What does this year’s holiday marketing strategy look like for your eBay business? You’re not in trouble if you haven’t started thinking about one yet, but now’s a good time to start.
To help our eBay sellers build better strategies, we conducted an in-depth survey of 1,600 eBay shoppers and 2,000 general online shoppers to better understand consumers’ habits around the upcoming holiday season and how the lift in COVID-19 restrictions will affect what they shop for, how much they spend, and categories they’ll shop across the eBay marketplace.
A resounding 76% of eBay shoppers plan to spend the same amount of money or more this holiday season. We also uncovered that 25% of shoppers spent between $1,000 – $2,000 dollars last holiday season1. That’s a lot of marketing opportunity for any seller to take advantage of.
Let’s take a look at three trends eBay sellers need to be aware of to drive 2021 holiday sales.
Holiday shopping starts now
If it feels as though the holidays start earlier and earlier each year, you’re right. Thanks to the accessibility and convenience of eCommerce, it’s easier than ever to start crossing gifts and holiday décor off your shopping list before the season starts. We traditionally think of the holiday shopping season beginning right after Halloween’s spookiness ends. In reality, our research shows that one in four eBay shoppers plan to start their holiday shopping earlier this year, with shoppers already on the hunt for deals as early as September.
What does this mean for eBay sellers? Don’t wait to start marketing your holiday stock. List your holiday stock now, and start promoting them with our holistic advertising solutions to get in front of early shoppers. Our newly expanded Promoted Listings portfolio offers solutions for sellers of all sizes. Choose what’s best based on your holiday business goals.
Shipping options will make or break a sale
Shipping your products shouldn’t be an afterthought.
Timely shipping is more important than ever. And by offering more than one delivery option, you’ll be able to stay competitive, attract different types of shoppers and win them over. Our shoppers agree, with a staggering 88%1 saying they think it’s easier to get what they need online than in physical stores. So lean into that sentiment and leverage shipping options as a way to entice shoppers to purchase your listings.
The speed and price of shipping are major factors in a buyer’s purchase decision, with 84% of eBay shoppers saying they’ll be influenced by shipping options when making a purchase this holiday season1. Offering competitive delivery options like free or expedited (five days or less) shipping on purchases can be the difference in making a sale. You’ll win over more shoppers by making them spend less to get their hands on your products sooner.
Being transparent and proactive in communicating with your buyers about when their item ships is another great way to gain customer trust and loyalty. Sending a quick direct message through eBay to let your buyers know when their item ships and how they can track it, or what carrier it’s being shipped through can go a long way with buyers.
Advertising gives your listings an edge
With so many eBay shoppers using eCommerce as one of their primary means of holiday shopping, sellers should take advantage of the expanding Promoted Listings portfolio to boost listing visibility and drive sales. Promoted Listings Standard continues to be the best entry point for most sellers to advertise their listings on eBay. But, now you have even more options to promote your listings on eBay. We know how big of a role listing searches play in making a sale on our online marketplace. One in five purchases on eBay starts with a listing that appeared at the top of our search results page. That’s why we developed Promoted Listings AdvancedBETA.
Promoted Listings AdvancedBETA is best suited for larger sellers with higher-priced inventory where a cost-per-click model may be more cost effective than Promoted Listings Standard. It’s also a great option for sellers looking for better keyword control, enhanced budget planning features, and more exposure at the top of our eBay search results. Sellers can learn more about our holistic advertising solutions built to drive awareness and traffic to your listings at our eBay Seller Center.
This is just the beginning of our holiday coverage. We will continue to share the latest trends and eCommerce developments throughout the season to help sellers reach their holiday goals. Make sure you check back frequently and sign up for our email newsletter to get more insights, success stories, and trending topics to help you drive sales this holiday season.
- eBay Holiday Survey, June 2021, A18+ eBay Shoppers