LISTING OPTIMISATION: ESSENTIALS WEBINAR HANNAH HARDIMAN 3 MARCH 2016

Transcription

1 LISTING OPTIMISATION: ESSENTIALS WEBINAR HANNAH HARDIMAN 3 MARCH 2016

2 WHO IS THIS WEBINAR FOR? About You Assumptions Established business sellers You ve been using ebay for a while Selling primarily on ebay.co.uk You know how to list on ebay Want to increase sales and grow You re open to learning and acting on what you ve learned 2

3 WHAT WE RE COVERING TODAY Agenda What we re not covering What s changed in the market Search and how it works Understanding how buyers search on ebay The actual listing process Using ebay listing tools Category-specific advice Listing best practices Where to focus your attention for the best return on investment for your time Next steps how to start boosting sales by investing just one hour of your time Check out to find out what s covered in our other webinars and register The content used in this webinar series is provided for informational purposes only. Sellers who use any such content do so at their own risk. 3

4 MAR APR MAY JUN JUL Listing Optimisation: Essentials Listing Optimisation: Advanced Inventory Sourcing Branding on ebay Pricing 1: Promotional tools Learn how to optimise for Best Match and potentially boost sales: Our experts discuss advanced listing optimisation techniques: See what s selling and learn how to identify gaps in the market: Our experts explain how you can build your brand on ebay: Learn about the ebay tools which help you increase basket size: mcommerce SEO and Best Match Search behaviour Advice by category Listing formats Listing tools Seasonal planning Finding gaps Using tools International opportunities ebay Shops Listing design and templates Reputation After the sale Promotions Manager - order size discounts Markdown Manager Sale Events AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC Pricing 2: Promotional tools Postage Options Postage Innovation Customer Service Customer Loyalty Dig deeper into ebay tools to help you increase basket size: How to choose the right service for your business and your customers: Innovative ways to get your item from A to B, safely and on time. How to build a reputation for outstanding customer service: Our experts discuss ways to keep your customers coming back for more: Promotions Manager - accessory discount offers Free postage offers/ combining postage Handling times Domestic and international delivery services Late delivery metric Click & Collect Global Shipping Programme Returns best-practice What ebay buyers expect Top Rated status Listing quality International buyer expectations Promotions Manager - codeless Coupon offers marketing Marketing off-ebay 4

5 WHAT S CHANGED IN THE MARKET

6 According to Darwin s Origin of Species, it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself. Leon C. Megginson, 1963 (Often misattributed to Charles Darwin himself)

7 THE THE BIGGEST CHANGE THE BIGGEST BIGGEST CHANGE TO TO RETAIL/ECOMMERCE CHANGE TO RETAIL/ECOMMERCE THIS RETAIL/ECOMMERCE THIS CENTURY THIS CENTURY CENTURY (and what if means to you) (and what if means to you) (and what if means to you) mcommerce mcommerce mcommerce

8 EXPLOSION IN SMARTPHONE ADOPTION 65% 32% The choice of millennials 3 penetration and rising 1 use them to shop 2 LARGER screen size has improved user experience Accounts for over 50% of online traffic 4 BOTTOM LINE If you re not optimised for mobile you re missing out. 1. Penetration of Smartphone ownership. Source: Mobilesquared Dec 2013 (Mobilesquared is a leading sector intelligence and insights company on the mobile sector). 2. Percentage of UK consumers making purchases on a smartphone. Source: Econsultancy Mar Millennial Generation (or Generation Y) are the demographic group that followed Generation X. There are no precise dates when the generation starts and ends but researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s % of traffic to retail websites comes from smartphones and tablet consumers. Source: IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Bechmarking Report Sep

9 MOBILE SHOPPERS CHOOSE EBAY 1 ebay is the #1 retail app and neck-and-neck with Amazon for #1 retail site in the UK when shoppers reach for their phones to research or buy, typically it is on ebay or Amazon. In the UK over 2.5million users per day access ebay via mweb, Android or iphone Over 50% of ebay purchases are now touched by mobile 50% 9.2 million listings currently added via ebay mobile per week 4x Users of ebay that shop on both mobile and desktop spend 4x more than users of desktop alone In the UK, a car is bought via a mobile every 2 minutes and a pair of ladies shoes every 6 seconds 40% of new ebay users in 2013 came to the site via mobile Source: ebay external data September

