For a company of its size, Ebay has a surprisingly small footprint in the real world. While it enjoys a sprawling campus in Silicon Valley, it doesn’t have brick and mortar stores to staff, or the vast warehouses maintained by rival Amazon.
So in an effort to put a face on the company for the holidays, Ebay has sent a “mobile boutique” touring around the country. The first-time effort was on display in San Francisco today, and will be in Los Angeles later this week.
A souped-up trailer swarming with Ebay employees in leprechaun green shirts, the boutique has hundreds of the most sought-after products on display. These included Twilight action figures, The Beatles: Rock Band, and Zhu Zhu Pets, all of which were bought on Ebay.
TouchSmart PCs from Hewlett-Packard were set up around the installation to allow Ebay members to log on and make purchases on the spot. Ebay is also giving $50 gift certificates to the first 100 guests to visit the boutique, and matching donations up to $200,000 in charitable donations made by shoppers at the boutique.
But the real draw, of course, is the merchandise. Visitors perused iPod Nanos, Elmo dolls, and sneakers once owned by the late DJ AM.
“People forget that there is all this amazing merchandise, and we wanted to display it in this fun way,” said Karen Bard, Ebay’s official “pop culture expert”.
“Besides,” she said, “who wants to go to a mall?”
