|
eBAY LAUNCHES BUSINESS EXCHANGE IN AUSTRALIA
New Destination Services for the Small Business Market
eBay is launching Business Exchange to the Australian market this Monday, May
29, 2000.
This new online marketplace targets businesses with fewer than 100 employees, helping them buy and sell products across 25 categories. These categories focus on the items sought by small businesses such as computer hardware, software, electronics, industrial equipment and office equipment. Business Exchange is featured prominently on the eBay homepage and is accessible directly at www.ebay.com.au/business_exchange/.
“eBay launched Business Exchange in the US in March this year. Due to its success there and relevance to the Australian market, we’ve adopted Business Exchange into eBay’s Australian site,” says Bay Warburton, Director of Business Development – eBay Australia.
“eBay’s marketplace already attracts a wide range of buyers and sellers of business items. Business Exchange simply brings together small business traders in an environment where they can more easily transact with each other”.
According to Gartner Group research, the business-to-business market worldwide will increase in revenues from $145 billion in 1999 to an estimated $3.95 trillion in 2003 . In 1999, small business represented 94% of all businesses in Australia, employing 40% of the working force .
“Most business-to-business solutions target the corporate sector. Clearly many of these solutions are not relevant to the vast majority of Australian businesses. We believe that as awareness of Business Exchange grows in Australia small-medium companies will view this forum as a valuable tool in their day-to-day operations” Warburton says.
eBay expects businesses of varying sizes will sell, and be successful on Business Exchange, but the foundation for this marketplace is the thousands of users in Australia and millions of current buyers and sellers worldwide. In April, 296,000 Australians visited the eBay trading platform, according to Media Metrix, more than twice that of the nearest competitor .
Experience in the US suggests that larger companies can also be successful
selling on eBay Business Exchange, with technology companies including
server manufacturers and Internet infrastructure vendors using eBay as an
additional sales channel to reach small businesses.
With this accelerated entrance to the small business market, eBay expects to drive traffic to Business Exchange from targeted banner advertising on business related sites and via new co-marketing relationships, the first of which is with a leading Australian business-to-business company Peakhour.
eBay Australia and Peakhour are working together to provide Australian businesses with the ability to get online, trade online and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their businesses.
Prepared by Spin Communications
Prepared for eBay
For further information contact Darren Sher PH: 02 9360 3377
About eBay
eBay Australia (www.ebay.com.au), offers a world class online trading community for Australians. Founded in 1995, eBay pioneered person-to-person online trading and has developed an efficient and entertaining trading site on the Web. eBay has more than 12.6 million registered users and currently, there are more than 4 million items listed for sale. More than 450,000 items are added daily in over 5,000 categories, including: antiques; books, movies and music; coins and stamps; collectibles; computers; dolls and doll houses; jewellery and gemstones; photo and electronics; pottery and glass; sports memorabilia; and toys.
eBay Australia & New Zealand is a joint venture between ecorp Ltd and eBay.
|
eBay For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Five Tips for Listing Items on eBay
