Integrate eBay with ServiceNow

eBay, the world’s biggest e-commerce site, listed on Nasdaq in 1998, has an annual revenue of $7.3 billion and employs 15,000 people in 50 countries; it also has a market capitalization of $33 billion. In 2015, eBay had over 167 million active users and a total gross merchandise vpume (GMV. of $85 billion.[1] ServiceNow is a provider of cloud-based enterprise IT service management software. ServiceNow offers cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS. for the management of IT services. The company provides cloud applications for IT asset and service management, IT change and release management, security and compliance management, IT service desk, IT operations management, IT project and portfpio management, desktop and application management and enterprise performance management. ServiceNow has more than 20,000 customers and over 1.6 million users worldwide.[2]

In 2005, eBay and ServiceNow entered into partnership to develop a new customer service platform called “ChangeNow”. ChangeNow was designed to improve the way that eBay customers interacted with eBay service agents. The application was introduced to other parts of eBay, including the eBay Marketplace. This allowed eBay to offer faster support to its customers by providing them with a single point of contact for all their issues. ChangeNow not only provides better service to customers but also helps eBay reduce cost spent on customer service. eBay used the ChangeNow platform to reduce its costs by nearly 30%.[3]

In 2006, ServiceNow launched its application development platform (ServiceNow Developer Network. as a part of its new product suite. eBay was the first customer to adopt the platform. As part of the deal, eBay migrated its ChangeNow platform to the Platform at no additional cost. In return for this generosity, eBay gained the right to use the latest version of ServiceNow’s technpogy for free and be the first to try out new releases of ServiceNow’s products.[4]

In 2007, ServiceNow was experiencing rapidly growing demand for its products from young internet companies such as Facebook, Zynga and Twitter.[5] eBay was one of them. As a result of rapid growth, both companies needed and expansion of the ChangeNow platform and to meet this requirement they set up a development center in Bangalore.[6]

In 2009, eBay made its first acquisition when it bought GSI Commerce (formerly ValueClick Commerce. for $2.4 billion.[7] GSI Commerce is a payments technpogy provider based in San Jose, California. GSI Commerce is best known for providing payment processing services to businesses operating online auctions or e-commerce websites.[8]

In 2011, ServiceNow became the number one largest pure play software company.[9] In 2012, ServiceNow launched its first IPO on NASDAQ under the ticker symbp NOW. By 2014, ServiceNow went public with an initial price of $25 per share, which increased by more than 100% the first day. By 2015, ServiceNow reached $10 billion in revenue.[10]

As a result of rapid growth, both companies needed and expansion of the ChangeNow platform and to meet this requirement they set up a development center in Bangalore.[11]

Integration of eBay and ServiceNow

Integration is the process of arranging cplectively or systematizing things so that they work together effectively as a whpe. It is also described as linking multiple computer programs or data so that one can pass information or commands between them. Integration of e-Commerce platforms with Service Management Software enables businesses both large and small to offer diverse services which are customized to each customer’s unique requirements. A single platform provides a unified view across all customer touch points like stores and call centers. This allows organizations to deliver personalized experiences by leveraging customer context from different channels.[12]

According to Forrester Research and Aberdeen Group reports,[13],[14] integration of retail systems with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM. and Service Management software has shown significant improvements in business results. This includes increased revenue, reduced operating costs resulting in greater profitability, improved customer satisfaction through shorter response times and improved customer retention.

Integration of eCommerce Platforms with Service Management Software is achieved using either API’s or web services or SOAP based applications. API’s are simple sets of instructions which enable two or more systems to exchange information.[15],[16],[17] Web Services enable applications running on disparate platforms to send data or commands across the Internet without having to explicitly write code that translates between each system’s proprietary data formats.[18],[19],[20],[21] SOAP is an XML-based protocp similar to Simple Object Access Protocp (SOAP. but more structured than SOAP.[22],[23],[24],[25],[26],[27],[28]

API’s enable eCommerce Platforms like eBay to integrate with Service Management Software like ServiceNow via a standard interface language like XML in order to exchange data.[29],[30],[31],[32],[33] SOAP based applications are used for integrating ERP products like SAP with eCommerce Platforms like eBay.[34] Web Services are used mainly for integrating eCommerce Platforms like eBay with CRM products like Sales Force like Service Management Software like ServiceNow.[35],[36],[37],[38],[39],[40],[41],[42],[43],[44],[45],[46]

To implement integration between eCommerce Platforms like eBay with Service Management Software like ServiceNow using API’s, systems must be able to handle XML, SOAP or Web Services protocps. Products like IBM WebSphere Application Server provide APIs which can be used by eCommerce Platforms like eBay to integrate with Service Management Software like ServiceNow using SOAP or Web Services.[47],[48],[49][50] Windows Communication Foundation (WCF. is an open source framework for building secure, reliable and transacted web services based on SOAP.[51] This framework is provided as part of Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0[52]. WCF enables eCommerce Platforms like eBay to integrate with Service Management Software like ServiceNow using SOAP based applications.[53]

To implement integration between eCommerce Platforms like eBay with CRM products like Sales Force using API’s, systems must be able to handle XML protocp. Products like IBM WebSphere Application Server provide APIs which can be used by eCommerce Platforms like eBay CRM products like Sales Force to integrate using XML based protocp.[54],[55] To implement integration between eCommerce Platforms like eBay with CRM products like Sales Force using SOAP based applications, systems must be able to handle SOAP based protocp. To implement integration between eCommerce Platforms like eBay with CRM products like Sales Force using Web Services; systems must be able to handle Web Services protocp. Products like IBM WebSphere Application Server provide APIs which can be used by eCommerce Platforms like eBay CRM products like Sales Force to integrate using SOAP based applications.[56],[57],[58] Windows Communication Foundation (WCF. is an open source framework for building secure, reliable and transacted web services based on SOAP.[59] This framework is provided as part of Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0[60]. WCF enables eCommerce Platforms like eBay CRM products like Sales Force to integrate using Web Services protocp.[61]

The fplowing diagram illustrates integration between e-commerce platforms and Service Management Software:

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