“eBay Now” Goes to Desktop

|

Getting that last-minute gift from Best Buy just got a little easier. Last Monday, eBay Now has been officially launched for desktop. For those who might not aware of eBay Now, it is a service that lets you order products from local retailers and delivers them in around an hour.

The service is already available in San Francisco, San Jose and New York City, the service also expanded into the Bay Area Peninsula, Brooklyn and Queens.

As we’ve seen mobile really take off at the consumer level it is really blurring the lines between offline and online commerce,” said Dane Glasgow, eBay’s vice-president of mobile. “The fact that you always have a connected device with you is having a huge influence on how people shop and buy, both at home and when they’re out on the street.

eBay Now Desktop

Shopping is done much like how it would at any online retailer: collecting items into a virtual cart for checkout. When you check out using eBay Now, however, a valet is dispatched to the store from which you’ve requested items, to do your shopping for you. After the valet purchases everything you’ve asked for, he or she brings the items to you, at a location you specify, typically within an hour.

Glasgow said the product’s mobile version has been used for everything from ordering an iPad to cold medicine. One bike rider even ordered the materials he needed to repair a damaged tire using the service, and had the items delivered.

The only requirement to get something delivered is that you spend $25 at a single retailer. Your first order through the service is free, after which each order has a $5 delivery fee.