Mobile Fuels eBay’s Performance In Q3 2012

Mobile technology was the major driver of third-quarter revenue and user growth for online auction and shopping major eBay. The website enjoyed a 15% annual uptick in sales to $3.4 billion in the three months to 30 September, while its bottom line staged a 14% year-on-year rise to $718 million.

eBay’s site and apps being optimised to work on any mobile device also helped the business draw 10% more active users, compared with the same period a year ago, pushing their number to 108.3 million in the period. eBay’s sound results in terms of both user and revenue growth were backed by its primary businesses, the auction platform Marketplaces and PayPal.

According to CEO John Donahoe, mobile technology is still proving to be a “game changer” for eBay, which claims to be a leader in mobile retail and payments.

The company’s revenue from marketing services and other revenues, including cash from brands’ advertisements on the platform, showed a 13% annual increase and a 5% quarterly decline in the third quarter. In order to improve revenues from brands displaying ads on the website and catch the attention of would-be advertisers, eBay announced earlier in October that it would share with marketers first-time consumers’ way of searching and shopping. The Advertising Barometer will provide marketers with insights into buying trends based on users’ behaviour on the website.