Merchandising tests for large retailers on eBay.com
eBay are testing a couple of new features in the US for their large retailers. One on trust and the second on pricing.
Authorised reseller
eBay are displaying a “Manufacturer’s Authorised Seller” logo on some listings. Buyers are told that the authorised reseller benefits are “Products from authorized resellers typically come with full manufacturer warranty” and that “Authorised resellers receive training and product knowledge from the manufacturer“. Given that the stock image in search results is also replaced by the authorised seller logo this looks as if it could result in a big boost in sales for seller that qualify for the logo.
“Compare at” price
The second feature that eBay.com are testing is a strike through compare at price along with a monetary and percentage saving displayed to buyers. eBay say that “A ‘compare at’ price is the price (excluding shipping and handling fees) this seller has provided at which the same item, or one that is virtually identical to it, is being offered for sale or has been offered for sale within the last 90 days by another online retailer“.
I’ve yet to see either of these features available on eBay UK and even if they do make it onto sites other than eBay.com it’s unlikely that most sellers will ever be able to access them. Expect features like these to be reserved for eBay’s Enterprise and Outlet sellers who in the main are the large high street retailers.
Toby says
9:36 am on 01/05/2012
Instead of ‘Compare at’, the ‘RRP’ crossed out on UK outlets is a good idea & should be expanded across all Business sellers.
I don’t think a ‘Authorised Reseller’ logo will do anything to promote high street names such as ToysRus or Argos.
It just seems like another eBay idea to push SME’s off eBay & concentrate on Large retailers whilst not using their resources to fix the outstanding problems.