eBay has launched an iPad app enabling users to buy products featured in TV shows while they are on air. The e-tailer's new "Watch with eBay" application provides links to various items appearing during television programmes, from apparel to coffee mixers, as featured on its own website.
Although the technology allowing for real-time interaction with such goods while they are actually on screen – such as by hovering over them with a cursor in real-time – is not yet in widespread use, this remains the ultimate goal.
Currently, eBay's app focuses on items appearing for more than "fleeting" glimpses. It also takes context into account, not just to products in the background.
This kind of "couch commerce" could even be applicable to big-ticket purchases, with eBay now selling 2,800 cars through its mobile platform each week.












Recent Stories