Mobile devices were a key part of the experience. To see the three hottest toys of the season, visitors could use their eBay social shopping app to scan one of three photo clues set up on plinths around the display. Each one — a patch of fur, a skull and crossbones, and a spiderweb — would prompt a 3-D image of a Furby, a Monster High doll or a Spider-Man toy to pop up on users’ devices.

The pop-up shop also featured a “Twitter barometer” that displayed the 10 most talked-about gifts for Christmas on a screen, as well as QR codes for purchasing each gift. One wall featured swatches of fabric that shoppers could scan using the eBay Fashion app, which each scan triggering a search for matching fabrics on eBay. Additionally, virtual personal shoppers were on standby on Facebook to guide people through gifting quandaries.

More than 4,500 shoppers stopped by the event between Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, sending out thousands of tweets and Instagram photos.

“It’s been mind-blowing,” said one young man who visited the event. Even eBay employees were impressed. “Events like this show how modern and futuristic eBay can be,” said Justin Leconte, a classification specialist.

Check out the experience below:

Top photo: eBay Social Shopping experience in Covent Garden, London. Courtesy of eBay Inc.

Items by Jonathan Adler for the eBay Holiday Collective. Image courtesy of eBay Inc.

Buzz is building around the eBay Holiday Collective – and  early access will be available Sunday, Nov. 11, exclusively to users of the eBay Fashion iPhone app. Shop for designer gifts for men, women and the home by mobile, 24 hours before they are available online. The online sale starts Monday, Nov. 12 at  eBay Fashion Vault.

Check out what the designers, including Jonathan Adler, Chris Benz and Billy Reid, have to say about the collective, below:

Source: eBay Inc.

An eBay report about the effects of limited 4G service in the United Kingdom is generating widespread news coverage in the country.

According to the report, the lack of universal 4G service throughout the UK will cost the country’s economy £120 million, or roughly $192.5 million, in lost sales this Christmas season. At the moment, the UK only offers the speedy 4G service in ten cities, including London and Liverpool.

The report also addressed the growing importance of mobile and mobile-influenced shopping, noting that 55 percent of consumers plan to use their smartphones to browse the web this holiday season and 39 percent will use their device to get gift ideas and check prices. About a third of the items in eBay’s Christmas campaign will likely be bought with a mobile phone as well.

“Mobile devices have become virtual stores in our pockets, giving us the ability to shop anytime, anywhere,”  said Clare Gilmartin, vice president of eBay Marketplaces Europe. “But for consumers, it’s critical that the experience is quick, seamless and simple.”

However, the top three barriers that prevent consumers from mobile shopping are slow connection speeds, payments timing out and network reliability. All these problems would be virtually eliminated by 4G, the latest and fastest wireless technology network. But rollout of the network has been long delayed in the UK. Full availability is not expected until early 2013.

Fashiontribes editor Lesley Scott recently covered eBay’s upcoming designer holiday collection  in a post titled, “Stuff from the eBay Holiday Collective 2012 to Make You Look Like You Have Gift-Giving Supa-powers!” In reviewing the catalog of gift items designed by Fallon, Chris Benz, Steven Alan and others, Lesley commented, “After all, [eBay is] the world’s largest online shopping destination. Whether it’s Lady Gaga fans trying to dress like Mama Monster or label-loving fashionistas on the hunt for those elusive Isabel Marant wedge-sneakers, eBay has the goods.”

Are you thinking about holiday shopping yet? eBay is. The company just announced a collaboration with seven designers to produce an exclusive holiday collection of men’s and women’s apparel, jewelry, travel and electronics accessories, and home décor.  There will be more than 40 gift-worthy items in total, at “Buy It Now” prices ranging from $50 to $100 (including free U.S. and international shipping!).

The designers (pictured above, clockwise from top left) are: Brian Wolk and Claude Morais of Ruffian; Chris Benz; Billy Reid; Amy Smilovic of Tibi; Jonathan Adler; Dana Lorenz of Fallon; and Steven Alan.

Each of them has designed a capsule collection. The entire suite of gift items will be available globally on eBay starting Nov. 12.

Read more, including what the designers love to stalk on eBay, at The Inside Source.

I’m working out of the eBay UK office in Richmond this week and have had some great meetings with a number of folks talking about all things social – from commerce to media to business. I’ve also been able to check out some cool stories coming out of the office here first-hand. Earlier this month, eBay UK launched its first-ever pop-up shop in London’s fashionable West End. The UK’s first-ever QR code shopping emporium, the eBay Christmas Boutique enabled shoppers to browse over 350 items provided by top-rated eBay sellers, who could purchase using mobile technology with just a few clicks.

Although there were physical items on display, all items were purchased on eBay using mobile devices. Naturally, I asked what was going to happen to all of the gifts on display throughout the shop. Turns out that many of the toys and gifts displayed in the Boutique have been donated to children’s charities.

