eBay is no longer an m-commerce or e-commerce retailer: eBay Europe VP of marketing, operations and advertising, Alexander von Schirmeister on eBay's role in retail

"eBay is no longer a standalone outlet, it fits into the way people shop. They research on their mobiles or laptops and purchase in store or vice versa, they make the final purchase online, and the catalyst behind this is mobile and how it's really changed ecosystem of retail."

von Schirmeister adds that mobile has in effect breathed new life into physical retail and has "fundamentally changed" the commerce landscape which means retailers no longer have a choice they're "obliged to have an online presence"

Of the way technology, and eBay, has reinvented bricks and mortar stores, von Schirmeister discussed North American pilot venture eBay Now, where a consumer will search for an item online and if that's available nearby someone will physically go to the store where it's available, collect the item and deliver it there and then, "bringing together the convenience of shopping online and the instant gratification of offline."

According to von Schirmeister consumers can now use their handset up to 150 times in the one day, known as snacking this means of browsing sees consumers checking their handsets in short bursts and its up to brands to utilise that and get their message across.

"The good thing for brands with snacking is I may check a site 10 times a day but I don't want to see the same thing every time."

In relation to eBay's mobile success and number five ranking on Ipsos Mori's Influential Brands survey, von Schirmeister says the fact eBay got in early with mobile has been a real coop. He adds: "We allowed our mobile guys to step on some toes. They were allowed to go fast and fail fast rather than be tied up in internal politics. We had to take a leap of faith and not let our mobile platform be affected by other channels. We were willing to have internal disruption for mobile to be successful."