In 2018 we saw eBay ramp up the eBay coupon program with a ton of site wide Flash Sales throughout the year and dozens of retailer partnered discount codes.
When eBay runs a site wide Flash Sale, they are funding the coupons themselves from final value fees. On average eBay charges around 10% final value fees so can give a 10% discount with no cost other than effectively waiving fees for a day. When partnering with a retailer or brand, it’s likely that the discount is at least partly funded by the retailer themselves although it’s not unheard of for eBay to throw in added incentives.
It would appear that they intend to continue in the same manner in 2019 as the first major retailer partnered eBay coupon program is live today with 10% off in the AO store.
- 10% Off AO Store
- Code: PERKUP
- Min Spend: £40
- Max Discount: £50
- Start Date: 10:00am January 25th
- End Date: 23:59pm January 28th
- UK Customers Only
- 1x Redemption Per User
There is no doubt that coupons drive sales and engage customers as they are heavily promoted across the site and eBay mobile app. When eBay runs a site wide flash sale we often hear complaints from those that missed out and didn’t spot the coupon until after the event, but that is after all the whole point of a flash sale – it’s to engender an sense of urgency and to drive immediate purchases from those already on eBay rather than browsing and perhaps watching items that they may purchase in the future. FOMO – fear of missing out – is what flash sales are all about and trying to encourage users to engage with eBay on a more regular basis.
You can expect the eBay coupon program to continue throughout 2019. Many promotions will be with specific brands and retailers but keep an eye out for the eBay site wide flash sales. One of the best ways to be notified is by downloading and installing the eBay app on your favourite mobile device – that way you’ll always get a pop up notification when a flash sales is underway.
