The Ebay Seller Update Autumn 2021 was released last week. For the most part, sellers are likely to welcome the changes. The most noteworthy changes have come in the form of multi-user account updates, improvements to Ebay coded coupons and Ebay shops. The update also informed us that ‘Ebay promoted listings advanced’ is set to be rolled out in the UK. All of these changes are worth looking at in closer detail, and you can find the complete update announcement here.
Multi-User Account Changes
Understandably, Ebay sellers have traditionally been reluctant to share their log in details with others. This is usually because this would mean that whoever gained access would have complete control over their listings and account. The Autumn update has meant that from now on, account managers can exert more control over how much responsibility other users of their account can have.
This new feature means that sellers can delegate more tasks to others on their account without having to worry about them causing disruption to the account itself. The permissions that account managers are able to control will now include opening cases, accessing after-sale messages and handling returns. Thus, you could now allow a junior member of your team to revise your listings, but you could make it so they don’t have access to your refund requests.
Updates To Ebay Shops
The Ebay Seller Autumn Update has also promised massive improvements to Ebay Shops. Essentially, Ebay Shops is your online store front. The feature allows you to customise the way in which your buyers interact with your products and also gives you the opportunity to add your own unique branding to make you to stand out from the competition.
It seems as though Ebay are keen to expand the feature, if their new improvements are anything to go by. The changes range from small branding improvements, such as the addition of an ‘About us’ tab which will allow you to tell the story of your brand, to the introduction of new methods to interact with your buyers, such as new newsletter features and the introduction of clickable marketing banners. Sellers would definitely be wise to make the most of these new and exciting features.
The Updates To Coded Coupons
We have covered Ebay coded coupons before. If you have read our previous article on Ebay changes, you will remember that we believed this to be a very exciting edition to the Ebay interface. The updates that have been announced in the Ebay Seller Update Autumn have only served to strengthen our optimism in the usefulness of this feature.
From October 1st, you will now be able to send your coupons directly from your seller hub to specific groups of customers. In addition, Ebay are now making it much easier to track how successful these coupons are by recording the engagement between your coupons and your buyers. To get the most out of this feature, sellers should plan the timings of the coupons carefully, whether that be when your inventory is slightly overstocked, or to offer deals when trying to shift the last few items of an inventory.
The Rebranding Of Promoted Listings & The Introduction Of Promoted Listings Advanced
Not much is changing when it comes to the original form of promoted listings, except from the fact that it will be rebranded to ‘promoted listings standard’. This is in doubt to differentiate it from the introduction of the new promoted listings ‘advanced’.
As opposed to the standard model, where you will still only be charged if someone makes a purchase, the new advanced version of promoted listings means that you will be charged every time someone clicks on your ad. This is a business model known as PPC (Pay-per-click) and may seem strange on the surface. However, the sophisticated system now allows you to ‘bid’ on keywords, much like on a Google search ad. This means that you can show your ads to consumers who are searching for specific keywords.
Whilst this is a more complicated feature and sellers should be tentative to use it if they have no experience in utilising PPC, this represents a massive opportunity for sellers. If you are able to implement this feature properly, you could see your sales and exposure sky-rocket.
We Have A Great Deal Of Experience When It Comes To Supporting Ebay Sellers…
These changes are really indicative of the amount of work Ebay are doing to offer sellers a better selling experience. If you use all the above features to their full potential, you will almost certainly see a considerable increase in sales and profits.
Don’t forget our long history of working with Ebay and Amazon sellers means we can offer you expert advice, so please do not hesitate to give us a call on 0161 637 1080 or send an e-mail to enquiries@jpaccountant.com. We would be more than happy to help you register for UK & EU VAT, the UK VAT deferral scheme, EU and UK EORI number, file your UK & EU VAT returns, and help you comply with VAT in case your account faces any issues. We can even offer storage and warehouse support!
