Advancing You ebay Results... 1

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1 Advancing You ebay Results

2 Advancing You ebay Results Advancing Your ebay Results EBay s revenue is growing at a rate of 14% year over year. 1 It s a marketplace that every successful retailer should not only want to be operating on, but also be performing on to the highest possible standard. Your ebay metrics can play a large part in helping you achieve this high standard. EBay s metrics are free and easily accessible to sellers. Once you ve analysed your ebay metrics, you then have the opportunity to develop and improve any underperforming listings. Your ebay metrics, coupled with the capabilities of the ChannelAdvisor platform, will provide an in-depth look at your effectiveness and prompt you to make changes that will improve your ebay sales and seller position. This guide will fully explain ebay metrics to help sellers rate, analyse and improve their performance on this marketplace giant. We ll examine how ebay metrics can affect a seller s position on the marketplace, including factors such as click-through rate and Top-Rated Seller status. 1

3 Advancing You ebay Results ebay Metrics Defined For every product listing you post, you re able to see key metrics that provide insight into how your listing is performing: Rank: The search placement of your product listing compared to other ebay listings Impressions: The number of times your listing appears to potential buyers in a search Clicks: The number of times your listing was clicked on by a buyer Two additional and equally important ebay metrics are the click-through rate and sellthrough rate. The click-through rate is the number of clicks divided by the number of impressions in other words, the number of possible buyers who clicked on your listing after viewing it in search. The sell-through rate measures the next stage in the buying process, highlighting the number of items sold divided by the number of people who clicked on the listing. Top-Rated Seller status and Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs) are also influenced by ebay metrics. Achieving a Top-Rated Seller status comes with many perks, including increasing your visibility on ebay searches. The status, however, can be attained only by ticking off a number of ebay requirements. DSRs are based on detailed and anonymous feedback reports from buyers, which, combined with your ebay metrics, can help show how you re performing as an ebay seller.

4 Advancing You ebay Results Improving Visibility & Sales with ebay Metrics Now that we ve gone through what ebay s primary metrics are, we ll look at how to use them, in conjunction with ChannelAdvisor features, to best improve your visibility and sales. With some organisation and analysis, you ll be able to learn from your ebay metrics, improving your seller status and boosting your visibility in search results.

5 Advancing You ebay Results Click-Through Rate EBay s click-through rate highlights the number of ebay buyers who have clicked on your listing, compared with those who have seen it in search. The consequences of a low click-through rate can be extremely damaging for an ebay seller. If your product listing s click-through rate decreases, you could see a correlation in the reduced number of purchases. What causes a low click-through rate? It s likely because of the way your product listing is displayed on the search results page such as being lower down the search page, insufficient title, no image etc - and resulting in less traffic being drawn to the listing. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to enhance your product listings and improve your click-through rate: Write an effective title Have an appropriate image Optimise your item specifics to the fullest Item specifics allow you to provide details about the product you re selling, such as brand, size, colour and style. These details can boost your ebay presence by helping your products be matched Click-Through Rate: # of Clicks # of Impressions with buyers search words. (Try to imagine what words a shopper would use to find your product, and add those in.) For more information on optimising your ebay item specifics, take a look at this ChannelAdvisor blog post on the subject. It may not always be financially viable, but offering free delivery could increase clicks. If that s not a feasible option for you, then price competitively and be clear about your shipping costs. Becoming an ebay Premium Service badge holder is another option. With the badge, sellers can offer a minimum 14-day returns policy, one-day or same-day dispatch, express delivery options and a free domestic delivery option. The catch: This service can t be purchased and must instead be earned by the retailer, through maintaining a high seller rating and high ratings for multiple metrics.

