Earlier today, eBay hosted a press conference to unveil a series of new features, geared towards transforming the tech company’s reputation.
eBay wants to be seen as a retailer for new merchandise, and not just an auction site. In his opening remarks at this morning’s event, company President Devin Wenig noted that 75% of goods listed on eBay are available for immediate purchase at a set retail price.
The company has already begun to leverage its relationships with high-volume retailers like Macy’s and Target with its same-day delivery service, eBay Now, which was previously limited to San Francisco and New York City. As of today, eBay Now has expanded its operations to the Chicago area and will continue to roll out to 25 cities by the end of next year. (Wenig hilariously described this initiative as “shopping locally.”)
The second major component to eBay’s announcement: The launch of a Pinterest-style proprietary image-driven social platform, called eBay Today, which will appear on the site’s homepage. Users will be able to “curate” and share collections of shoppable items with other eBay visitors.
eBay tapped a broad range of influencers and celebrities to create some of the first collections for the site. Performer Pharrell Williams (who attended the conference this morning as eBay’s confused celebrity guest), Mad Men costumer Janie Bryant and designer Chris Benz have already contributed pin boards to the site.
