According to the company, the campaign aims to prime the market for what will be its largest mobile shopping season. The campaign was created by ad agency Venables Bell & Partners.

“Our new campaign brings on-demand shopping to life – in the palm of our customers’ hands,” said Deirdre Findlay, vice president of consumer marketing, eBay, San Francisco.

“We’re positioning eBay as the shopping destination for customers wherever they are when a moment of shopping inspiration strikes,” she said. “The campaign showcases the ease, immediacy and innovation eBay provides through mobile.

“We’re focusing on our shopping enthusiast customers and the new reality of shopping virtually anytime, anywhere via mobile devices.”

EBay lets users buy and sell on its platforms around the world.

Mobile shopping
The advertising campaign targets shopping enthusiasts in categories such as fashion, motors and electronics.

Via the new initiative, eBay will deliver personalized, custom experiences to help shoppers discover the top brands, retailers and products they want.

According to the company, shopping enthusiasts use mobile to shop more than any other category of shoppers.

Additionally, eBay found that 60 percent of fashion enthusiasts and 65 percent of electronics enthusiasts own a smartphone, compared to less than 30 percent of the general public.

The campaign will last 11 weeks, ending in late December.

In addition, six 30-second TV commercials kicked off on Sept. 14 during national cable network shows including Top Gear, SportsCenter, Tosh.0, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Top Chef and The Rachel Zoe Project.

The spots highlight that no matter where shoppers are and what they want to buy, eBay has it in stock.

“Our research identified a huge opportunity for eBay among shopping enthusiasts,” Ms. Findlay said. “EBay is well positioned to meet their needs based on their passion for shopping, how they shop, what they look for, and when they want it.

“They’re much more active on mobile than other categories of shoppers we looked at, making them a good match for eBay’s mobile apps, which enable them to shop whenever and wherever inspiration strikes,” she said.

“These are avid customers driven by passion and interests in key verticals like fashion, motors and electronics where eBay delivers personalized, custom experiences to help them discover the top brands, retailers and products they want, at prices they want.”

Mobile bar codes
EBay is also using QR codes that can be accessed using eBay’s RedLaser mobile scanning technology.

“This will allow consumers to shop for products on the spot, whether in a train station or outside a pedestrian shopping area,” Ms. Findlay said. “The various QR codes will lead to custom eBay landing pages featuring great shopping finds for all shopping enthusiasts.

“The campaign is fully integrated, blending new and traditional channels including TV, outdoor display and social media,” she said. “Outdoor displays ads will be seen in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles starting Oct. 17.”

According to Ms. Findlay, eBay has seen exponential growth in mobile sales and anticipates this trend will continue.

“Mobile platforms present new opportunities for eBay to innovate and deliver a seamless selling and shopping experience,” Ms. Findlay said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is staff reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York