eBay (and indeed Amazon) has a shedload of data about product trends, buying habits and data that can show exactly how, why, what and when shoppers shop. And it’s fair to say that neither have been bravura in sharing that data with sellers.
It could be unbelievably valuable to merchants, especially when you consider what to sell and for how much. Perhaps the new analytics tools in the upcoming eBay Seller Hub will reset that problem and be useful to sellers.
But eBay’s Advertising division have released some useful data with respect to the Christmas season, that’s fast coming up, that might help you plan. The above graphic is a bit blurry, so check out the full size version here.
What it looks at, in general terms, are the trends in some key categories with regards to search behaviour. There are what eBay terms as “windows of influence” which means those key above average periods for searches. And then they also share the apogee of such searches in those categories, calling them the searches peak.
In the rag trade categories, that key Christmas period starts well back in October and peaks quite late in comparison to some other verticals. But look at the media category, and you’ll see a late start and a late finish. It would be great if eBay shared a load more of this sort of stuff.
6 Responses
So people largely search for Christmas presents at the very tail end of November and start of December, but buy clothes earlier for the Xmas works party.
This is the sort of research akin to Universities that are funded to find out whether it’s cold in the winter….
My peak christmas sales period will be…non-existent. I will sell exactly the same amount at Christmas as I sell in August (the slowest month), as well as every other month of the year since 2014. It will be £1500. I sell £1500 worth every 30 days. Sales restrictions and blackouts? Ebay? Say it ain’t so!
Agreed, eBay has become nothing more than a subscription scam now. Someone needs to pull the plug on them.