eBay Launches Image Recognition Shopping App for iOS

eBay has launched an image recognition app for iOS, which enables users to buy cars and mechanical parts using their smartphone's camera. The eBay Motors app can search through motor listings on the site by picture verification matching a rear snapshot taken of the shopper's chosen car with similar or exact vehicles available for purchase.

“Brits are in poll position when it comes to shopping on mobile devices, snapping up an item every second via eBay’s mobile platforms," says says Petra Jung, head of mobile shopping at eBay UK. "The new eBay Motors app will make shopping for cars, parts and accessories through smartphones even faster and convenient, and the new Vehicle Finder helps car buyers snap and search for their dream car the moment it catches their eye.” 

The launch comes in response to the popularity of the motoring section on eBay, as 20 per cent of all eBay UK vehicle sales were purchased by shoppers via their smartphones. Shoppers make car purchases of up to £40,000 via their smartphones, with the site reporting last year selling a car on eBay UK every 60 seconds. Popular car brands purchased with smartphones include Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, BMW and Peugeot.

Richard Anson, founder of the social commerce solutions provider Reevoo believes that the eBay Motors app is an interesting development in mobile shopping. “Since the development of mobile commerce, be it from the mobile web or from dedicated apps, there have been concerns about users not trusting this channel as much as other channels, such as shopping from a laptop or desktop," says Anson. "However, the news that thousands of pounds are regularly being spent on purchasing cars via a smartphone shows that these concerns may not be as significant as previously thought. The eBay brand clearly garners such trust from consumers that they are willing to buy expensive items on their mobile, where they have been unwilling to do in the past.”