eBay: Mobile Sales Grew From $600 Million To $2 Billion In 2010

eBay has announced that global mobile sales generated nearly $2 billion in 2010, up from $600 million in 2009. To be clear, we’re not talking revenues here but gross merchandise volume. Nevertheless, a clear sign that mobile ecommerce has reached a tipping point.

eBay earlier announced that global sales were up 166 percent to $230 million from Nov. 25 to Dec. 25 from the same period last year, so the holiday season was a clear catalyst for much of that growth.

The ecommerce company says its mobile apps, which give users access to eBay’s global marketplace on the go, have been downloaded more than 30 million times in eight languages, and in over 190 countries.

The United Kingdom has apparently been the fastest adopter of mcommerce, with more Brits shopping through the eBay app than anywhere else in Europe. An item was purchased on average every two seconds through the eBay buyer app in the UK, the company adds.

Germany and the UK combined generated nearly one-third of all eBay’s mobile sales in 2010.

Other tidbits shared by eBay:

– 13 pieces of clothing, pairs of shoes and accessories are sold every minute through eBay’s mobile apps worldwide

– 94 bids are made every minute via eBay’s mobile apps worldwide

– since its release in 2008, more than 15 million people have downloaded eBay’s iPhone app

eBay also has apps for Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 devices.

Clare Gilmartin, VP of eBay Europe, perfectly captures my thoughts on the subject:

“It’s staggering to think that $2billion worth of sales has been generated through a platform that didn’t exist a couple of years ago, and on a device that didn’t exist three years ago.”