Sold! Auction king eBay nabs location-aware ad service Where

By Geoff Duncan Published April 20, 2011

Where.com phone scene — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Online auction giant eBay has inked a deal to acquire location-based advertising and media company Where for an undisclosed amount. Where runs both a location-aware advertising network—enabling client to pump ads and special offers to mobile users based on hyper-local location information—as well as a “mobile discovery” application that purports to enable users to find new and interesting things nearby, wherever they might happen to be.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but eBay says it does not expect the cost of the acquisition will have an impact on its revenue forecasts.

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eBay is touting the deal as a great way for brands and advertisers to get offers, ads, and deals to shoppers directly on their mobile phones while they’re out and about, as well as enabling consumers to have more choice and information at their disposal when they’re out shopping. According to eBay, Where already has more than 120,000 businesses as clients.

eBay says it plans to integrate its PayPal online payment service with the Where mobile application to enable mobile users to shop and pay for “great local deals” whenever they like.

The move marks eBay’s second acquisition in just a few weeks: last month, eBay announced it was buying online marketing company GSI Commerce for a whopping $2.4 billion.

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