Like Google and Yahoo before it, eBay is eyeing Asia and the best ways to succeed in that region. And although eBay is focusing on a slightly different group of countries, it, like Google, intends to concentrate on the mobile market.
Just last week, Google China’s Kai-Fu Lee announced his interest in mobile matters; he believes they offer access to a wider audience than computers. Sam McDonagh, the director of eBay Southeast Asia, might agree; he told Isabelle Chan, “The great thing about mobile is it provides folks with busy lifestyles a convenient way to buy and sell while they are on the go. As technology continues to evolve, the ability to transact over the mobile phones will improve.”
Lee’s statement did relate to China, though, whereas McDonagh is more focused on that country’s southern neighbors. “We’re very optimistic about the growth of the market, and it is not just Singapore but the Southeast Asia region,” he said.
eBay doesn’t compete directly with either Google or Yahoo, of course, but it might nonetheless manage to “beat” both companies in Singapore; Google only opened its first office in Singapore five months ago. Of course, if eBay doesn’t do so well, we’ll have to wonder if it should have mimicked Google and Yahoo by focusing on a country like Korea.
