It seems only fitting that what should prove to be my final blog post of the year (I’m literally walking out the door right now to surprise my kids with a trip to Disneyland), is focused on eBay mobile. It has been a hot topic on the blog for some time now and, based on feedback I’ve been getting from eBay Ink Social Media Sellers, it will be even hotter in 2011. I plan on sharing a 2011 predictions post with you all, based on that feedback, early next week. In the meantime, I wanted to share some of the insights revealed by eBay earlier this morning specific to mobile shopping trends of the past year.
Have a very safe and happy New Year!! Back with you all next week.
Cheers!
RBH
In the U.S., the top five categories ranked by the number of items sold through eBay’s mobile apps for the year were: clothing shoes & accessories; cell phones & PDAs; collectibles; jewelry & watches; and toys & hobbies.
I’ve written about eBay’s interactive infographic application already and have been impressed with how it allows folks to see eBay mobile shopping trends for the year within the top 20 eBay product categories. Looking back, eBay’s infographic reveals the following trends: (More …)
The new app has the following updated features – including selling functionality:
- List items for sale
- Sort items when browsing to purchase
- Manage inventory (active sales)
Check out this video demo of the new app in action…
Key Features:
• Search or browse: Search or browse for millions of titles in books, textbooks, music, movies, games and game systems
• Barcode: Use the barcode scanner to search for the item you are looking to purchase or sell.
• Checkout and Payment: Use your Speedy Checkout setting with Half.com to checkout on the go. It is safe, simple and fast!
• Manage your active listings – edit or delete your current items for sale.
• Gift Cards and Coupons: Enter your gift card and coupon codes when checking out to save even more
• Share: Found a great deal? Share via email or your favorite social network
eBay to Acquire Leading German Fashion Shopping Site
eBay announced Monday its plans to purchase Germany’s largest private sales fashion shopping club, brand4friends. The site, which has 3.5 million members in Germany, was purchased for a 200 million dollar deal and will strengthen eBay as a leader in European fashion sales. [via Forbes]
Last Minute Shopping is No Longer a Problem Thanks to eBay
Everyone has fallen victim to last minute shopping, however this year eBay has a solution; GiftsNearby. Integrating its latest acquisition, local shopping site Milo, eBay has been able to integrate Milo’s local inventory results to show shoppers in-stock gift options available for pick up at nearby retailers in the neighborhood. [via TechCrunch]
Further News
+ Facebook testing new features, including Memories, Questions and Switch Login.
+ Have a question? The newly acquired Fluther team at Twitter can help you out.
+ The trend for free shipping deals this season create the heaviest online shopping week ever.
Wanted to share a neat little video featuring Robin Le Vine (and I’m assuming it’s being filmed by Mark Le Vine) of BubbleFAST using their first eBay Green Box to ship to a customer.
Do you have any fun videos of your ecommerce operations? Let me know, I’d love to highlight them here on eBay Ink.
Another year down. Where does the time go? In a couple of weeks, on January 7, I will be celebrating my 3rd year anniversary with eBay. I still feel like a newbie in a lot of ways but in others, when I think back to when we first started planning the launch of eBay Ink, we’ve come a long way baby. The company has gone through a lot too. This year was no exception. I’ve written 228 blog posts in 2010. Too many to chronicle here. So the following is an attempt to capture the big events of the past 12 months coming out of the company.
Cheers!
RBH
January eBay Wins 2009 Mobile Retailer of the Year
eBay was crowned the 2009 Mobile Retailer of the year award as a result of increasing mobile transactions during the 2009 Holidays and generating more than half a billion dollars via mobile in 2009.
eBay Seller Release Changes Announced eBay Seller Release changes include new standard rates, new store subscription packages and changes in the buyer protection program.
February Launch of eBay Motors
eBay Motors now offers shoppers an online experience when purchasing new vehicles. The online site allows user to search for new or old cars by color, make or model – all in less than a minute.
Narciso Rodriguez eBay Collection
eBay introduced a first-of-its-kind agreement with Narciso Rodriguez for a eight piece limited edition collection only for eBay.
