eBay Adds Alerts For Mobile Consumers
eBay has introduced eBay Alerts, an extension of eBay Wireless which "enables users to win more listings on eBay even while on the go." eBay Alerts notify users with eBay listing updates through phone calls, text messages and instant messages, and allow users to bid on auction-style listings from their wireless devices. Unlike the alerts currently provided by most financial institutions, eBays Alerts appear to be "actionable" in that, once they've been received, users can act on them by, for example, re-bidding on an auction by replying with a text message.
"As consumers' lifestyles become more mobile, eBay Alerts help by driving more demand to our sellers and making it easier for our buyers to stay involved in the auction process before an item listing closes," said Eric Shoup, group product manager of eBay Wireless.eBay buyers can elect to receive a phone call alerting them that three minutes remain before a listing ends. The service gives buyers an easy and convenient way to check an item's status or place bids by phone. This feature will be available in July and will be rolled out as a pilot program. The phone call alerts are powered by UnWired Buyer, provider of an event-triggered, voice-based e-commerce platform and a member of the eBay Developers Program.
In addition, eBay buyers can choose to receive bidding update alerts and bid on items via text messages on mobile phones. Known as SMS alerts, users can receive "outbid" and "item ending soon" text messages for any item they choose and can re-bid via SMS. There is a nominal fee associated with SMS alerts of $0.25 for up to 10 messages per item that will appear on the user's cell phone bill. SMS alerts will become available during the week of June 11th. VeriSign delivers eBay's SMS alerts in the U.S. using VeriSign's Intelligent Messaging Network.
Similarly, buyers can now receive "outbid" and "item ending soon" alerts using AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, or MSN Messenger for any of the items they are bidding on. This service will also be available via Skype in 2007. As a part of this free notification service, eBay will send a link leading back to the item on eBay, where buyers can increase their bid if they wish. This service becomes available at the end of June.
At this time, eBay Alerts are available in the U.S. only. Links for all three methods have been added to item pages across the eBay site, so buyers can simply choose any or all types of alerts for a particular item. Plus, users can set their overall preferences in "My eBay" to receive a text message or instant message.
For more information, go to: http://wireless.ebay.com/
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