6 Advancing You ebay Results Sell-Through Rate The sell-through rate the number of buyers who purchased an item compared to the number that clicked on the listing is the next metric we recommend that you focus on. A low sell-through rate will negatively affect your sales, highlighting a poor parallel between those who click on your listing, and those that actually make a purchase. A low sell-through rate could have a lot to do with a poorly presented listing page. This includes pages without necessary information, or pages that aren t adequately presented and optimised. Be sure to have an informative, structured and appealing product description that s consistent with the product title. You don t want to make the mistake of having the product information differ from the title listing especially if, say, your shipping information is inconsistent and risk losing a buyer s trust. Also remember to include a number of high-quality product images, providing the buyer with a clear and accurate idea of what they re purchasing. If possible, offer buyers several delivery options, including free or discounted postage. Make sure to make your returns and refund policy visible to buyers. A comscore study revealed that 48% of consumers would shop with an online seller more often if they had a lenient, easily understandable returns policy. 2 Plus, if you offer delivery discounts or a straightforward returns policy, buyers could be encouraged to increase their order and purchase additional items. Sell-Through Rate: # of Items Sold # of People Who Clicked on the Listing 2 comscore, Online Shopping Customer Experience Study

7 Advancing You ebay Results Top-Rated Seller Status To attain a Top-Rated Seller rating, you must have a positive feedback rating of at least 98% and be a member of the PowerSeller programme another ebay seller status that has to be earned. Once achieved, Top-Rated Seller status comes with some great perks. These can include gaining maximum visibility in Best Match search results, receiving a 15% discount from ebay on final value fees and being treated to priority customer service from ebay. There are a number of requirements that you must first fulfil before achieving this valuable status. Once you ve achieved Top-Rated Seller status, failure to uphold these requirements could see you plummet to a higher or standard seller status. The requirements for becoming an ebay Top-Rated Seller include having an ebay account that s been active for at least 90 days, at least 100 transactions and 1,000 in sales over the last 12 months and a positive feedback rating of at least 98%. You can t achieve the status if you ve received more than two Detailed Seller Ratings of one or two stars in the last year. The status also can t be attained if you have more than two ebay money-back-guarantee cases closed without seller resolution, accounting for more than 0.3% of your total transactions. This all may seem like a large amount of requirements to uphold, but the benefits can be extremely valuable and could significantly enhance your ranking as an ebay seller. Top-Rated Seller Status: A positive feedback rating of at least 98% and a member of the PowerSeller programme. A recent update to the Top-Rated Seller status revised the requirements for receiving all of the included benefits. You no longer need to meet these new requirements for all of your listings just the ones that meet the requirements will receive the benefits and final value fee discounts. The new requirements include one-day or same-day dispatch, a free postage option, an express delivery option and a minimum returns period of 14 calendar days.

8 Advancing You ebay Results Detailed Seller Ratings Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs) look at in-depth feedback provided by buyers, as opposed to buyers just offering a general rating of positive, neutral or negative for the seller. The ratings are anonymous, with sellers unable to see which buyer provided the rating. These DSRs, together with your other ebay metrics ratings, can give you a clearer picture of how you re performing as a seller and what areas might need improving. Positive or negative, the detailed feedback could be related to any part of the ebay seller service you re providing. To make sure you re performing at the highest standards, monitor your ebay metrics thoroughly. Devote extra time to efficiently and accurately describing your products, clearly listing your delivery charges and returns policy, dispatching items on time and offering a helpful and professional customer service. + -

9 Advancing You ebay Results ChannelAdvisor s ebay Insights Actionable Retail Insights is a ChannelAdvisor tool designed to help retailers optimise their presence on marketplaces. Part of this feature includes ebay Insights, which provides selling recommendations to improve the performance of your ebay listings. We can help you pinpoint focus areas and help promote your listings both on the ebay marketplace and across the internet. Find out more about Actionable Retail Insights here.

10 Advancing You ebay Results Summary As a large and highly successful marketplace, 3 ebay naturally wants its sellers to perform well. EBay metrics are entirely free, with the marketplace hoping you ll utilise these features to the best of your ability. By using both ebay metrics and ChannelAdvisor, you can examine your seller performance, make any necessary adjustments and in the long run, advance your position as an ebay seller. You have nothing to lose and could have a lot to gain by taking a close look at your ebay metrics, so what s stopping you? 3 For more information on Amazon metrics and how ChannelAdvisor can assist with operating on Amazon, visit our website or contact ukteam@channeladvisor.com. Trust us. Be Seen. To learn more: Call US AU Visit ukteam@channeladvisor.com The global standard for e-commerce leaders.