eBay UK Announces Launch Of eBay Live 1 Year Late, Touts Other Not Really New Updates In June Blog Post
eBay UK General Manager Eve Williams has posted her monthly update for sellers in the company's community forum, strangely touting years old features and initiatives as examples of eBay's "latest innovations."
Like other monthly updates before, the post (titled Updates on our latest innovations and more community highlights) is locked and does not allow replies, missing a critical opportunity for actual engagement with eBay sellers.
Williams "announces" the launch of eBay Live livestream shopping, saying it "debuted" at MCM Comic Con in London last month.
Interactive auctions launch eBay Live
We're excited to introduce a new dimension of selling with the launch of eBay Live at MCM Comic Con London. This innovative platform offers real-time, interactive auctions that connect fans directly with business sellers.Our debut featured 18 live selling events, including special streams for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, highlighting our dedication to creating unique content through partnerships with Fandom and other organizations. Currently in its beta phase, we'll soon be inviting applications in select categories.
That's the same line eBay tried to pass off in a recent press release about their eBay Live tour in the US but there's just one problem - it's completely false.
Liz Morton
A different press release dated April 8, 2024 said they were piloting eBay Live with select UK sellers at that time as part of the initial rollout of fee-free selling for private accounts.
Liz Morton
And the Internet Archive Wayback Machine shows ebay.co.uk/ebaylive has been actively hosting livestreams since at least April 28, 2024.
That begs the question, who is eBay trying to fool by saying it just launched in the UK last month and for what purpose?
No amount of PR sleight of hand can change the fact that eBay has been behind the curveball, dragging out their livestream initiatives with no real innovation or growth to show for it while competitors like Whatnot, Fanatics, and Poshmark beat them to the punch.
Williams goes on to announce the introduction of "Save Seller", a feature that will allow buyers to save their favorite sellers in a list, sign up to receive seller initiated newsletters, and more.
Strengthen connections with "Save Seller" on eBay
As part of our focus on deepening buyer engagement and boosting repeat purchases, we're introducing "Save Seller".This feature allows buyers to effortlessly save and follow their favorite sellers, streamlining their shopping experience by enabling them to bookmark preferred shops in My eBay. You can engage buyers who have saved a seller with targeted newsletters and notifications, fostering loyalty and encouraging repeat purchases.
Available to all sellers with a shop, this feature is integrated across key touchpoints, such as Shopfront and the ‘View item’ page, ensuring shoppers can stay connected throughout their journey. If you have an eBay Shop subscription, you can benefit from a convenient pop-up prompt that encourages buyers to save you with just one click.
However, eBay UK has had both the Save Seller feature and newsletter functionality for many years.
Just as an example, here's a UK community post asking about how to manage the Saved Seller list from 2020.
And the Internet Archive shows the help page for eBay UK Shop Newsletters has existed since at least December 2021.
So what is actually new here? It sounds like eBay might be introducing a new pop up or other elements on the view item page to bring more attention to the Save Seller option - but if that's it, it is by no means any kind of actual innovation.
The post also highlighted updates to the Offers Management experience that were announced last week in the June Seller Update.
Liz Morton
Streamline your selling strategy with automated offers
We’ve listened to your feedback and are pleased to introduce the new Seller Offer Management experience, now available on desktop in Seller Hub across all markets. This update provides a more streamlined way for sellers to manage offers and automate processes. With a centralised hub, you can now easily edit or end individual automated offers, or even end them in bulk – saving valuable time and effort. This enhancement is designed to help boost sales and simplify promotional transitions, making it easier than ever to connect with interested buyers.If you’re an eBay Shop subscriber, you can take advantage of our automated rules to tailor offers based on specific criteria like category and price range . Whether you automate or manage offers manually, you have complete control. You can now easily opt out or adjust your preferences through the new Offers page in Seller Hub, keeping your selling strategy flexible and effective. Stay tuned for more exciting enhancements in the coming months!
And finally, the only really new information - minor updates to Simple Delivery.
A Simple Delivery update
We recently introduced additional small parcel sizes and new competitive, fully tracked postage rates for Evri and Royal Mail.
Also, remember that Simple Delivery now includes Click & Collect through Evri. With Click & Collect, both you and your buyers can save 15% or more on delivery costs,* and your buyers can conveniently collect their orders from a nearby pick-up location. Make sure Evri is enabled in your courier preferences to take advantage of these savings.
*Source: Comparing the cost of Click & Collect to Standard Simple Delivery labels.
The post closes with encouragement for sellers to leave the company's own community forum and go to a different social media platform for updates and announcements - continuing a years-long history of missed opportunities to strengthen direct seller engagement.
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If this community post actually allowed comments, seller would likely be asking where the actual innovation is - and as eBay continues to rehash years old initiatives as exciting "new" announcements, investors should be asking the same question too.
