eBay is on a mission to make itself an online destination for fashion-conscious shoppers, first with the launch of fashion.ebay.com in April, and furthered today by the launch of its eBay Fashion iPhone app.
As one would expect, the app [iTunes link] gives users access to eBay’s listings in the fashion category, as well as the “Fashion Vault,” eBay’s version of Gilt Groupe, a site that offers a mix of designer luxury goods for up to 70% off retail prices beginning at noon ET every weekday (incidentally, one of Gilt Groupe’s founders was a former eBay employee).
My favorite feature is the Closet. Users can store their favorite items here, and then drag, drop and resize them to create outfit montages on a white background or a photo. The feature is similar to the one Yoox created for its tenth anniversary campaign. You can share your finished outfits via e-mail but not, surprisingly, with your social networks.
In sum, it’s a very sensible app. It has features that offer real value to eBay’s fashion shoppers, without treading on the gimmicky — I would have disliked, for instance, an augmented reality feature that lets you “try on” items (they never line up properly), or a series of redundant videos about fall trends. I wouldn’t mind, however, a video or two with tips about how to score amazing designer deals on eBay — there are a lot of tricks to the search process, and fashion bloggers are fond of giving advice about the topic.
eBay Fashion
