Mobile transactions at online giant eBay tripled to nearly US$2 billion in 2010 with the UK followed by Germany as the fastest adopters of m-commerce.
The company said that an item was purchased every two seconds using the eBay mobile app in the UK, making it the fastest-growing mobile market according to the auction site. Fashion, consumer electronics and sporting goods were amongst the most popular items bought via mobile devices in the UK.
The company also revealed that annual sales from mobile increased by US$1.4 billion over 2009's figures, with the auction house reporting over 30 million downloads of its eBay app in eight languages across 190 countries. The firm said it received nearly 100 bids per minute through its mobile app.
eBay Europe vice-president Clare Gilmartin said: "It's staggering to think that $2bn worth of sales has been generated through a platform that didn't exist a couple of years ago. We're defining the mobile commerce landscape, by offering convenience for consumers."
International sales made up more than half of eBay's mobile sales in 2010. Outside the US, the eBay mobile markets in the UK and Germany together generated almost one-third of eBay's mobile sales in 2010.
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