eBay has highlighted its commitment to Focus Categories as fundamental to the online marketplace’s long-term growth plan.
This pledge will be welcomed by many sellers who have long called for eBay to focus on what they do best, connecting enthusiastic buyers with traders who have access to products that may not be available anywhere else.
The Value of Focus Categories
By focusing on specific categories, eBay believes they have improved customer experience and satisfaction levels, which then filter across the rest of the marketplace.
In a post on eBay’s community boards, Jordan Sweetnam, Senior Vice President for eBay’s Global Markets team, suggested that Focus Categories encourage “enthusiast buyers” to spend more than $3,000 per year on their passions.
What Are eBay’s Focus Categories?
Current eBay Focus Categories include:
- Parts and Accessories: eBay’s largest Focus Category delivers some of the online marketplace’s highest net promoter scores (NPS). This means buyers are more likely to recommend their experience to other potential buyers. eBay’s recent collaboration with MTV to resurrect Pimp My Ride is just one example of how the marketplace is investing heavily in the parts and accessories category.
- Refurbished Products: Fitting in nicely with eBay’s commitment to the circular economy, refurbished products are now selling faster than new products in the same category. To meet demand, eBay is adding more trusted sellers and has expanded the categories in the program to include headphones, audio, gaming consoles, and smart home devices.
- Sneakers/Trainers: eBay’s catalogue now features the top 40 sneaker brands across its four largest markets. This category is undoubtedly bolstered by eBay’s Authenticity Service, protecting and enhancing the buyer’s experience.
- Jewellery: Another category where trust is critical and bolstered by eBay’s Authenticity Service. eBay recently partnered with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), bringing more than 90 years of experience to the eBay authentication experience.
- Trading Cards: Initiatives like eBay Vault are designed not only to help streamline the buying and selling of high-value trading cards. It also helps card traders protect their investments in a secure environment.
Highlighting the importance of eBay’s Focus Categories, Jordan Sweetnam said, “Since implementing our Focus Category strategy, it’s clear that our success can be traced to delivering amazing, innovative new consumer experiences.”
Sweetnam is also keen to highlight new initiatives such as livestream shopping.
“This summer, we began experimenting with the introduction of Live Commerce. Early pilots of the livestream shopping experience saw users spending 15 minutes or more on the platform and one in four interacting directly with sellers. This experience shows immense potential, and we will continue to experiment and optimise it in the future.”
Learn More
To learn more about how Frooition can help you optimise your sales experience on eBay’s Focus Categories, schedule a 15-minute discovery call with one of our eBay experts today.