The boutique was open Dec. 1 – 5 and although it meant it was only open for 5 days, they managed to attract over 2,500 walk-in customers. You can check out a full behind-the-scenes video below…

Cheers from the UK!
-RBH

Related Reads:
TameBay – Shopping at the eBay Christmas Boutique
techradar.com – In Pictures: eBay Christmas Boutique

Nearly 6 million people have eBay on their iPhone and eBay receives three-quarters of a million unique visits a day via mobile apps.

Here are some facts and figures out of the press release…

Cheers,
RBH

According to an IDC report earlier this year, mobile Internet users will double in number by 2013 to surpass one billion. Here are some mobile eBay trends:
• Nearly six million people are carrying eBay around in their pocket
• Users from more than 165 countries visited the eBay mobile Web site and iPhone application
• 1.5 million items were bought on eBay using mobile phones worldwide this holiday

In 2009, an item sold every 2 seconds via eBay mobile applications worldwide with luxury items a favorite of shoppers this holiday season; some recent mobile transactions in the US include:
• $19,108 for a 23-foot deck boat
• $10,025 for 250 grams of pure gold bullion
• $10,000 for a Boston grand piano made by Steinway
• $3,888 for a Hermes Kelly bag
• $770 for a Jean Paul Gaultier wool and leather coat
• $600 for a pair of Christian Louboutin camel colored patent leather pumps

eBay connects buyers and sellers across the globe:
• This holiday, more than 20 million items were purchased by eBay shoppers from sellers in another country
• Shoppers in more than 200 countries bought items on eBay this holiday season
• Sunday, December 13, was the biggest shopping day of the year with more than 2.3M transactions in the U.S.

eBay Daily Deals on eBay.com were flying off the shelves:
• The DVD for the movie “UP” was $6.99 (77% savings off MSRP) with free shipping – sold out (2,000 units) in 16 minutes
• Toshiba 32-inch LCD TV was $279 (49% savings off MSRP) with free shipping – sold out (nearly 2,000 units) in 26 minutes
• The Vibecellular 2-pack of LED Headlamps for $9.99 (75% savings off of MSRP) sold through 10,000 items in just under 11 hours
• The first four Daily Deals on Dec. 7 sold out in 90 minutes

Under the tree this holiday:
• More than half a million Zhu Zhu pets scampered into homes across the U.S. in 2009; in the first two weeks of December alone, there were more than 5 million Zhu Zhu Pet and related item searches on eBay (To watch how Zhu Zhus took over the U.S., visit: http://www.ebayholiday.com/zhu-zhu)
• Most expensive item to find a new home this holiday was a $495,000 1965 Shelby Cobra; followed by a 2010 Lamborghini Roadster which sold for $390,000
• Disney rules the DVD market, with “The Lion King,” “Cinderella,” “Beauty and the Beast” and the new “UP” movies leading sales
• Christmas morning is all about the video game systems, with the Nintendo Wii as the most popular item this holiday season and Xbox 360 a close second
• More people playing “Call of Duty” than any other video game

Beginning November 3rd, and running for 45 days, eBay will be running a Daily Deal promotion. Each day a different product – from categories including electronics, sporting goods, video game accessories, sporting goods, video game accessories, DVD movie and home and garden – will be available at a fixed-price and deep discount off MSRP with free shipping. These limited-quantity items will be available daily by 3 p.m. EST.

Also starting on November 3rd, shoppers can bid on some of the hottest electronics all starting at $1 on eBay, by taking part in the “Bid From $1” auction format series. From Nov. 3 to Dec. 17, thousands of new items such as MP3 players, GPS devices, cameras, video game consoles and video games will be offered in auction-style listings with $1 starting bids, no minimum final-price reserves and with free shipping.

eBay also announced the following promotions:
• $1 Holiday Doorbuster: Each day from Nov. 24 to Dec. 8, the eBay site will offer $1 Doorbuster deals – limited quantities of two different items at a fixed-price of $1 and one surprise luxury item, also at a fixed-price of $1. Items will include popular toys and games, fashion accessories, sporting goods and electronics.

• Microsoft Live Search cashback: Shoppers who arrive at eBay through Microsoft Live Search (www.live.com) can receive up to 30 percent cash back on the purchase of any eligible fixed-price item when using a PayPal account through the Microsoft Live Search cashback program. That cash back, on top of eBay’s already low prices, can generate savings up to 60 percent total on many of the hot gift items available for sale across the site.

In addition, eBay announced that shoppers will find over 3.5 million listings on eBay with free shipping this holiday, offering shoppers even more value. Free shipping and other deals can be combined with coupons for 10 percent off that will be issued to millions of qualified eBay buyers this season, through members’ “My eBay” accounts.

Information on all of eBay’s holiday deals will be featured on an eBay deals page located at www.ebay.com/deals, debuting on November 3rd.

Cheers,
RBH