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eBay is shutting down its on-demand delivery service
It was only a matter of time before eBay Now would be put out to pasture once and for all. But that's official as of today, eBay revealed in a statement about how it plans to simplify shopping for users. The company introduced its same-day, on-demand delivery service in 2012, but struggled to capture valuable attention from consumers -- which led eBay to retire the eBay Now apps and slow down the product's expansion strategy. Additionally, eBay also revealed it will be killing a few other applications over the coming weeks, with those being Fashion, Motors and Valet. It's been a busy month for eBay in terms of restructuring; earlier this month it finally let go of PayPal, a process that began back in 2014.
eBay's same-day delivery service stalls out
When we checked in on eBay Now last fall, its leaders were brimming with optimism, announcing plans to bring the same-day delivery option to 25 more cities by the end of 2014. Skip forward to today, however, and it's apparently a different story. VentureBeat sources claim that the service is in serious trouble; in addition to losing executives and getting rid of first-party drivers, eBay Now is reportedly "blowing a ton of resources" and may be near shutting down. While the speedy courier option has done well during busy holiday shopping seasons, it reportedly doesn't have enough day-to-day business to stay afloat.
eBay introduces celebrity-curated collections, expands same-day delivery
Starting today, eBay is introducing a new feature designed to streamline your shopping experience: curated collections. Basically, curators handpick products from eBay's database and arrange them into collections; as part of the initial push, the company is including a few relatively big names among its list of "expert curators" like Solange Knowles, Pharrell Williams and Kelly Oxford, with the best of the best featured on the new eBay Today page. You'll also be able to customize your profile by following your favorite collections, users and interests. Additionally, eBay announced in-store pickup for select retailers (only Toys R Us and Best Buy to start) and the expansion of its same-day delivery service, eBay Now, to 25 markets by the end of 2014, including Chicago, Dallas and London. And if you're as busy as a bee, you'll be happy to know that scheduled delivery is coming at some point in the near future. For more info, check out the press release after the break.
eBay buys Shutl, plans for same-day delivery in 25 cities by the end of 2014
While eBay's same-day shipping is a beautiful thing for impulse buyers, its expansion has been slow. The company is speeding things up today by acquiring Shutl, a British startup focused on quick e-commerce deliveries. The deal will help eBay bring its speedy eBay Now service to a total of 25 cities in 2014, including London. Customers won't have to wait to take advantage of the site's growing ambitions, however. eBay Now is launching in Chicago today, and Dallas in the near future; the firm has also introduced product curators and collections to help web visitors who want expert shopping advice.
eBay debuts desktop version of eBay Now, service coming to more cities this summer
eBay's same-day delivery service has been highly focused on mobile since its very early days, but now the internet giant is looking to change that. Starting today, eBay Now will be available on the desktop, giving shoppers an alternative to using the site on their iOS or Android device. Naturally, this means users can still make the same purchases and have them delivered in a speedy fashion, only they'll be able to do so on a larger canvas that's optimized to display things like big imagery, reviews and which stores are most popular. In addition, the company's VP of Mobile and Local, Dan Glasgow, told us the service is, as of now, expanding its NYC coverage to Brooklyn and Queens, as well as some more places around the Bay Area. eBay also let us know Now's getting ready to launch in Chicago and Dallas "later this summer," adding that new features are set to debut at around the same time, including one which allows for scheduled deliveries. Still hoping it comes to your city? It may very well happen soon -- eBay says it's excited to keep growing and continue expanding the service.%Gallery-194299%
eBay revamps eBay Now for iPhone, announces plans to expand service in the Bay Area and NYC
Same-day delivery may not exactly be a brand new idea anymore, but it's one that's yet to reach its full potential, we'd say. With the launch of eBay Now last year, the internet giant kicked off a beta program where it gave iPhone users in the Bay Area the chance to order stuff from some local retailers and have it arrive on their front door an hour (or two) later. Now, the company's announcing plans to bring its handy service to more areas around the Bay Area and New York City, with the Brooklyn and Queens boroughs expected to "soon" join Manhattan in being able to take advantage of eBay Now. The iPhone application, meanwhile, today reached version 2.0, boasting a completely new look that's designed to provide "an even better browsing experience." Included in this release are also search enhancements that should make it easier to find what you're looking for, as well as options for either PayPal or a credit card to check out. We hope eBay Now comes to more cities in the not-so-distant future, but for now, all you impatient shoppers who can use it should hit the source link below to grab the app's latest update.