March eBay Classifieds Branded
Kijiji has been re-launched as eBay Classifieds, the new site includes enhancements to create a better experience for users.
eBay iPhone Applications
eBay launched new iPhone applications for eBay.com global marketplaces, eBayClassifieds.com and selling.
eBay: On Location Atlanta
The first eBay: On Location event of the year was held in Atlanta. The eBayOL events (in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago and San Jose) allowed eBay buyers and sellers to network with attendees and meet with eBay representatives and executives.
April eBay Ink Celebrates 2 Years
Ink blog celebrates 2 years of blog posts, interviews and connections with readers and sellers.
eBay Q1 Earnings
eBay started the year off strong with Q1 earnings up 9% and a revenue of $2.2 billion.
Launch of eBay Fashion
eBay Fashion allows shoppers to browse more than 19 million daily listings of clothing, shoes and accessories.
eBay for iPad
The eBay for iPad app allows shoppers to browse through hundreds of listings through a simplified search system on the high resolution screen of their iPad.
June eBay Acquires RedLaser
eBay’s acquisition of RedLaser, a barcode scanning application allows all eBay iPhone and iPad applications to conduct comparison shopping for competitive prices.
July eBay and Microsoft Announce Cloud Computing Agreement
eBay will be among one of the first customers of Microsoft’s new Window Azure platform. Incorporating the Windows Azure platform will allow eBay to optimize its platform and achieve datacenter efficiency.
Launch of eBay Ink Social Media Sellers Program
The Social Media Sellers program highlights eBay sellers who take social media tools to the next level and incorporate them into their business of buying and selling on eBay.
eBay Fashion App for iPhone
The eBay Fashion app for the iPhone delivers a personalized shopping experience, allowing users to browse, buy and virtually try on items.
August eBay Announces eBay Bucks
The first ever eBay rewards program, eBay Bucks, offers consumers 2% back on most items purchased through eBay Marketplace with Paypal.
eBay Debuts Green Box
The eBay Box is a green friendly shipping box that is designed to be used over and over again. According to the eBay Green Team, if every box is used five times, it will save 4,000 trees, 2.4 million gallons of water and conserve enough energy to power 49 homes for a year.
October eBay Launches Instant Sale
eBay Instant Sale is a tool for consumers to sell or recycle old electronics and keep harmful e-waste out of landfills. Consumers can either receive a check for their old electronic or will be directed to a recycle program if their electronic is not worth anything.
PayPal Hosts Innovate X Conference
At the PayPal Innovate X Conference the company presented the future of money with announcements around PayPal Embedded Payments, PayPal Apps, PayPal Business Payments and more.
November eBay Introduces Group Gifts
eBay Group Gifts is a new way of shopping, allowing users to pitch in together to purchase a gift for one person.
December eBay Deal Finder Announced for the Holidays
eBay Deal Finder compares eBay listings with similar products on sites like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart.com and allows shoppers to save money and find the best deal available.
eBay Web App Show Mobile Shopping Trends
eBay published an interactive infographic displaying eBay mobile shopping trends through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Leading purchases included cars and trucks, followed by cell phones and women’s clothing.
eBay Acquires Critical Path Software
eBay announced it has acquired Critical Path Software, a leading mobile app developer that has worked with eBay for over 2 years on a wide array of mobile apps coming out of the company including the eBay for iPhone app, StubHub, eBay Classifieds and Shopping.com iPhone apps.
eBay to Acquire brands4friends
eBay has reached an agreement with leading German online shopping club, brands4friends, to acquire all shares of the company for a transaction value of approximately 200 million dollars. The move will strengthen eBay’s position as a leading online fashion destination in Europe.
eBay Acquires Milo
This acquisition will enable eBay to provide consumers with access to millions of products from approximately 50,000 stores across the USA. Milo lets consumers search the inventories of local stores online, providing a new channel for retailers, including eBay sellers, to reach more shoppers.
eBay Introduces Giftsnearby
Further integrating Milo.com inventory information, Giftsnearby is a new way for last-minute shoppers to simplify their final shopping sprees by showing them gift options available for pick-up at local retailers. GiftsNearby shows local retail prices for each item, directions to the closest store with inventory availability, and an option to browse eBay for the gift.
