With the new version of eBay Motors iPhone App, users can now take a picture of a vehicle they like to identify its make/model/year, and gain instant access to like inventory on eBay Motors.
For racing fans, the new app update also includes, for the first time ever from eBay, live streamed content of behind-the-scenes action from the Rolex 24 at Daytona racing event. Former Le Mans winner Justin Bell will host the “under the hood” live look into the pit crews at the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 this weekend, January 26-29. The coverage will complement the live broadcast on SPEED, ongoing updates on GRAND-AM.com, and “after-hours” coverage on SPEED.com.
Other new app features include:
** More winning – receive notifications for when you are outbid, when items you are watching are ending, and updates on the current Best Offer
** Stock your Garage – stock images for vehicles are now available for quick and easy profile updates to users’ personal eBay Motors “Garage,” providing simple search for parts that fit your car, and simple sharing options
** Tweet it out – easily share the parts and vehicles you are buying or selling with your followers on Twitter (currently for iOS 5 only).
eBay Shares Social Media Advice for Online Sellers
eBay prepared a guide for sellers on “social media selling,” advising sellers on how to use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs to promote their eBay listings. They styleguide counsels sellers to genuinely contribute to the conversation, don’t spam your fans and don’t be controversial. [via eBay]
Further News
+ Social media is helping drive the economy and empowering the people.
+ Mobile companies continue to see support from venture capitalists.
+ Physical stores want features that let them become more like online stores.
Looking Back on eBay Ink January 27, 2010: eBay Buyers & Sellers gave $54.8 Million to nonprofits in 2010 through @eBayGiving. In a world where things rarely seem to shock or surprise anymore, the capacity to give never ceases to amaze me. A record $54.8 million was donated to U.S. and U.K. nonprofit organizations by eBay buyers and sellers in 2010. A donation was made every 24 seconds through eBay Giving Works, raising more than $91 every minute for nonprofits. Nearly 9 million items were listed for sale in 2010 – with all or a portion of the sale price donated to a nonprofit – more than double the items listed in 2009.Since eBay Giving Works was launched in 2003, $230 million has been raised for U.S. and U.K. charities and currently lists over 650,000 charity items on the marketplace.
eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.
eBay Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe spoke at the Digital Life Design conference in Munich, Germany on Jan. 24, noting that lines between online and offline commerce are blurring “at a stunningly fast rate.” For half of retail transactions last year, he said, consumers accessed the web at some point during the shopping experience.
As VentureBeat reported, John predicted more rapid changes in consumer behavior going forward. “I believe that you’re going to see more change in how consumers shop and pay in the next three years than we’ve seen in the last 20 years,” he said. “We’re providing mobile capabilities that consumers are grabbing, but the consumer is in charge here.” (More …)
What better way to understand our customers than to be active buyers and sellers?
eBay employees now have an even easier way to sell on eBay. Introduced this week as a pilot program for employees, the new “Sell it Here” station is located at San Jose, Whitman Campus. Employees will find the Sell it Here station stocked with everything they need to list and sell their items on eBay.
Pictured (from left): John Kennedy, President of JSA; Paul Jones, eBay Inc.; Jack Christin, eBay Inc.; and Bob Frank, VP of JSA
Earlier this month, the Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA) awarded its seventh annual “Industry Service Award” to Paul Jones, the senior director of global asset protection at eBay. JSA is a trade association of jewelry manufacturers and retailers and a key partner in the fight to keep eBay’s platforms free of stolen goods. Each year, the Jewelers’ Security Alliance presents its Industry Service Award to someone not in law enforcement who has made a significant impact on the security of the jewelry industry.
From LP Magazine: In his nearly three years at eBay, Paul and his expert team have improved the integrity of the online marketplace through closer cooperation with law enforcement and major retailers. Through the PROACT program, eBay has increasingly assisted law enforcement personnel with investigations involving jewelry that have resulted in significant arrests, and has partnered with the JSA in a multi-pronged effort to combat organized jewelry crime through mutual training and assistance. This huge marketplace has great significance for the jewelry industry since eBay sellers list several million items of fine jewelry, watches, loose diamonds, and gems on the site. Because of his leadership role in working tirelessly to reduce crime and fraud in eBay’s online marketplace, JSA presented the Seventh Annual JSA Industry Service Award to Paul Jones.
Jones was cited for improving the integrity of the eBay marketplace, especially through closer cooperation with law enforcement and with major retailers. Jones has helped build the PROACT program, which brings together stakeholders in a common effort to reduce fraud, fencing and other crimes and abuses involving the eBay marketplace. He was quick to acknowledge that he accepted the award on behalf of the entire PROACT team – Stoney Burke, Lauren Cunningham, Dave DiSilva, Matt Flinders and Hawken Averett – and their tireless work.
eBay Inc. Reports Strong Q4 Results
eBay reported its net income grew sharply in the fourth quarter, increasing 35% to $3.4 billion, compared to the same period of 2010. Results beat analyst’s expectations, boosted by strong holiday sales and growth at PayPal. eBay gave a first-quarter outlook that was shy of analysts’ estimates, however its guidance for the full year was stronger than expected, suggesting robust earnings momentum later in 2012. [via New York Times]
Further News
+ Apple’s voice recognition feature, Siri will eventually be used for online shopping according to it’s patent.
