eBay Unveils X.commerce Open Commerce Ecosystem

eBay has launched X.commerce, an open commerce ecosystem designed to provide developers and merchants with a comprehensive suite of e-commerce technologies needed to meet the rapid-changing requirements of social, local and digital driven commerce.

X.commerce gives developers access to e-commerce technologies including shopping carts, payment services, inventory management, marketplace integrations, and more, allowing them to create new shopping solutions, eBay said in a press release. X.commerce includes open commerce operating system called Fabric that will let developers distribute their solutions to merchants.

eBay says that merchants will benefit from the ability to quickly implement and customize new technologies to deliver innovative shopping experiences.

“Retail used to be all about location —today, it’s all about innovation,” Matthew Mengerink, Vice President and General Manager, X.commerce said in a statement. “Merchants can see the world changing around them as consumers are adopting new technologies that change how they shop. With X.commerce we’re allowing developers to focus on innovation, so merchants can focus on selling.”

X.commerce platform incorporates technology tools and capabilities of eBay Marketplace and PayPal, as well as from eBay partners Magento, Milo, Red Laser, and Zong.

Along with the launch of X.commerce, eBay has announced PayPal Access, a commerce identity system that allows people to use their PayPal usernames and passwords to make safe purchases on other merchant websites without having to share their financial information with the merchant.

eBay also announced that it has integrated Facebook’s Open Graph into its Magento and GSI commerce platforms so that developers can create new social shopping experiences.

“Integrating Facebook Open Graph technology across eBay’s global commerce platforms represents a powerful way to bring people together across an inherently social activity – shopping,”  Katie Mitic, Director of Platform and Mobile Marketing at Facebook, said in a statement. “We’re just starting to see what’s possible with social commerce, and look forward to the new experiences developers create.”

Several other companies including Adobe, Kenshoo, Outright and CIGNEX Datamatics have also joined X.commerce partner ecosystem.