Ebay sees growth in sales of vehicles via smartphones
Ebay has revealed that it has seen a huge acceleration in vehicle sales via smartphones as one fifth of all Ebay UK motor sales in Q1 2012 were made via the devices.
As a result, the online marketplace has launched an Ebay Motors app featuring image recognition technology to make shopping for cars and car parts easier and more convenient for its customers.
Vehicles including a Porsche 911 Carrera and Land Rover Evoque, both of which were sold for around £40,000, are amongst the most expensive purchases ever made on Ebay via mobile and demonstrate growing confidence in vehicle purchases through smartphones.
Despite the tough economic outlook, nearly 45,000 vehicles were bought on Ebay via a smartphone in the first three months of this year, as sales of vehicles on the online marketplace rose more than 120% between 2010 and 2011.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Ebay said the most popular car brands purchased via smartphones included Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, BMW and Peugeot. Over 19,000 Ford cars were purchased on Ebay UK between January and March 2012, one every four minutes.
This week Ebay has launched its new dedicated Ebay Motors app for iPhone which it claims will make buying cars, parts and accessories via mobile quicker, easier and more customisable.
The Motors app features image recognition technology to make searches for vehicles faster and more interactive. In addition its Vehicle Finder allows shoppers to take a picture of the back of a car, and the app will search Ebay Motors listings to match the photo to similar vehicles available on the site.
Petra Jung, head of mobile shopping at Ebay UK, said: “Brits are in poll position when it comes to shopping on mobile devices, snapping up an item every second via Ebay’s mobile platforms.
“In particular, we’ve seen a huge acceleration in vehicle sales on Ebay UK with almost £70 million worth of vehicle purchases made via smartphones in the first three months of 2012.
“The new Ebay Motors app will make shopping for cars, parts and accessories through smartphones even faster and more convenient, and the new Vehicle Finder helps car buyers snap and search for their dream car the moment it catches their eye.”
