Billy Mills, Senior Director of Global Advertising at eBay looks at the year ahead and how eBay sellers can navigate the opportunities drawing on past learnings:
With January behind us, one thing is already clear: 2025 is shaping up to be another fast-paced year. Brands and sellers that want to stay ahead of the game will need to use all the tools in their arsenal to ensure that every consumer interaction is meaningful and has a positive impact on their buying experience.
Let’s look at some of the key learnings from 2024, opportunities for the year ahead and advice on how to fine-tune your advertising strategies for success:
1. What are some of the biggest learnings for businesses and sellers from 2024 as they plan for the year ahead?
In 2024, businesses and sellers in the UK had to adapt to cautious buyer behaviour amid ongoing cost of living pressures. Buyers are now making more considered, value-driven purchases, with a noticeable rise in the use of coupons boosting gross merchandise value (GMV) throughout the year. Sellers who leaned into this trend with sales, promotions and competitive pricing strategies have seen encouraging results.
Meanwhile, sustainability remains a top priority for buyers and sellers alike, particularly in refurbished categories like furniture and technology. There is growing demand for affordability-focused refurbished options, such as items categorised as “Refurbished – Very Good,” over premium certifications. Sellers can enhance buyer confidence by offering extended return periods, particularly for high-value items like refurbished phones, to address trust gaps and minimise returns.
And sellers can gain a competitive edge by offering exclusive products and adopting tailored pricing models to enhance profitability. By strategically planning across channels and aligning with seasonal trends, they can effectively capitalise on key retail periods.
2. What are the biggest opportunities for eBay sellers in 2025?
Fostering real life connections: In 2025, eBay UK will offer a full calendar of events aimed at bringing sellers together for networking, knowledge sharing, and growth opportunities. The year kicks off with the first eBay Business Roadshow in Ascot on 27th March, followed by monthly seller-led meetups designed to connect small businesses with big ambitions. Sellers can stay informed about upcoming events and initiatives through the eBay Community or by following eBay for Sellers UK on Instagram.
These opportunities — combining technological innovation with meaningful human connections — position 2025 as an exciting year for sellers to grow and thrive.
Efficiency through AI and machine learning (ML): Advancements in AI and ML are set to transform advertising and selling practices in 2025, with personalisation and data-driven marketing taking centre stage. At eBay, we know that they are more than just a trend. They present an unmissable opportunity for sellers to drive greater efficiency and free up time to concentrate on more business-critical tasks. That’s why we’re using these technologies to deliver bespoke experiences that enable sellers to achieve their goals more effectively.
Recent innovations include an AI-powered tool for bulk listings, where sellers can upload product photos and get ready-to-publish listings in a matter of seconds; AI generated listing descriptions for sellers to help craft compelling descriptions; and AI social sharing making it easier to share on their social channels. Our enhanced background removal tool enables sellers to create studio-quality product photos at the touch of a button.
Meanwhile, through the recently relaunched Advertising dashboard, sellers gain access to personalised, actionable recommendations designed to optimise their performance and strategy. Features such as trend-based campaigns, powered by eBay.ai, analyse inventory against current trends and create ready-to-launch campaigns, allowing sellers to stay relevant and act swiftly. Suggested campaigns, custom-built using historical data and best practices, provide tailored and optimised strategies to suit each seller’s needs.
3. What challenges might 2025 hold for sellers and how can they prepare for these?
This year, sellers will face ongoing challenges as the deprecation of third-party cookies continues to shift the advertising landscape toward a more privacy-centric approach. This change demands a greater reliance on first-party data, which is becoming a critical asset for effective targeting and measurement.
Platforms like eBay are uniquely positioned to support sellers through this transition, leveraging deep insights derived from logged-in shopper behaviours, purchases and other interactions. These enable the creation of high-intent audiences tied directly to eBay seller IDs, ensuring they can reach the right customers with precision – empowering sellers to adapt and thrive in this new era.
2025 is shaping up to be another exciting but unpredictable year in the wider world of retail. While conditions may be challenging, the brands and sellers who continue to be agile in their advertising approach, adapting to the new dynamics and focusing on value, trust and strategic growth will be the ones to succeed.
