Value Added Resource Week In Review 8-7-22

Liz Morton ~ Founder
Liz Morton ~ Founder


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Welcome to the Value Added Resource week in review!

eBay News

eBay reported Q2 2022 earnings this week, so I kicked the week off with a pre-earnings look back at Q2 highlights and what's happening so far in Q3.

eBay Q2 2022 Pre-Earnings Countdown & Highlights
eBay is set to announce Q2 2022 earnings 8/3 - look back at highlights from Q2 & what’s happening in Q3.

The earnings report didn't paint a pretty picture with GMV, revenue, and active buyer numbers all down. eBay chose to comp against Q2 2019, calling it the pre-COVID baseline and all but openly admitting the last two years have been primarily driven by the overall pandemic-fueled ecommerce bump, not necessarily any great innovations or improvements on the platform.

Full commentary from an experienced seller perspective 👇

eBay Q2 2022 Earnings Commentary
eBay Q2 2022 Earnings commentary from an experienced seller perspective.

The earnings call made it very clear eBay is betting big on continuing to increase take rate via ad revenue, promising Wall Street that ad rev will be back to double digit growth in coming quarters.

Many sellers don't consider that "good news" however, and in fact have been questioning if they can trust eBay's ad attribution.

Do You Trust eBay’s Promoted Listing Ad Attribution?
As ad revenue take rate continues to increase, sellers question whether they can trust eBay’s ad attribution.

A glitch removed thousands of free listing credits from sellers' accounts. The issue was eventually resolved and the free listing allotments were restored, but the lack of transparency and frustrating customer service response prompted a very strong open letter to management from one seller in the eBay community.

Has eBay Removed Extra Free Listings For Stores?
Sellers report free listings in select categories offer is gone - did eBay remove pandemic perk without warning?
Open Letter: eBay Customer Service & Seller Engagement Failure
Open letter from a seller to eBay management about failures in customer service & seller engagement.

eBay is partnering with MTV to reboot Pimp My Ride as a YouTube exclusive brand sponsored content vehicle featuring "recycled green parts" from eBay.

eBay Partners With MTV On Pimp My Ride Reboot
eBay & MTV bring back Pimp My Ride for YouTube series showcasing restorations using “recycled green parts”.

eBay's Chief AI officer Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov and (now ex) Senior Director of Risk and Trust Science Stephanie Moyerman stopped by VentureBeat to discuss how eBay is ramping up AI use in ecommerce.

Is the tech-led reimagination of the platform moving fast enough to keep up with the competition?

Is eBay Leading The Next Age Of AI Powered Ecommerce?
eBay’s Chief AI officer Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov stopped by VentureBeat recently to discuss AI use in ecommerce.

Sellers have complained about excessively long review times and errors when trying to upload video to listings - eBay appears to be listening and working to make improvements.

Is eBay Improving Video In Listing Experience?
Sellers have complained about excessive review times & errors when uploading videos to listings - it appears eBay is listening.

Other Ecommerce News

Etsy plans fireside chat the Oppenheimer 25th Annual Technology, Internet & Communications Conference on August 9, 2022.

Etsy Plans Fireside Chat at Oppenheimer Investor Conference
Etsy plans fireside chat at Oppenheimer 25th Annual Technology, Internet & Communications Conference 8/9.

Sellers can participate in Etsy's Labor Day event with exclusive in app promotion in the US and Canada for sellers who are willing to offer 15-25% discounts.

Etsy Encourages Sellers To Offer Discounts For Labor Day
Etsy’s Labor Day event exclusive in app for US & Canada - seller funded discount must be 15%-25% to participate.

Amazon promotes layaway option for inflation-weary parents gearing up for back to school and holiday shopping.

Amazon Promotes Layaway For Back To School & Holidays
Amazon promotes layaway as inflation-weary parents gear up for back to school shopping & look to the holidays.

Spangler Candy Co., the maker of Dum Dums lollipops, are raising the alarm about the damage unchecked drop shipping arbitrage on Amazon can cause to brands.

Drop Shipping Dum Dums Sweet Deal For Amazon, But Not Brand
Spangler Candy Co., maker of Dum Dums, raises alarm about unchecked marketplace drop shipping arbitrage.

Eligible sellers on Facebook Marketplace can now access email capture features to re-engage buyers with email marketing and integrate with CRM systems.

Facebook Helps Sellers Re-engage Buyers With Email Capture Features
Facebook updates opt-in settings, enables CRM integration to re-engage buyers with email marketing.

And finally, Facebook/Meta raised a few eyebrows this week by announcing the end of Live Shopping, effective October 1st, as they pivot to focus on Reels.

Facebook Kills Live Shopping To Focus On Reels
Facebook announces end of Live Shopping feature in October, pivot to focus on Reels.

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Week In Review