Celebrating 10 years of the eBay Mobile app

Despite nearly a decade passing since the release of the Motorola Razr, iPhone 3G and Nokia 3310, new research from eBay UK, which launched the eBay Mobile app in 2008, has found that our small screens are still a must-have accessory for fashionistas wanting to shop on the go – with over two billion searches in the fashion category via mobile in the last 12 months.

’08 saw a jilted Carrie Bradshaw’s pink bejewelled Motorola Razr dramatically ‘chucked’ into the sea in the Sex in the City film with the flip phone subsequently becoming an iconic phone for an entire generation.

Meanwhile the Nokia 3310 has fared better as a mobile must have. When the classic Nokia 3310 phone was remade last year, David and Victoria Beckham were among first celebs to desperately get their hands on the retro remake – perhaps one of the best-selling mobiles in the noughties with eBay UK currently selling nearly five per day.

And with 2008 also marking the fierce BlackBerry Bold vs. iPhone 3G debate, social powerhouse, Kim Kardashian, has admitted multiple times to having a stash of Blackberry Bold smartphones stacked up just in case one breaks – despite preferring iPhones for her statement selfies. eBay UK has 25,000 Blackberry related listings and more than 90,000 for the latest iPhone X.

eBay Mobile app fun facts

To celebrate the last 10 years of portable shopping, eBay UK has pulled together a selection of fast facts:

• When it comes to the most popular phone brands purchased on the mobile app – it’s Apple, Samsung, Nokia, Sony and HTC that make the top five, with more than 511 million combined sales on eBay since 2012.[4]
• When making a purchase via the mobile app, the average Brit spends £14.[5]
• The top products searched for on mobile devices include classic cars and iPhones – as Brits search for the old, alongside the new.[6]
• The average Brit spends around 12 minutes on the eBay mobile app every day, with the top five products that people list on mobile devices including dresses, tops and jewellery.[7]
• The top products that people bid on via mobile devices include bags, purses, stationery and dresses – however, when it comes to buy-it-now essentials it’s screen protectors and phone cases that are top of the list, as we worry about damaging our trusty pocket pal on the go.[8]
• In the last eight years there has been a 56% increase in bids and more than three times as many purchases via mobile devices, as people become more tech savvy and phones get smarter.[9]
  vIn the last 10 years, there has been nearly 30x as many mobile listings via the eBay app as Brits sell to afford new items.