eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) launched three features to its auction site today, at its “Future of Shopping” event in New York. The E-Commerce giant has introduced a Pinterest like feed, that curates a user’s favorite items on a personalized page, and displays the images accordingly. Additionally, eBay has also updated its search function, and included bigger photos, as well as important product info on each item’s page.
Devin Wenig, eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) president, is quoted by CNET News, saying, “we are delivering a cleaner, contemporary look and feel; an intuitive, convenient way to browse, decide, and buy — both globally and locally; and a new personal way to curate your own shopping experience and discover items perfect for you”.
According to reports, the new features are expected to debut in the U.S. in the next few weeks, while the global launch will follow soon after, within months. However, the most awaited item was an app, dubbed eBay Now, which allows a same day delivery service. The new app launched in San Francisco, California, and is expected to launch in New York soon.
According to an eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) spokesman, buyers can order items from a variety of retailers, including Finish Line, GNC, Home Depot, Macy’s, Office Depot, RadioShack, Target, Toys R Us, and Walgreens, and expect doorstep delivery within an hour. The report noted that the service has already been tried over the last couple of months, which means, it’s practical.
Notwithstanding, eBay is not the only company offering this kind of service, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT), is earmarked to have launched a similar service recently, where it expressed that it had conducted successful trials in Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis.
However, Wal-Mart’s service, dubbed, Wal-Mart To Go, has been developed in anticipation of the up and coming holiday season, with the prospect of letting customers order specific items and gifts, which can then be sent to their homes or offices that same day, noted CNET.
The new eBay feed feature should be available in the U.S. within three months, but you can still activate the feature via, www.eBay.com/feed. From there on, you can make your own feeds based on your favorite products, as well as follow other users’ feeds.
The holiday season is just about here, and eBay seems to have made the right preparation, with its new crop of features. The company’s stock is up 55% this year, and today’s event caps a successful campaign, as curtains close with the final calendar-quarter in 2012.
Today, the company’s stock closed at $46.76 per share, up %0.54, or 1.17% from yesterday’s close, while the aftermarket price was $46.80, up about 0.1%.
