eBay's big push toward everything mobile seems to be paying off. Analysts say the auction site is now the top mobile retailer in the country.
The marketplace boasts 14 mobile apps, including its latest application for BlackBerry devices, which it released earlier this week. The free app allows users to browse, bid, buy or watch eBay items from anywhere. Shoppers can also set alerts that will notify them know if someone has bid on an item they're watching.
"The idea of making eBay listings more conveniently accessible and manageable on BlackBerry smartphones is a natural, and the seamless mobile experience enabled by the unique push-based Blackberry platform provides a perfect complement to the purchase process," notes Alan Brenner, senior vice president of BlackBerry Platform at Research in Motion.
The new application is available in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K. and North America. Users can download it for free.
eBay mobile sales account for 3.3 percent of all mobile sales—more than double Amazon's 1.5-percent share. The overall mobile retail leader is Taobao, a unit of Alibaba Group, according to news reports. eBay expects to generate $1.5 billion through mobile apps this year, more than twice what it logged in 2009 through mobile apps.
eBay plans to continue its mobile push by introducing apps for particular categories. The first of these will be an application for eBay Fashion, which will allow shoppers to browse and virtually try on items by superimposing them on a photo of themselves.
eBay is betting on mobile sales to help fuel its growth. Mobile e-commerce is expected to become a $119 billion market globally by 2015, up from $18.3 billion in 2009.
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.
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