eBay have reported on the progress of sellers in their eBay Retail Revival program and given a sneak peek of their plans for 2019. The program was launched in Akron, Ohio and then Lansing, Michigan in September, followed by Wolverhampton, England in November – cities which eBay describe as ‘small, scrappy cities’.
The idea behind eBay Retail Revival is to encourage a local area to embrace the eBay marketplace as an introduction to ecommerce and provide a local economic boost. The company offers general training, one-on-one coaching, direct access to a dedicated eBay concierge customer support team and an eBay shop/store subscription. The package is free to the selected participants.
eBay say that each of the three city programs is now thriving and producing very promising results:
- Of the 182 participating Retail Revival sellers, 60% were new to eBay
- Collectively, Retail Revival sellers have made 37,000+ sales
- Approximately 10% of the combined US city GMV has come from international sales, representing buyers from over 70 countries from Algeria to Vietnam
- Sellers in Akron with previous eBay experience have seen their GMV grow 78% YoY as a result of the top-notch coaching and training they’ve received
- Lansing and Wolverhampton experienced sellers are also performing well, with current GMV growth at 14% and 33%, respectively
- Two Akron Retail Revival sellers, Five Blessings and Seventh Floor Clothing, opened brick-and-mortar locations this year — a tangible sign of growth, in part supported by their sales on eBay
“These numbers add up to a big year for Retail Revival, and we’re just getting started. Plans are actively underway for at least three more cities in 2019 – one of which will be outside the US.
If you’re looking to make a big impact of your own this holiday season by shopping from a small business, consider snagging cute holiday cards from Five Blessings, a stylish backpack from Goodstart Jones, vinyl record art from Records Redone or a cool graphic tee from The Social Dept.”
– eBay
Goodstart Jones are the UK seller eBay chose to feature and have yet to receive or leave a single feedback. In fairness, they may have been picked for having aesthetically pleasing products and being brand new to eBay. They have had an account for three years but only started listing at the end of November, so if you’re in the market for funky backpack or tote bag you can be their first ever eBay customer.
4 Responses
This from the company whose TV advertising strategy is to lamely say that not everything they sell is “used”.
Drool.
Watching someone sniff a pair of trainers, declaring that nobody has worn them, is really going to help topple Amazon.
How on earth did that Ebay campaign ever make it onto the screen?
Yep Christmas advertising with ebay is as pointless as their seller protection scheme. To be honest i would get more satifaction out of sniffinga used trainer than trying to get ebay to back me up against a scammer….
given how sketchy the ‘used’ trainer section is on eBay is, a spectacularly bad move.