EBay has agreed to acquire local advertising and location-based services company Where, the San Jose, Calif.-based online sales company said April 20.
EBay will integrate its PayPal technology into Where’s local business recommendation mobile app “in the next few months,” said Kathy Chui, eBay corporate communications manager. Where’s team will become a part of eBay’s PayPal division, she said. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter. No layoffs are expected as a result.
The deal is the latest in a string of acquisitions by eBay, including e-commerce services provider GSI Commerce, local shopping search engine Milo.com and barcode scanning company Red Laser.
Asked how the Where acquisition fits with the company’s other recent deals, Chui said it will strengthen eBay’s position in the global and local commerce sectors.
“It fits nicely with eBay’s position to be the strategic retail commerce partner for brands and retailers,” she said. Chui added that Where will enable eBay to “help retailers surface offers” for consumers on their mobile phones when they are in or near bricks-and-mortar locations.
Where has said that more than 4 million consumers use its mobile app, and its mobile display ad business generates more than 2 billion impressions monthly.
John Donahoe, CEO of eBay, stressed the need for merchants to integrate online and offline services on a March conference call announcing the GSI acquisition.
“The boundaries are blurring,” he said. “Mobile and smartphones are absolutely bringing offline retail online at a pace that is far greater than it was 18 to 24 months ago.”
Where did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment. The Boston-based company will remain in its current location, said Chui.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
