If you’re in Birmingham this Sunday, pop down to the Bullring where eBay are holding a live shopping experience hosted by comedian Shappi Khorsandi with celebrity guest Amy Childs.
You’ll find eBay Shop Live! in the Atrium opposite Debenhams. If it’s anything like Saturday when I popped in to see the action, it’ll be crowded with shoppers and you just might win a prize in one of the shows.
It’s all part of eBay’s ‘Exactly what you need…. and everything else’ marketing campaign in the Midlands, supported by billboards, TV advertising with a Zombie theme (the one that was filmed in St Albans) and the whole campaign is aimed at buyers.
The aim is to demonstrate to buyers that you can buy a ton of different things on eBay. It’s not just collectables on eBay, it’s household items like kettles, it’s epilators and hair straighteners, it’s tables and mobile phones.
The live shows will feature two different themes, the first will highlight the beauty and style essentials needed for fans to ‘Ace Your Reality TV Audition’, featuring an exclusive cameo from the glamourous Amy Childs of ‘TOWIE’ fame. The second – in celebration of the online marketplace’s new TV ad spot – will explain how to ‘Survive The Zombie Apocalypse’ using everyday home and electrical products.
Of course all the products are available to purchase through an eBay Shop Live! website with immediate pick up from the local Argos store. This isn’t just a bit of promotional activity, it’s to showcase the collection on eBay in a fun way and at the same time show buyers that they can collect eBay purchases on their normal shopping trip to Birmingham.
What did I personally think of the activity?
For buyers, eBay have hit a home run. Amy Childs proved herself a true super star patiently queuing for selfies with an adoring crowd and, whilst she’s obviously a professional, demonstrated extraordinary grace welcoming each and every guest when it was their turn for a photograph.
The eBay Shop Live! set was a massive draw, there was a crowd waiting for the show to start and more gathered on all shopping levels around the atrium to watch once Shappi appeared to entertain the crowd.
Birmingham was plastered with bill boards highlighting some of the different things you can buy on eBay, the more mundane products that buyers but likely those that shoppers are in town to buy anyway.
How well did the event go
The eBay Shop Live! website worked flawlessly, I had to check it out so bought myself a new Asus Android Tablet and as is always the case collecting it at Argos at the eBay Collection point was flawless.
It’s great to see eBay doing something different to attract buyers to the site. Over 100,000 people a day shop at Birmingham’s Bullring and, for those that don’t, midlanders can hardly have failed to see the billboards or caught the Zombie advert on the TV.
If you want to see the action, show times for Sunday are at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.
Finally, in case you’re wondering, yes I did queue up to have my photo taken with Amy. She was so delightful in real life I just couldn’t resist.
8 Responses
Oh dear
A comedian hosting a public eBay event. You couldn’t make this up.
all a waste of time if buyers can’t find your listings
Has nobody else noticed that for the last 4 WEEKS your items are showing a postage charge even if you have free postage, can’t believe this hasnt been mentioned
Tell me, did all the visitors have to queue outside the eBay stand and attempt to sign in for 5 hours or is it only their website that has this bonus feature for their most valued customers/partners/victims?