eBay Makes Moves in the Mobile Space

Allison Howen — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:00:00 GMT

eBay has stepped up its mobile game.

The e-commerce marketplace has made three announcements that will affect the future of mobile commerce, including a new partnership with Three.co.uk, strategic agreements with merchants like Yotel and Entradas.com, as well as mobile app updates that will advance the mobile commerce selling and shopping experience.

In 2011, eBay mobile commerce generated $5 billion in retail volume and PayPal mobile generated $4 billion in payment volume. However, in 2012, eBay expects to reach $8 billion in mobile commerce retail volume, while PayPal expects to process $7 billion in mobile payment volume.

“Mobile commerce is changing the way people shop and pay, and the ways in which merchants of all sizes engage consumers,” says John Donahoe, eBay Inc. President and CEO. “We’re seeing a new retail paradigm emerge through mobile. Consumers are in control, and they want to shop anytime, anywhere. That creates opportunity. eBay is driving mobile commerce innovation, partnering with carriers and merchants to build a new retail ecosystem that drives growth by delivering anytime, anywhere value and rich multichannel shopping experiences for consumers.”

Three.co.uk Partnership

The partnership between eBay and Three.co.uk will deliver mobile devices pre-loaded with eBay apps in order to bring the mobile shopping experience directly to consumers. This means that Android smartphone users on the UK's Three network will be able to enjoy a quick, easy and direct shopping experience.

Merchant Integrations

Merchants have also been partnering up with PayPal. For example, PayPal teamed up with spanish ticketing company Entradas.com, to allow consumers to buy tickets with a mobile phone and PayPal. A few weeks after the integration, Entradas.com saw more than 15 percent of customers purchasing tickets via PayPal. Another example comes from a collaboration with Yotel, in which consumers can book a hotel room on a mobile device with PayPal. This collaboration does not require app installation, and instead allows consumers to book by visiting the Yotel website from the mobile browser.

Mobile App Updates

eBay has continued to drive mobile commerce with its portfolio of apps that provide search, comparison, bid and pay functionality, including eBay Core, RedLaser 3.0, eBay for iPad and Image Swatch. Additionally, the version 2.5.0 update to the eBay Core app for iPhone enables users to calculate shipping, research pricing trends and make sales on-the-go, as well as offers improved image quality, push notifications for bids and an integration with Twitter.

Mobile World : ebay, mobile world week 9 2012

eBay Makes Moves in the Mobile Space