In October, eBay announced an identity log-in system called PayPal Access, and this week announced it is now available to merchants who use Magento Go to host their online stores. eBay is pitching the PayPal Access program as a way to help retailers reduce shopping cart abandonment during the online registration and checkout process, since visitors will be able to use one ID to log in to many retail websites.
eBay Inc.’s unified developers program X.commerce explained, “With PayPal Access on their sites, merchants can dramatically increase conversion rates by simplifying log in and account creation. In a few clicks, consumers can sign up and sign in to participating websites with just their PayPal usernames and passwords. Important user information, such as shipping address, will be automatically updated.”
Xcommerce sees the program as much more than a simple identity program, however. X.commerce CTO Neal Sample told EcommerceBytes in June that PayPal Access will include a shopper profile, or “commerce identity.” In the future, it will let consumers share data about their purchase history, preferences, and shoe size, for example, making it more convenient for shoppers and allowing merchants to make them more relevant offers.
Xcommerce is differentiating PayPal Access from Facebook Connect, which enables Facebook members to log onto third-party websites with their Facebook identity. Sample said giving consumers the ability to separate their commerce behavior from their social behavior and social identity will provide them double the value.
By making the program available through Magento Go, eBay makes PayPal Access available to many small and mid-sized retailers. PayPal Access will be pre-installed on Magento Go stores as an extension, meaning merchants can begin using it in just a few clicks directly from their Magento Go administration console. Online sellers who want to try Magento Go for themselves can take advantage of the company’s Million Dollar eCommerce Stimulus Fund promotion and get a free online store for one year.
For an example of a shop using PayPal Access, see ShopGecko.com. More information about PayPal Access is available on X.commerce, and the Magento Extension is available on this page.
Also see the October 10th EcommerceBytes Blog post, “Do You Need or Want a Commerce Identity?”
