Ebay thinks local

SAN FRANCISCO-- Ebay announced that it has added a new feature to Ebay.com that will allow shoppers to check product and merchandise availability at local retailers. The feature is made possible through Ebay's partnership with Milo, the leading local shopping engine that Ebay acquired last year.

Through Milo integration, consumers have access to millions of products from approximately 50,000 stores across all 50 states. In addition, Ebay is providing retailers who use QuickBooks a way to easily upload their inventory onto Milo and Ebay through a new inventory management plug-in.

"Ebay is uniquely positioned to help retailers, large and small, compete globally in new ways and to help consumers shop for whatever they want -- anytime, anywhere,” said Dane Glasgow, VP, global product management Ebay. “By integrating Milo search into Ebay.com, we are making it easier and more convenient for our customers to find great deals, whether they’re shopping online or around the corner. We’re also exposing the inventory of small entrepreneurs -- who may be invisible on the web right now -- to more than 94 million active users of the Ebay marketplace. Our local capabilities are enabling a new kind of commerce, connecting Ebay shoppers to local merchants.”