Eat your heart out: Chinese e-commerce firm delivers packages within hours
Think same-day delivery is the bee's knees? In China, an e-commerce company called Jingdong not only delivers your package a few hours after you place your order, but also gives you power to track it in real time on a map. You can even bug the delivery crew while they're on the road, although they probably (hopefully) won't pick up the phone or text you back while driving. The company offers its services in six major Chinese cities, including notoriously populous Beijing and Shanghai. Jingdong is a young company that's yet to be profitable, but based on what it offers its customers, one can't help but feel that eBay Now, Amazon Prime, and Google Shopping Express should step their game up. [Image credit: Dwight Burdette, Wikipedia]
eBay unveils redesign, deals site and launches same-day delivery
After eBay finally straightened out its logo and became ebay (it'll always be camel-cased in our hearts) it seemed only logical that the site itself would get a long overdue facelift too. At a press event today in NYC the tenacious dot-com holdover unveiled the most dramatic redesign of its long and storied existence. The look has been compared, repeatedly in the media, to Pinterest with its endless, uneven grid of product boxes and curated feed of auctions. The design is cleaner, with less text and better suited to scale for mobile and the upcoming onslaught of touchscreens. You can also like auctions on Facebook, which it hopes will drive more traffic to the site. The company quietly launched eBay Lifestyle Deals as well, a local coupon service in the vein of Groupon and Google Offers. Right now the deals are only available in a few major cities, including Washington DC, San Francisco and LA. SF is also the beneficiary of eBay Now, the same-day delivery service that entered beta testing in early August. There isn't an immediate expansion to accompany the end of the trial, but more cities should be added soon. If you're not seeing the new design yet, look for the "Feeds" option on the home page to switch over now.
Daily Update for August 6, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
eBay Now for iOS offers same-day product delivery in San Francisco
Just when you thought eBay was slowly fading away into obscurity as the online equivalent of a garage sale, the company has rolled out something new called eBay Now. eBay provides users in a beta program (signup form here) with an iOS app with which they can browse and purchase merchandise from a number of local stores and then have the swag delivered to them the same day. The eBay Now program is only available in the San Francisco area at this time, but the company has managed to partner with a number of retailers including Bloomingdales, Macy's, Target, and Best Buy. After selecting your item for purchase from the app, you're contacted by a "Shopping Assistant" who facilitates the entire transaction by verifying the request, physically purchasing the product for you, and then dropping it off into your hands. At this time, there's a $5 delivery fee for each purchase over $25, although beta users get a $15 discount on their first purchase and free delivery on the first three orders. There's no word on whether eBay will expand this program to other cities, but if it does it will revolutionize shopping by giving everyone their own personal shopper. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
eBay Now to offer same-day shipping from local stores, launching iOS beta in San Francisco
Need something today, but can't bother yourself with a trip to the store? Apparently, there's going to be an app for that -- at least in San Francisco. Local eBay users have started receiving beta invites for eBay Now, an iOS app that will allow shoppers to pick up items from local stores without leaving the house. eBay is offering beta users $15 off of their first order and free same-day delivery for their first three. Orders will come with a $5 delivery charge once the freebies are used up, forcing users to weigh the value of their time against the frustrations of local parking. The service is only available in San Francisco at the moment, but feel free to hit up the source link below to toss your name in the Beta raffle bucket anyway.
