eBay Gets Into The Gifting Spirit With New App

December may bring in the chilly temperatures and snow, but it comes with warm hearts and giving spirit. This holiday season, the eBay Corporation sought out a new way to harness the charity spirit by developing their newly released app eBay Now. In partnership with Toys For Tots, eBay has made it their goal to give as many children as possible a very happy holidays.

Giving is as Easy as a Scan & Tap

To raise awareness, eBay set up a pop-up shop at the intersection of 9^th and 14^th St in NYC this past week- where the public was invited to visit and browse a small selection of toys available to be donated. At the pop-up, members of the eBay team were on hand supplying free hot chocolate while showing consumers how to easily scan the QR codes associated with each gift. The donor has free reign over the type of toy donation they make to Toys of Tots, being able to pick the gender, age range & price point of the toy to be donated. The toy donations are then shipped out to children in need.

Everyone Can Get in on the Action

Let’s face it: not everyone has an smartphone (or lives in NYC), so in order to reach their goal, eBay has also set up a webpage for users to donate in the same fashion as the app. The webpage also facilitates easy sharing via social networks, assisting eBay in reaching the largest audience possible.

Everyone is familiar with the concept of a toy drive, but the logistics on such a project can be difficult and overwhelming. eBay has taken holiday giving to the next level making it just a little easier for everyone. Any time, any place, people can donate and make a difference. Even better, eBay delivers the toy to where it needs to be in remarkable time, often in an hour or less. Their goal this year is 25,000 toys (with toy matching donations being made by eBay).

What do you think: will mobile help boost consumer awareness and drive charity focused purchase conversions in the future? Sound off in the comments!

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