eBay has clocked up 100m downloads of its various apps, which include the eBay Motors app, the eBay Fashion app, and the RedLaser price-checking app. The apps are available in eight languages in just short of 200 countries, and have been downloaded 25m times in the last five months.

eBay is also celebrating 100m listings posted via mobile. The company has also revised its forecast of global transactions that it expects to see coming via mobile in 2012, from $8bn (£4.3bn) to $10bn. If achieved, this would be double the 2011 figure. (The word ‘exponential’ springs to mind, again – Ed.)

eBay first enabled customers to buy through their phones in 2005 (the same year we launched). It launched its first app, for the iPhone, in 2007, and updated the app in March 2010 to enable users to sell, as well as buy, through the app. eBays apps are now available across “every major mobile operating system”.

eBay has also taken the ethos of mobile as a marketing channel to heart by attempting to leverage the unique capabilities of the mobile device. The eBay Fashion app, for example. enables users to take a picture of a colour or fabric and use it to search for similar items for sale. Similarly, eBay Motors users looking for a car can search for the type of car they are interested in by taking a photo of one. And of course, the Red Laser app enables users to scan a barcode to access detailed information on a product, including pricing information.

“Before there was even an iPhone or an App Store, we identified that mobile shopping would fundamentally transform the way we shop, allowing people to shop whenever and wherever they want,” said Oliver Ropars, senior director of mobile commerce at eBay Europe. “Making buying and selling on your mobile has been key to reaching this milestone, and we will continue to improve on the way we engage with consumers across our app suite. With consumers checking their phones around 40 times a day, having a strong mobile presence is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but an essential for any retailer who wants to stay ahead of the game.”