+ Will e-commerce be caught in the crosshairs of SOPA and PIPA?
+ According to a survey, mobile shoppers prefer browser-based commerce to apps.
Looking Back on eBay Ink January 19, 2010: eBay Improves on Top 20 NRF Ranking for Customer Service in 2009. According to the fifth annual NRF Foundation/American Express Customers’ Choice survey, eBay is ranked #12 overall for customer service in 2009 (up 2 from #14 in 2008).
Consumers answered the open ended question, “Thinking of all the different retail formats (store, catalog, internet, or home shopping), which retailer delivers the best customer service?”
Like I said when I wrote about this last year, it is the individual sellers on the eBay marketplace that should be commended for achieving this high ranking. After all, they’re the ones providing the customer service to consumers on a daily basis.
eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.
Apologies for the delay here. I realize I’ve been back in the Bay Area for 24 hours but had to focus on eBay Q4 2011 earnings yesterday, meaning that my NRF 2012 recap post got put on hold. Without further ado, here you go folks…
Overview: Connected devices make what was once a solitary trip to the store a more socially connected event. Smartphones don’t serve as just another marketing vehicle—they can be a platform to combine the digital and physical worlds. As shoppers go through the process of discovering new products, testing them and reflecting on their purchases, they share these thoughts with their social networks and influence perception among their peer group. This session will examine why retailers must embrace and facilitate this sharing of information, and how retail outlets need to evolve to create experiences that drive sales in-store. Retailers will learn how to integrate mobile and social media strategies into a cohesive business model that enhances marketing and merchandising.
It was an engaging discussion with some key trends running through the presentations. It was something we heard from eBay Inc. CEO, John Donahoe last week and from Don Kingsborough on Sunday: The rules of technology are being rewritten and the rate of change is incredible – particularly in the world of retail and commerce. Again, the emphasis was made on the need for the education of – and adoption by – merchants. It was also agreed that when it comes to all the huge amounts of data coming in through social channels, the key is prioritization and delegation.
eBay Inc. at NRF 2012: Show Floor
PayPal Shopping Showcase
On my last day in New York I was lucky enough to check out the PayPal Shopping Showcase (and unlucky enough to get into a physical altercation with a NYC taxi cab on my walk over… but that’s another story).
From the PayPal Blog:
Imagine a digital wallet that stores all of your gift cards, loyalty points and offers and then automatically applies the stored money and savings for you at the point of sale. Imagine purchasing an oversized item from the aisle and having it shipped directly to your house in a matter of clicks. At the Shopping Showcase, we’ll be showing merchants and select members of the media a complete set of solutions that do all of this – and so much more
You can check out all my photos of the PayPal Shopping Showcase in eBay Ink at NRF flickr set.
It has been a whirlwind 10 days covering both CES and NRF but it’s good to be back at HQ and working on some cool social projects for 2012. Will keep you all posted.
The next iteration of Green.eBay.com aims to be a first-of-its-kind site that combines community-generated content, green products and projects, and news about hot-off-the-press programs and partnerships — all designed to help you live a greener lifestyle on a leaner budget. It’s our first attempt at fusing our old sites—the content-focused eBay Green Team site and the shopping-focused green.eBay.com—into one comprehensive, informative, and idea-rich experience.
It’s a slick looking site and, as an eBay Green Team member myself since 2008, I’m excited to see the progress they’re making over there.
The new site was created with the goal of becoming a resource center, a community hub, and, of course, a marketplace, for our over 300,000 Green Team members—and eBay-ers of all shades of green. Our hope is that the new Green.eBay will become a place that you regularly visit for lifestyle inspiration, and where you can share your favorite green ideas, projects, and products with others like you.
Following up on yesterday’s Q4FY2011 earnings announcement for eBay Inc., John Donahoe joined CNBC this morning to discuss the results, the outlook of the company, and the changes in consumer behavior in the online and offline world.
Cheers,
RBH
eBay Inc. CEO, John Donahoe, talked about the new PayPal mobile payment tests being run at 51 Home Depot stores starting this week during eBay’s quarterly earnings call this afternoon. He went one better too. He actually visited a store this morning to try out the technology first-hand.
Leaving his wallet and his mobile phone in his car, he tried the first-hand integration this morning at a San Jose Home Depot. By entering his mobile phone number and PIN, he was able to pay for a hammer in a matter of seconds. The receipt was emailed to him.
“…@PayPal customers will be able to pay for purchases in these @HomeDepot stores by swiping their PayPal card…”
The system works in two ways:
1. Using an in-store terminal, shoppers can buy items by punching in a phone number and PIN linked to their PayPal account
2. Pay using a plastic card issued by PayPal that works like a credit card
“…or entering their mobile phone number/PIN. No wallet or specific type of smartphone is required.” #eBayQ411 $eBay
