eBay has launched a new version of its mobile site, built in partnership with Netbiscuits, the software service for cross-platform development, operation and management of mobile sites and apps.

Optimized for smartphones the new site enables buyers to browse categories, save and refine searches, sort results by price, time, and location, and find similar auctions or other items listed by the same seller.

Smartphone interface improvements include auto-complete for search requests; expandable swiping galleries for teaser and item pictures; remote content for galleries that don’t require additional download; and a floating menu bar that retains the most important controls on the screen while users are scrolling through pages.

“We are proud to be working with Netbiscuits, who we view as a key strategic partner”, says Han-Shen Yuan, director, platform business solutions and mobile engineering for eBay. “The new mobile site is a major advancement in feature set and user experience for all of our smartphone-using customers.

“When discussing traffic numbers on a device basis, I think it’s important to note that we’ve actively diverted millions of users from our mobile website, m.ebay.com, to our iPhone, Android and BlackBerry apps”, Han-Shen Yuan continues. “However, despite us proactively diverting traffic, mobile web revenue growth is increasing at the same pace as our mobile app business. Therefore, it is important to have a mobile strategy that includes both mobile sites and apps.” 

At launch, the new site is available only for iPhone users in the US. A version optimized for Android  phones will be launched in the near future. A global rollout to more countries and platforms is scheduled for 2011.