The highly anticipated eBay app for the Apple Watch has finally been released, allowing users to bid on auctions straight from their wrist.
Apart from bidding, users will also be able to see notifications to their account and a list of the items they're either buying or selling. Users can additionally set the app to offer push notifications, helping them keep an eye on things that might interest them.
"EBay continues to evolve its product offerings by creating engaging, curated and simplified shopping experiences for customers across all devices," said David Cheng, the company's director of mobile product. "With the new realm of 'glanceable commerce,' we're continuing to provide our customers with timely updates so they are always connected to the activities that matter most to them."
EBay is one of a number of e-commerce websites making a push for wearable devices, particularly the Apple Watch. Mobile traffic is growing at an increasingly fast rate, with Google reporting last month that there were more searches on mobile than on desktop in 10 countries around the world.
Obviously, companies like eBay recognize the potential for mobile and are taking advantage of this. In fact, over 50 percent of eBay users reportedly access the service from mobile devices, making it extremely important for eBay to stay ahead of the curve in mobile technology.
"Users can consume small bites of time-sensitive and relevant information. For example, sellers can receive push notifications that help them offer speedy customer service through messaging, while buyers have the ability to stay on top of their watched items," the company said on its website.
Unfortunately for eBay, the release of the Apple Watch app took far longer than some might have hoped. When the Apple Watch was originally launched, eBay was touted as being one of the first companies to offer an app for it, but eBay was removed from Apple's list after delays in the creation of the app.
There are a number of retailers that beat eBay in releasing an Apple Watch app, including companies such as Target and Amazon — both direct competitors in the e-commerce space.
EBay also announced that the iPhone and iPad apps would be getting updates to improve their search function, ensuring that people looking for something like a laptop will not get thousands of results for laptop chargers and other nominally related accessories.
