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If you’re in the ecommerce business, it’s time to take note. Ebay recently announced a new PC version to its popular Ebay Now mobile app and expansion of its same day service to more cities.
The service once available only on iOS and Android and only to customers in San Francisco, New York and San Jose can now be accessed on your laptop. Service was added to the Bay Area Peninsula, Brooklyn and Queens as of Monday’s announcement with Chicago and Dallas to come on line later this summer.
Ebay Same Day Delivery: What It Is
So what is Ebay Now?
Well, last summer Ebay launched the new service in beta on iOS only. It allowed users in the San Francisco area to shop for local products and have them delivered by courier in about an hour. The service costs $5 per order with a minimum $25 purchase.
Today Ebay Now has expanded to include an Android app, more cities and products from a wide variety of brands.
Why It’s Important
Ebay Now is much more than an effort to compete with chief rival Amazon on same day delivery, as suggested in a recent post at Venture Beat. In its announcement earlier this week, the company said it will seek to integrate in-store delivery and work with more local small businesses as the service expands.
Review site Yelp announced another service to work with small businesses earlier this month.
The news also signals a need for ecommerce to concentrate on local markets and integrate mobile and PC-based Web presence. Ebay says its new service is aimed at the 75 percent of retail spending that happens within 15 miles of home. Dane Glasgow, eBay’s VP of Mobile and Local, told TechCrunch that purchases from customers who visit Ebay on both their PC and mobile devices account for 44 percent of the site’s sales volume.
Image: eBay Blog