Another sign that ecommerce sites are tapping into all things local to augment existing services, eBay has introduced GiftsNearby – giftsnearby.ebay.com – the first integration of Milo’s local inventory availability onto eBay. It’s a new way for last-minute shoppers to simplify their final shopping sprees by showing them gift options available for pick-up at local retailers. In addition to the Milo integration, it also signals a first-of-its-kind agreement with Best Buy that allows shoppers to reserve / purchase a gift on GiftsNearby from a local Best Buy store and pick it up at their convenience (and earn eBay Bucks in the process).
Available specifically for the homestretch of holiday gifting, GiftsNearby shows shoppers a selection of popular holiday gift options ranging from electronics and other gadgets to home appliances and toys that are available at local retailers in or near their zip code. Only items that are in stock at a selection of more than 25 trusted retailers are offered as gift options, ensuring last-minute Santas can fly out to pick up exactly what they want and know it will be there… For Santas who have run out of time to comparison-shop, GiftsNearby shows local retail prices for each item, directions to the closest store with inventory availability, and an option to browse eBay for the gift.
Related Reads: Thanks To Milo, eBay Goes Local With Product Inventory Tool GiftsNearby
For eBay, Milo represents a way to break into the local shopping market. Forrester estimates that online research to offline buying is a $917 billion market that will eventually reach $1.3 trillion and account for nearly 50% of total retail sales by 2013. [TechCrunch]
eBay Sends Shoppers to Offline Stores
This is not the first time eBay has funneled shoppers on its marketplace to other retailers. In the past, it experimented with mixing results from its comparison shopping engine, Shopping.com, with eBay.com’s search listings for certain products… [NY Times Bits]
Katie Linendoll talks about a number of different smartphone apps designed to help you find the best possible price by scanning barcodes and comparing in-store prices with online outlets and marketplaces such as eBay.
The week is less than an hour old here in California but the blog is already up and running because the eBay shopping season continues. The company today announced it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire all of the shares of brands4friends, Germany’s largest online shopping club for fashion and lifestyle, for cash at a transaction value of approx. US$200 million (EUR150 million). The move is designed to strengthen eBay’s position as a leading online fashion destination in Europe.
Founded in 2007, brands4friends has approximately 3.5 million members in Germany, and has held a wide variety of campaigns with over 600 top brands, including international fashion brands such as Buffalo, Calvin Klein and Diesel. The company, which employs some 200 people, is headquartered in Berlin.
eBay’s “Mobile Sunday” Becomes the Biggest Mobile Shopping Day Ever
“Mobile Sunday” proved to be a busy day for eBay for a second year in a row, with mobile purchases totaling 5 million. Users used the eBay mobile app and mobile website to purchase clothing, accessories, cars, trucks and more. [via TG Daily]
Augmented Reality App Now Includes eBay Listings in the Area
With Metaio’s mobile app Junaio you can now view eBay Classifieds listings as they appear in the world around you. Point your phone in any direction and see a virtual grid of postings in that neighborhood, making shopping local a whole lot easier. [via USA Today]
Buy Now, Pay Later with PayPal
PayPal Advantage now allows those in the Top Buyer program to purchase items and pay after the good has been delivered. “Pay After Delivery” allows shoppers to check out as usual, then allow PayPal to withdraw the money from their account only after the package has been received the buyer is satisfied. [via T amebay]
Further News
+ Facebook may have most the traffic, but Twitter is the true marketing king in the social media realm.
+ M-Commerce is just taking off, expect more from the mobile industry in 2011
+ Even mom’s nowadays are foregoing the old ways and doing their groccery shopping online.
I was fortunate enough to get Steve Romero, Critical Path president and founder, and Steve Yankovich, VP of eBay Mobile, together to chat about the acquisition and how the teams will be working together moving forward. Exciting stuff indeed…
