Shopping site eBay reported that the Christmas 2009 holiday season saw a huge growth in the level of mobile commerce activity, with customers using their mobiles to buy a wide range of products, including a $75,000 1966 Chevrolet Corvette.

In the past couple of years, many people have been expecting m-commerce to develop into a significant business, based on the fact that e-commerce is now so well established and mobile will add an extra level of convenience. Recent numbers reported by eBay support that view, and show a very strong level of growth.

The key points reported by eBay include:

• Nearly 6 million people from 165 countries now have an eBay application on their mobile, and they make 750,000 unique visits per day to the eBay site.
• 1.5 million items were bought by mobile on eBay over this holiday season, triple the level of last year.
• During all of 2009, mobile sales on eBay totaled about half a billion US dollars, with a new transaction every 2 seconds.
• Luxury items were a favorite of shoppers this holiday season. Some recent mobile transactions in the US included
  • $19,108 for a 23-foot deck boat
  • $10,025 for 250 grams of pure gold bullion
  • $10,000 for a Boston grand piano made by Steinway
  • $3,888 for a Hermes Kelly bag

“Mobile is changing the way people shop this holiday season,” said Lorrie Norrington, president of eBay marketplaces. “With eBay on your iPhone, great deals are available anytime, anywhere. We see consumers taking advantage of that freedom to find great holiday gifts and deals without sitting at their computer or being stuck at the mall. eBay buyers and sellers have rapidly embraced mobile commerce this year, and this holiday season has been a mobile commerce tipping point. Shopping will never be the same again.”