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Does “M-Commerce” Really Mean “iPhone” To eBay?

Written by Fred J. Aun
October 28th, 2009

Efforts by eBay in the Mobile Commerce arena seem to illustrate a conundrum facing other retailers with M-Commerce yearnings: Should they focus their efforts (and money) on catering to the Apple iPhone or on mobile sites that can handle all mobile devices? Of course, many retailers are doing both. But recent comments from eBay CEO John Donahoe indicate that, when it comes to mobile, the iPhone is the apple of eBay’s corporate eye.

During eBay’s third-quarter earnings presentation, Donahoe said little about M.ebay.com, the company’s mobile Web site, choosing instead to focus on eBay’s app for the iPhone. Donahoe said the app has been downloaded more than 4 million times and is expected to generate more than $500 million in sales over eBay this year. “And consumers can more easily use PayPal for their purchases on the iPhone than ever before,” he noted. “We’re rapidly iterating in mobile and will soon be introducing the next version of our eBay iPhone app with improved functionality and features.” Looks like when it comes to M-Commerce buzz, there’s the iPhone and then there’s everything else.

Posted in Mobile/Wireless/Contactless, Payment Systems, Security/Fraud
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