10 THROUGH MOBILE WEB OR APP, EBAY AND AMAZON DOMINATE MOBILE RETAIL... Which of the following retailers do you access on your mobile? 61% 60% 49% 42% 33% 32% 30% 30% 29% 28% 27% 27% 21% Amazon ebay Argos Tesco Asda Sainsbury's M&S Boots Currys Debenhams NEXT John Lewis ASOS Source: Marketing Week/CM

11 BUT EBAY IS THE CLEAR LEADER FOR MOBILE APPS Did you use the mobile app or the mobile website? 65% 62% 59% 59% 58% 58% 57% 56% 56% 56% 54% 45% 35% 8% 11% 13% 11% 18% 11% 13% 17% 22% 17% 24% 38% 52% 27% 27% 28% 30% 24% 31% 30% 27% 22% 27% 22% 17% 13% Boots NEXT Debenhams John Lewis Sainsbury's Currys M&S Asda Tesc ASOS Argos Amazon ebay Source: Marketing Week/CM

12 WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN FOR YOU? ebay changes are largely driven by changes in the market. If we fail to keep up, buyers will shop elsewhere. And this means ebay sellers need to keep pace too. Examples of ebay changes driven by the evolution of mcommerce: Product identifiers Picture standards Category changes and updates Seller standards and late delivery metric And when it comes to search, buyers don t want to scroll through hundreds of listings on their phone they want to find the item they re looking for quickly, at the right price, then buy and get it delivered fast. 12

13 SEARCH AND HOW IT WORKS

14 1 RECALL 2 RANKING

15 WHO DO YOU NEED TO WRITE LISTINGS FOR? 15

16 OPTIMISING FOR OFF-EBAY SEARCH ENGINES Optimise listing titles The first thing Google looks at on a page Use the primary keyword Avoid incorrect capitalisation, ebay jargon etc. Correct categorisation Appears in the search engine s results page Adds additional context Adds keywords to the page Improve description Supports rank and visibility Include brand name, model and synonyms Avoid keyword stuffing 16

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18 SEO FOR YOUR EBAY SHOP Use keywords in your Shop name if possible Write a compelling and keywordrich Shop description The same guidelines apply to your meta description Link to your Shop from everywhere you can (e.g. Guides) 18

19 HOW BUYERS SEARCH ON EBAY

20 PICKING YOUR TARGETS Identifying the right keywords to target on a page can make a huge difference in the amount of traffic your ebay presence attracts. Search Long Tail The more specific the keyword, the lower the search volume and competition. Google Keyword Planner shows monthly search volume for individual keywords. Google Trends shows relative search volumes over time. 1 Word Phrases Shoes A person searching Shoes is probably just browsing. 2-3 Word Phrases Brown Leather Shoes A person searching Brown Leather Shoes size 7 is ready to buy. More Descriptive Phrases Brown Leather Shoes size 7 20

21 HOW DO PEOPLE SEARCH? 21

22 HOW DO PEOPLE SEARCH? 22

23 HOW DO PEOPLE SEARCH? 23

24 HOW DO PEOPLE SEARCH? 24

25 HOW DO PEOPLE SEARCH? 25

26 WHAT BUYERS TELL US Encourage sellers to list serial or part numbers and improve photos I think titles and subtitles of items should be more clear. Make sure that when a delivery date is stated that they stick to this. Not everybody is putting item specifications. Making it compulsory for the sellers to complete all necessary details in full. Too many people are putting item under spurious categories 26

27 HOW TO GET HIGH VISIBILITY IN EBAY SEARCH What the algorithm looks for Listing best practices, e.g. listed in correct category and/or sub-category, keywords in title match the buyer s search Item specifics i.e. brand name, size, etc. very important when buyers apply filters Sales history Does this listing convert well? Is it similar to other listings which convert well? What gets a listing demoted by ebay Keyword spamming Listing violations, e.g. duplicate listings, VeRO, etc. Listing converts poorly or has similar characteristics to other listings which perform poorly Poor seller performance 27

28 CATEGORY Info is used by buyers to select relevant items, e.g. Mobile & Smart Phones vs. Mobile Phone Accessories Important to list in the correct categories: Helps you list using the most relevant Item Specifics Helps buyers find your listings Helps to avoid issues with programmes such as Global Shipping Programme which has restrictions placed on certain categories Choosing the correct category can help you with international selling Choosing the correct category can help you with international selling 28

