eBay have announced today that a new developer guide (Product-Based Shopping Experience Play Book) for product based shopping experience has been released. The new product-based shopping experience was announced in the Spring Business Seller Update.
What is eBay’s product based shopping experience?
When eBay display groups of similar listings together, buyers can more easily compare available items and rapidly make up their minds on what to buy. You’ll need to list using the eBay catalogue in order for your items to be included in this new shopping experience.
Largely I suspect, because last time eBay released a developer guide there was a fair amount of attention in the marketplace industry, eBay are being very transparent and informing all users that they’ve published an update to the eBay developer guide related to this new shopping experience on eBay.
Who is it aimed at?
The guide is only really useful to developers or eBay sellers who use the eBay API to manage their eBay marketplace selling activities. Third party providers need to know about changes to eBay site in advance, so they can update their tools to help you to manage your sales in the best way possible.
When can we expect more news?
eBay say that this year there will be an eBay Summer Business Seller Update when they will elaborate on new features and that they will give plenty of notice for any amendments you’ll need to make to your listings.
What’s in the new developer guide?
The most interesting thing in the Product-Based Shopping Experience Play Book is the list of categories that will be impacted in what eBay are terming ‘Phase 2’ of the roll out. Largely they are limited to smartphones, TVs, computers, 3D Printers, consumer electonics and home and garden tools.
Personally I would take the list as indicative rather than final, there are likely to be several months before we get to hear exactly what’s in store and eBay’s plans may change. There will almost certainly be variations between territories so many of the categories mentioned in the play book will likely simply not apply for the UK. We’ll be revisiting this on Tamebay when the eBay Summer Business Seller Update arrives.
One Response
After a brief look through it appears they are attempting to clamp down further on product validation, requiring an initial search to be performed to determine if the product you intend to list is already on eBay.
Similar to Amazons specifics for their Product Inventory API.
It could help with product search result accuracy and consistency but seems initially like an unnecessary extra step when other identifiers such as EAN are already in-place.
I’m looking forward to information behind their reasoning in the future.