“Can we go back when we haven’t really left?” It’s a legitimate question and the new catchphrase for eBay, a former e-commerce giant before Amazon devoured everything in its path and LeBonCoin gave it priority over second-hand goods. Yes, eBay still exists and still benefits from a global reputation that places the company among the top five most searched brands on the web. But the platform is also aware that it has lost some of its shine and its essential side with the arrival of multiple competing sites and various markets.
“The French market is very competitive, we are faced with big brands that have deployed their platform, specialized sellers,” explains Ségolène de Noray, director of marketing for eBay France.
Awareness about repairs and second hand
So it’s time to revisit the message on eBay and refocus on what made the business successful in the past. And it has chosen to rethink its philosophy, with future repercussions on its strategy. The new guideline is, therefore, to move towards “a more reasoned, more sustainable and responsible consumption”. I mean by that, to highlight the “second hand”, the refurbished and the sale of spare parts while playing “the extension of the life of the objects”.
Long considered the go-to place to find the most sought-after second-hand item, eBay now only has 20-30% of the second-hand items sold on its platform, depending on the category. However, 47% of its French users have put up second-hand products for sale this year (compared to 35% in 2019, according to an Ipsos study for eBay dating from March 2022). Searches for replacement parts have increased 70% in five years and demand for refurbished items has increased 56% in the same time. All lights are therefore green to change strategy.
And to revive, eBay also wants to raise awareness of the environmental crisis by bringing its stone to the building. It is, therefore, to publicize its 10 million unique visitors per month. “We know that 80% of the carbon footprint occurs during the production of an object,” says Aurélie Pruvost, head of sustainable development at eBay.
Without Black Friday, Christmas in second-hand mode
So the opportunity to do the thief, it’s time for big decisions. Starting with a strong gesture from eBay: the platform will not participate in Black Friday this year. “We don’t want to encourage overconsumption,” insists Sarah Tayeb, director of sales. “So we are going to focus on the alternatives. The new products will still be available on the platform, but we will no longer promote them.”
And it will be the same for the end of the year celebrations. eBay intends to offer second-hand items on its home page for both decoration and gifts. “We want to educate the consumer so that they think about their purchase close to home, refurbished or used, also to repair,” he adds.
This does not mean that sellers who have created their micro business on eBay will be neglected, we are sure within the company that they will continue to emphasize made in France and responsible local purchasing. No doubt for fear that they will respond to the sirens of Amazon, always quick to welcome as many small businesses as possible in its market… “but the costs are more expensive than with us”, eBay replies.
Various services deployed
eBay also extends its reach with additional services. In particular, it is the eBay estimate, which allows each visitor to submit several photos of a product and a description to receive a free estimate made by an expert within 48 hours. Since its launch in September 2021, eBay has already responded to more than 40,000 requests, in particular for objects of art or decoration, old books.
And to attract new users, eBay also wanted to reconnect with what had long been its trademark: the auction. If we are well aware that the French are not necessarily aware of auction practices, the service knows that there is a potential pool of users to attract for the fun of exercise, a population also younger that loves e-commerce within the smartphone. . attain. This is how the facts were born Live on eBay, themed auctions held one Sunday a month at 6 pm 30 to 50 items are auctioned and each bidder has 30 seconds to decide whether to bid higher. All without buyer costs.
The products come from the platform and are selected by eBay experts who browse the categories and contact the sellers to collect the offered items. For sellers, this changes nothing and instead offers a beautiful temporary display of their product for sale.
The next sale is scheduled for this Sunday, September 25 at 6:00 p.m. and will offer furniture and objects from the 50s to the 70s. This will be followed by a Streetwear sale that will include collectible sneakers from Nike and other brands (October 23 at 6:00 p.m.).
Source: BFM TV
