupon was going to surface all sorts of interesting products. Neither of these happened).
Where has made it though and been reborn as the PayPal Media Network (PPMN). PPMN offers unique location-based mobile advertising solutions to enable retailers in the US target consumers via mobile when they’re in the vicinity.
PayPal Media Network with Where technology gives advertisers the ability to serve a relevant advert to a buyer and can give the option for the buyer to make an immediate purchase and can even offer the choice of collecting the item as they’re passing or having it delivered to their home, all at the click of a button.
It’s not just a solution for mobiles either, the solution can also target consumers when they’re on the net. PayPal Media Network’s behavioral targeting parameters include purchase, browsing, and search history. Purchase history is one of the strongest indicators of a consumer’s intent, far more effective than most other forms of targeting. By using this proprietary and anonymous user data advertiser can precisely target the right consumers with the right message at the right time.
Imagine you’re browsing a popular online marketplace. Let’s call that marketplace “eBay”. There you’ll find some advertising on view item pages just beneath the seller information box. Unlike blanket advertising which you may or may not be interested in Where’s technology enables PayPal Media Network to analyse your purchase history and identify the types of product you’re likely to be interested in.
We’re not that impressed with eBay’s current blanket marketing campaign and Dan still isn’t interested in a mini skirt to go with the Moccasins he’s also not going to buy. Now if they could start serving up interesting ads for Sci Fi and Dr Who that would soon spring some funds from his PayPal account.
eBay you still don’t know me or what I like to buy, but I’m hopeful that one day you might!