Ireland, never a country to do things by halves has taken eBay Revival, running in cities around the world, and turned it into eBay’s first national retail revitalization program, the eBay Ireland Retail Expansion. Like Retail Revival, eBay Ireland Retail Expansion helps local small and medium sized businesses reach new domestic and global customers through specialized ecommerce training and support.
Launched in March 2019, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCOI), the program aims to help up to 50 small to medium size Irish companies increase their sales through eBay. The project invites selected small Irish businesses to use eBay.ie as a platform to extend their customer reach and compete on a global scale. The top counties to which Irish professional sellers on eBay currently export are the UK, Germany, the US, Australia and France but on average, Ireland’s professional sellers export to 12 different markets around the world.
“This is the first time that eBay has launched a national program, but given the success of similar schemes in cities such as Wolverhampton, UK, and Akron, Ohio, we are confident that this is going to open up a global window of new and extensive opportunities for small and medium enterprises right across the country. We anticipate that the economic impact from this program will be significant and a positive contributor to the companies involved, as well as the Irish economy.”
– Derek Allgood, vice president of global customer experience, eBay
Over the coming 12 months, teams at eBay will provide exclusive support to a select number of Irish SME’s who want to start up or expand their online presence. The scheme is also being supported by We Are Dublin Town, which recognises the importance of ecommerce to help grow its members’ businesses, particularly ‘after hours’ business when they are not trading on the high street.
Rí Na Mara
Connemara’s Rí Na Mara joined the eBay Ireland Retail Expansion pilot programme. They are a family business based in Connemara that uses locally-harvested seaweed for its range of natural and organic beauty products. Founded by Deirdre Ui Chathmhaoil in 2004, Deirdre (pictured above) says that the Retail Expansion Programme is an incredible opportunity for her company, which has been looking for new ways to grow for a number of years.
“To have been selected by eBay and Enterprise Ireland means that we now have an opportunity to build our brand globally, which will help us to grow our business, drive sales and potentially, generate new jobs in the Connemara area,”
– Deirdre Ui Chathmhaoil, founder, Rí Na Mara
eBay Ireland Retail Expansion partnership support for Irish SME’s
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Onboarding assistance
One-on-one support to create a personalised eBay shop with listing support and guidance.
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Training
Retail Expansion sellers will participate in a comprehensive training programme that covers eBay selling basics, strategies for getting the most out of eBay’s platform as well as digital skills such as search & listing optimisation and online advertising.
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Store Subscription
Sellers will receive a complimentary one-year Premium store subscription, which offers free listings, shipping supplies and other valuable perks.
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Promotional support
eBay will highlight and help drive traffic to participating sellers’ eBay stores.
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Dedicated customer services support
Sellers in the programme have access to a dedicated customer service team that will provide strategic guidance and troubleshooting support to enable their growth on eBay.
