Despite some freezing temperatures hitting the UK in the last week, eBay.co.uk has revealed that it’s selling a swimsuit every minute[1], and with celebrities such as Holly Willoughby and Rochelle Humes spotted sporting their suits in the last two days alone, the one-piece is set to make a big comeback in 2018.
And it appears that we’re planning to don our ‘cossies’ at home, not just in the winter sun this year as the online marketplace has reported more than 2,000 swimming pools have sold in the last seven days, that’s six every half hour[2].
However, if they can’t make it to a beach, Brits are faking it with more than 3,000 fake tan related products sold in the last month, that’s five every hour[3].
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ABOUT EBAY
The original disruptor of the e-commerce world, eBay has come of age – but it’s still shaking up traditional retail with a global marketplace that welcomes big brands, empowers entrepreneurs and serves 23.5 million customers a month in the UK alone.
Market
eBay was the first online marketplace. Today, it’s a household name. A regular feature in lists of best loved brands, it connects millions of buyers and sellers, helping customers to find the item they’re looking for from its 1.1 billion listings.
With buyers in 190 markets, trade is fast. The UK website sells a car part every second, and searches for must-have items, like 2017's fidget spinner, regularly top fifty searches a second.
This incredible interest directly benefits the small businesses who trade on eBay, giving them access to an audience once unthinkable for a small shop on the high street.
Product
Whether an item is new or nearly new, luxurious or rare, fashionable or one-of-a-kind, it is probably for sale on eBay.co.uk. The brand’s mission is to be the place where the world shops first, and a continued focus on its powerful search – including image recognition and voice control through Google Home - gives power to that promise.
While eBay remains true to its marketplace roots, 88% of the items for sale on eBay are now offered at a fixed price and 81% are brand new. The UK’s big retail brands also continue to gravitate towards the marketplace, setting up their own eBay stores to be where British consumers are shopping.
All sellers on eBay benefit from one of the most popular mobile apps in the market – downloaded more than 380 million times and counting – along with a ready-made web presence that is fast, mobile and secure.
Achievements
Throughout its history, eBay has helped many thousands of small businesses to succeed. Small British firms regularly rank in the top five grossing sellers on eBay.co.uk’s biggest trading days like Black Friday, and over a thousand British sellers who started with a shop on eBay are now running million pound businesses, providing jobs to people in their communities.
By partnering with sellers in this way, eBay.co.uk has helped hundreds of thousands of British entrepreneurs over its 22 year history. As a hub of retail in the UK, the marketplace also continues to welcome top brands to the site – including Currys, Halfords, GoPro, Canon, Boohoo and more.
eBay also makes it easy for customers to give to charitable organisations. Using eBay for Charity, sellers can donate a portion of their sales and buyers can shop while supporting their favourite causes – adding to the funds that eBay.co.uk has raised for UK charities to date.
Recent developments
With a wealth of ‘firsts’ to its name, eBay remains at the forefront of online retail. The marketplace created one of the first-ever mobile apps, and today over 60% of international buyers shop on eBay through their mobile device, putting the products of small businesses directly into the hands of consumers whenever they want to shop.
Fast forward to 2017 and eBay is still driving new developments: artificial intelligence, the ability to search from a photograph and the world’s first virtual reality department store experience to name a few. Innovating in mobile has also meant an expansion into social media, a natural partner to the marketplace. eBay.co.uk’s Mother’s Day Snapchat lens was one of the most popular filters of 2017 and a new generation of customers are finding deals through this medium.
Promotion
In autumn 2017, eBay’s Fill Your Cart With Colour campaign launched in the UK and around the world. Advertising ran across all channels, mirroring the offering of the eBay marketplace; encouraging shoppers to celebrate their individual passions and shopping ‘like nobody else’ – something the brand says is possible only on eBay thanks to its unrivalled choice.
For Christmas 2017 eBay brought the campaign to central London, with a range of UK influencers to bring the brand to life. eBay was also the first to invest in mood advertising – ads with the ability to react instantly to the mood of consumers – on the iconic screens of Piccadilly Circus.
eBay regularly partners with other high profile brands who understand the power of the marketplace in bringing products to life. In late 2017 eBay once again joined forces with Disney ahead of the much-anticpated release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The Brand's dedicated Star Wars Hub (ebay.co.uk/starwars) featured more than 12,000 pieces of official merchandise and sold a lightsaber every 15 minutes. It is one of a range of product hubs built for brands including Dyson, Canon and GoPri, and sits alongside specialist categories including physical media, curve clothing and newly added wine and beer categories.
Brand history timeline
1995 - eBay founder, Pierre Omidyar, launches AuctionWeb. By the following year, $7.2m worth of merchandise is sold.
1997 - Feedback is introduced, allowing members to rate their transactions – a first for the web that’s now an industry staple.
2000 - Buy It Now, allowing users to buy an item instantly at a set price, is introduced.
2002 - eBay purchases PayPal, followed by Gumtree three years later.
2008 - eBay is one of the first companies to launch on an iPhone, featuring during the Apple app store launch.
2009 - eBay receives a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign, which it has continued to receive every subsequent year.
2016 – In partnership with Myer, eBay launches the first-ever virtual reality department store as well as a smart, personal shopping assistant, powered by AI.
2017- eBay’s 22nd year in the UK sees Image Search and Find It On eBay launching, allowing shoppers to search using a picture.
Did you know?
eBay has 168 million active buyers around the world.
In the UK, eBay serves 23m Brits a month.
Princess Charlotte is currently the most influential Royal when it comes to buying behaviour on eBay.co.uk – inspiring searches for her outfit every time she appears
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