eBay | Internet Marketing Blog

The trillion dollar ecommerce pie: are you getting your slice?

First the $1 trillion part: According to a recent report from eMarketer, ecommerce topped the trillion-dollar mark for the first time in 2012.

This was not a one-time fluke, or even something unexpected, on the contrary, this number is expected to rise: The National Retail Federation and Shop.org both reported that eRetail spending grew by 15% over 2012.

ComScore recently reported that ecommerce represented 10% of all discretionary dollars spent in 2012 and that web sales for 2013 are expected to increase from 9 to 12%

How can you get your slice? Truly, a trillion dollar question. We have prepared some tips that can help you on your way to having your pie and eating it as well.

by Arie Shpanya 21 March 2013 18:02pm 2 comments

Is eBay wrong about the value of paid search?

This week, eBay released a study into the effectiveness of paid search ads which concludes that, for the auction giant at least, 'the efficacy of SEM is limited at best'.

It's an interesting study, and well worth a read, but the report's conclusion applicable to brands in general, is it just less effective for eBay, or is there something wrong with the brand's PPC strategies?

I asked a number of experts about the report, and whether they agree with its conclusions....

by Graham Charlton 15 March 2013 10:45am 16 comments

eBay: we expect to take over $20bn through mobile in 2013

‘Market leader’ is a banned phrase at Econsultancy and for good reason, but unfortunately it’s also one of the only ways I can think of describing eBay when it comes to mobile.

The company expected to make $10bn in mobile revenues in 2012 and recent figures showed that its app has been downloaded by a whopping 43% of Android users.

Ebay has also held several high profile demonstrations of mobile shopping in London and been a prominent campaigner for improved 4G access in Europe.

I caught up with eBay's senior director for mobile commerce Olivier Ropars to see what the company has planned for 2013...

by David Moth 07 March 2013 12:25pm 0 comments

11 reasons why eBay's mobile apps are so popular

Stats published by Nielsen earlier this week showed that eBay’s mobile app has been downloaded by a whopping 43% of Android smartphone users.

It’s the only shopping app in the top 10 most popular Android apps, and with that kind of reach it’s no wonder that eBay and PayPal each expected to take more than $10bn in mobile revenues in 2012.

I’ve previously blogged 12 reasons behind Amazon’s mobile success, so thought it would be interesting to turn the spotlight on eBay’s smartphone app.

Though eBay also has dedicated fashion and motors apps, for the purposes of this article I’m only going to look at its main shopping app...

by David Moth 19 February 2013 09:58am 0 comments

Five trends from CES that marketers need to know

The electronics industry just wrapped another CES, where the latest innovations in televisions, wearable tech, and mobile computing were out in full force.

What can digital marketers infer about the future media landscape from the hardware giants and new startup entrants in consumer hardware manufacturing?

Here are five trends and thoughts on why they are worth following.

by Ryan Sommer 14 January 2013 16:08pm 0 comments

eBay brings Christmas presents directly to your door with eBay now

eBay has been testing a new mobile app called eBay Now that allows shoppers to order from local stores and have their packages delivered to their door in as little as an hour.

Through this new app, shoppers in San Francisco and New York City (Manhattan up to 125th street and select parts of Brooklyn) can purchase items from more than 200 participating stores, including Macy’s, Home Depot, Target, Toys R Us, RadioShack, Walgreens, and Office Depot.

by Heather Taylor 24 December 2012 15:58pm 3 comments

eBay showcases mobile and social commerce with London pop-up shop

On what many predict will be the busiest online shopping weekend of the year, eBay has opened a pop-up shop in London’s Covent Garden to promote itself as a destination for Christmas shopping.

The shop doesn’t have any products on show, but instead uses QR codes and augmented reality to links shoppers to product pages on eBay.

The idea is partly to give inspiration for Christmas gifts, but also to showcase eBay’s broad range of mobile apps.

Ebay expects a third of Christmas purchases to be made through mobile this year, though the percentage is predicted to be even higher than that for fashion and homewares.

We’ve previously reported that the online retailer expects its m-commerce sales to exceed $10bn in 2012, a figure that was revised up from an initial estimate of $8bn.

by David Moth 30 November 2012 12:25pm 2 comments

Which were the best mobile innovations of 2012?

It's been a great year for innovation in mobile, with brands embracing new technologies to try and find different ways of engaging with consumers.

Location-based services, social tools and augmented reality apps have been among the most prominent trends, and there have also been some interesting developments in mobile payments and m-commerce.

To round-up some of the most impressive examples of mobile innovation from 2012 I asked several brands and agencies for their input.

by David Moth 19 November 2012 11:40am 4 comments

Six major brands that have 'borrowed' Pinterest's design

Pinterest is definitely one of the big digital marketing success stories of the past few years and most brands have finally recognised the site’s potential for driving both traffic and sales.

The reason for Pinterest's impressive referral stats is at least partly attributable to its page design, as the pinboards allow users to to window shop and pick out attractive products that they want to buy.

The affect on users is so dramatic that last week we blogged a number of cases studies which indicate that Pinterest drives more sales than Facebook.

So it’s no coincidence that a number of major brands have used a Pinterest-style design recently when overhauling their websites.

Now we're not saying that Pinterest invented the image-focused layout, but it definitely helped to popularise it as an alternative to a traditional linear timeline of content.

And here are some of the most high profile examples. If you think we’ve missed any then please point them out in the comments...

by David Moth 30 October 2012 10:29am 4 comments

eBay turns to Pinterest for redesign inspiration: will it work?

Pinterest is one of Silicon Valley's hottest startups, and while companies like Facebook struggle to prove that they can monetize social media, many see reason to believe that the image-based social network is poised to deliver on the promise of social commerce.