eBay rebrands division to focus on mobile commerce
Two years after acquiring GSI Commerce, eBay has rebranded this unit as eBay Enterprise. This division is not one of the company’s three main business units and will be responsible for enterprise commerce solutions for brands and retailers. For the past two years, GSI Commerce has been working to create and develop online shopping sites and boasted of more than 1,000 clients worldwide before the eBay acquisition. Now, as a division of eBay, GSI Commerce will be responsible for promoting new initiatives, such as those in the mobile commerce space.
Company continues to show strong interest in mobile space
The interest that eBay has in mobile commerce dwarfs that coming from other companies. The company has devoted a great deal of its resources to promoting mobile commerce around the world and has done exceptionally well in this endeavor thanks to the backing of its subsidiary PayPal. The new eBay Enterprise will continue this work, but will be primarily focused on retailers and brands that are interested in engaging mobile consumers.
eBay Enterprise brings a more acute focus to company initiatives
With eBay Enterprise taking a more focused approach to the matter of mobile commerce, eBay may be able to make strong progress in this field. For the past few years, eBay’s focus on mobile commerce has been somewhat expansive. A more acute focus may help the company appeal more effectively to retailers and brands in particular markets rather than working to appeal to everyone everywhere.
eBay expects strong gains in mobile commerce by year’s end
The rebranding of GSI Commerce has provided eBay with some confidence concerning the results it expects to see this year n the realm of mobile commerce. According to eBay Enterprise, more than 30 eBay Commerce clients will have mobile commerce services available in their stores by the end of the year. PayPal is also expected to see strong gains in the mobile commerce field through its work with eBay Enterprise.
BWild |
November 29, 2012
eBay reports mobile sales performance
eBay has experienced a very promising beginning to the holiday shopping season this year. The online retail giant has released data concerning mobile sales that were made over the Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend. This data comes from eBay itself, as well as its Marketplaces, PayPal, and GSI Commerce divisions. The company will not be providing overall sales information this year, but its mobile sales have been made publicly available, showing a strong performance for the company’s various mobile commerce initiatives.
Mobile sales up across the board
According to eBay, the company saw a 133% increase in mobile transactions in the U.S. on Thanksgiving day from what they had been in 2011. The company also saw a 153% increase in mobile volume on Black Friday over the levels it had been last year. PayPal experienced a 173% increase in global mobile payment volume on Thanksgiving day and a 193^ increase in global mobile payment volume on Black Friday. GSI Commerce experienced similar results.
Positive performance largely due to focus on mobile consumers
eBay notes that much of the success it has seen in the mobile commerce realm comes from the company’s increased focus on mobile consumers. eBay has been positioning itself to engage these consumers in an aggressive way, well before the holiday season even began. The company predicts that mobile commerce and similar services will shape this year’s holiday shopping season and any companies not focused on appealing to mobile consumers could miss out on an ideal opportunity.
Mobile commerce becoming more popular in wake of holiday shopping
There is still a lot of time left in the 2012 holiday season and eBay expects to continue seeing positive results from its mobile commerce initiatives. Other retailers have been reporting similar results from their own focus on mobile commerce. The performance of these ventures is expected to boost the popularity of mobile commerce within the retail industry, encouraging more companies to adopt platforms that allow consumers to pay for products with their mobile devices.
