Shoppers can now scan and compare a variety of products such as electronics, movies and video games. The updated application is available for free download in the App Store.

“EBay Mobile is always working to enhance all of our mobile shopping experiences across the various platforms we support,” said Steve Yankovich, vice president of mobile and platform business solutions at eBay, San Jose, CA. “The core eBay iPhone app is our most popular app with over 13 million downloads since its launch in July 2008.

“By creating standalone mobile apps, we can track what features our users like best and improve upon them,” he said. “With holiday shopping upon us and Black Friday around the corner, this app update is nicely timed for our users looking to comparison shop on mobile to find the best deals.

“The lines between in store and online are blurring as many shoppers always have their smart phone on hand – ready to scan or click for the best deal.”

Holiday comparisons
Users can compare prices to more than 200 million live listings.

The eBay application lets consumers scan bar codes and find products within the company’s listings.

In addition, shoppers can research sale trends, list items and manage listings.

Sellers can search for completed listings to see what similar items recently sold for.

Using the RedLaser scanning technology, repeat sellers can scan a product and list it on eBay in 60 seconds or less.

Consumers who are listing a similar item sold or selling on eBay can use eBay’s “Sell One Like This” feature to create a listing that is automatically populated with information like category and item condition.

Consumers can browse items

Consumers can view product descriptions

Consumers can view different listings

“With the holidays approaching, bar code-scanning allow users to more easily comparison shop and list to sell items this holiday season,” Mr. Yankovich said. “With bar code scanning, the process of buying or selling is streamlined.

“All a user needs is to point their camera, tap the phone with their thumb and listings for the exact item they are looking for will populate,” he said .”For example, if you are shopping in-store this holiday season and see a popular toy or gadget on the shelf, simply scan the bar code using your eBay iPhone app and you can comparison shop instantly with eBay.com – for often the best prices.

“Instead of lugging large shopping bags across the mall, use mobile commerce to have them shipped directly to your door.”

Mobile changes
The enhanced application features a new home screen that includes a watching, buying and selling Quick View for instant updates.

Additionally, the application features buyer protection, which covers the purchase price and the original shipping for many items.

Consumers can use the quick PayPal payment feature that lets them remain logged in to PayPal.

There is also a reminder feature that lets users know of active purchases and sales.

“We chose to integrate the selling app into our core buying app to make it easier for our users and expose a larger audience to our already popular selling and RedLaser tools,” Mr. Yankovich said. “The first part of the buying and selling flows are similar, such as search, browse or scan to find the specific item you are after.

“It makes sense to combine both experiences as they flow nicely together,” he said. “Many of our buyers are sellers and vice versa.

‘Now they can more easily flip through both activities, which will come in handy during the busy holiday season. With every app, we listen to our users and create shopping experiences that best suit their needs.”