29 TITLE Imagine you re the buyer. What do you want to know? Subtitle (fees apply) Use up to 80 characters to be as descriptive and relevant as possible Include key details even if they also appear in your description Use subtitles beneath your title to provide more information, e.g. Free delivery, 2 year warranty, UK seller State exactly what the item is (even if it repeats the category name) Use correct spelling and avoid overusing acronyms 29

30 IMAGES Upload up to 12 photos for free Use a good quality camera phones don t always give a good enough result Take care not to infringe copyright just because an image is on the internet doesn t mean you can use it Low res preview I need to request image Use close-up shots to show off product details or imperfections For multi-variation listings - make sure the main photo shows buyers there are variations 30

31 PRODUCT IDENTIFIERS & ITEM SPECIFICS Mandatory to add product identifiers to certain listings If item appears in the ebay catalogue, don t assume all the Item Specifics have been completed for you Think like a buyer focus on the main characteristics that your buyers will filter their search on Make sure the information is accurate don t try to mislead buyers 31

32 DETAILS (AKA DESCRIPTION) Make sure it s mobile-friendly especially if you use HTML or templates Put all important information above the fold (this changes depending on the device) Writing tips double check spelling and grammar, avoid ALL CAPS, break up long paragraphs! Keep it factual - it s your responsibility to make sure your description is clear, accurate and compliant with advertising regulations (see 32

33 OTHER SECTIONS Format advice on format varies depending on the category you re listing in. More details in Listing Optimisation: Advanced Price future webinars will cover how to adjust pricing and set up promotions and seasonal sales Payment if you ve set up Business Policies the information is automatically pulled in Postage a future webinar will cover postage options, Click & Collect and Global Shipping Programme Other details (e.g. Returns) can be automatically inserted if you ve set up Business Policies 33

34 A FEW MORE TIPS List long duration, multi-quantity fixed price items If the item is out of stock, then RELIST it once you have more stock available There's no need to raise the price of an item by a huge amount to keep it live on the site, but not generating sales Optimise and update your listing to make sure you stay competitive 34

35 WHERE DO I START? Work out which part of the journey you need to improve on: Recall Look at categories, keywords, title and item specifics Ranking As above, plus look at sales history and competitor activity Conversion Review your descriptions, price and postage options 35

36 I D LOVE TO DO ALL THIS, THE BUT BIGGEST I DON T CHANGE HAVE TIME TO RETAIL/ECOMMERC E THIS CENTURY (and what if means to you)

37 INVEST 1 HOUR AND REAP THE REWARDS 3 1 Research 1 hour Take a sample of at least 10 listings whose sales have been steady for the last 2-4 weeks Spend 4-6 minutes per listing researching your competition Type in the phrase you think buyers would search for and see where your listing appears Now apply the filters that your buyers are likely to select Search for the following using Advanced search: Live listings Completed listings Sold listings Write down what you notice. How does your listing compare with Completed and Sold listings from other sellers? How do they describe the same item what keywords are they using? Which Item Specifics have they completed? How is it priced? What do you think is making buyers choose these listings? 37

38 INVEST 1 HOUR AND REAP THE REWARDS 2 Apply what you ve learned time 3 Monitor results over the following 2 weeks depends on amount of changes needed build into your usual reporting Now amend your 10 test listings based on what you ve found. What happened to sales? If they went up, by what % and? How much did your hour of research earn you? 38

39 PROMOTE YOUR LISTINGS AD SERVICE 39

40 PROMOTE YOUR LISTINGS AD SERVICE 40

41 ELIGIBILITY Sellers Listings Selected ebay Shop subscribers Listing in eligible categories Fixed price, multi-quantity Promote up to 30% (or 500, whichever is greater) of your listings Categories Antiques Art Baby Cameras & Photography Clothes, Shoes & Accessories Coins Computers/Tablets & Networking Crafts Dolls & Bears Garden & Patio Health & Beauty Home Furniture & DIY Jewellery & Watches Mobile Phones & Communication Musical Instruments Pet Supplies Sound & Vision Sporting Goods Toys & Games Video Games & Consoles 41

42 WHAT WE VE COVERED Agenda What s changed in the market Search and how it works Understanding how buyers search on ebay Join the discussion The ebay Community > Discussion Boards > Selling on ebay > ebay Growth Webinar Discussions Listing best practices Where to focus your attention for the best return on investment for your time Next steps how to start boosting sales by investing just one hour of your time Check out to find out what s covered in our other webinars and register The content used in this webinar series is provided for informational purposes only. Sellers who use any such content do so at their own risk. 42

43 QUESTIONS