Programming interfaces (APIs) are enabling interesting mashups in the e-commerce world. That is, using programming tools and services offered by other providers in order to create a unique service of your own. A selection of some of the younger and more exciting e-commerce mashups:
A comparable visualization of the data available from the Amazon API can be found on Similarity Web. (via)
Related posts:
My Friends Mosaic
My Friends Mosaic uses APIs from LiveJournal and Twitter to read the avatar pictures of your friends from those services. Using the API from Zazzle, its then possible to print out these avatar photos as a mosaic on mugs, t-shirts or bags. (via)Handmade Spark
Handmade Spark uses APIs from Etsy, PayPal and BlankSlate to offer Etsy merchants an additional platform to sell their products.Liveplasma
The already older Liveplasma uniquely visualizes relationships between music bands, actors or films by drawing from the Amazon API. Its then possible to make Amazon purchases directly from the Liveplasma layout.A comparable visualization of the data available from the Amazon API can be found on Similarity Web. (via)
Bonus: iPhone App Built from the Tesco API
The iPhone app WhatDidI uses the API from Tesco and it a good example of how merchants can save effort if offering an attractive API:"WhatDidI remembers what you bought recently, tracks favorites and finds deals. You can create a shopping list, which syncs to your Tesco account. Since you may not always have an Internet connection (i.e., iPod Touch at the market), the app can run in offline mode. Any changes you make are uploaded when you connect again."Tesco are themselves building a mobile app for Nokia which also makes use of the API.
For the best overview on APIs and mashup opportunities (not only) for e-commerce, turn to the ProgrammableWeb.
Related posts:
- Nick Lansley of Tesco.com Speaks on “APIs and the 4th Screen”
- Extras: Magento Mobile, Facebook Credits, Zappos API
- Wine.com Provides API for Commercial Use
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