Release of iPhone 5 to boost smartphone sales online
With the imminent release of the new iPhone 5, eBay predicts up to a 70% rise in sales of previous models like the iPhone 4. The online marketplace saw a similar trend last year when the iPhone 4 went on sale, lowering the price and increasing the accessibility of earlier iPhone models which led to a surge in sales.
More than half a million iPhones have been sold via the UK online marketplace since they were launched – including brand new and used phones. In the UK last year, an iPhone was sold via eBay UK approximately every two minutes. In Q2 this year, iPhone was searched for over 18 million times across eBay’s European sites alone.
eBay expects the launch of the iPhone 5 to stimulate sales growth in the smartphone market as a whole, not just for the new model. The online marketplace is predicting sales of the existing iPhone 4 model to strengthen, with a surge in the run-up to Christmas. During last year’s festive season, sales of the iPhone 3G exceeded the iPhone 4 as shoppers look for great deals rather than the most up-to-date model.
As more and more consumers own smartphones, eBay continues to see significant growth in sales through its mobile platforms. Mobile sales now account for 10% of all purchases on eBay UK and eBay mobile apps have been downloaded over 47 million times globally.
Angus McCarey, Retail Director for eBay UK said: “Our figures show that savvy shoppers are ready and waiting to get their hands on the iPhone 4 at a cut down price. The UK leads Europe in terms of smartphone adoption, which is helping to drive the triple digit growth of mobile shopping on eBay. Mobile is fundamentally changing retail as shoppers can now browse and shop on and offline in a seamless way.”
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About eBay.co.uk
• Founded in 1999, eBay.co.uk is the UK’s largest online shopping destination, providing a platform for over 17m unique visitors per month to buy and sell new, unique and used items in a fun and easy way.
• eBay has around 40 million live listings on the UK site, with fixed price goods accounting for the majority (61%) of items sold globally.
• Sellers of all sizes, including 180,000 registered businesses and over 100 well-known brands and retailers use eBay.co.uk to reach the UK’s largest online shopping audience.
• The eBay fashion Outlet sells products from over 30 high street brands at up to 70% off the recommended retail price.
• Over 4m shoppers regularly look for Clothing, Shoes and Accessories on eBay.co.uk. Transaction volume on eBay Fashion grew 30% YoY over 2010, outstripping the market.
• eBay.co.uk is owned by eBay Inc, which has expanded to include a range of brands that help consumers find and purchase the goods they want including eBay, PayPal, Shopping.com, RedLaser, Milo and others.
eBay mobile facts
· Over 20 million people have now downloaded the core iPhone eBay app across the globe.
· eBay mobile users are visiting the mobile website 10-15 times a day.
· 300,000 new eBay shoppers made their first eBay purchase through the company’s mobile apps between January and May 2011.
· eBay mobile applications are available in more than 190 countries and eight languages.
· eBay mobile apps have been downloaded over 47 million times globally.
· Mobile shoppers on eBay.co.uk have bought more than 30 million items through iPhone and WAP since July 2008.
· There are up to 380,000 daily visits to eBay.co.uk via mobile apps, and more than 170,000 UK mobile shoppers spend over £30 with the eBay mobile app per week.
· In 2010, global eBay sales via a mobile device more than tripled, generating $2 billion in sales – up from $600m in 2009. This is set to double again in 2011 to over $4 billion.
· Globally an item is purchased every second using the eBay app.