Since 1995, eBay has been helping people clean out homes for a profit or even managing successful online businesses. Over almost 30 years in business, eBay has grown to be a formidable resource for ecommerce brands of every size. To help you continue growing your business, we have created a deep dive revealing everything you need to know about running ads on eBay. Don’t wait, start reading and unlock the next level of your business.
Advertisement Auction Style
Fortunately for sellers and buyers alike, eBay has pioneered the second-price bid model. A first-price auction is one in which the winner pays the price they bid, regardless of external circumstances. In short, if you bid $5, you pay $5.
Second-price auctions, on the other hand, take into account against whom you are bidding. That means if you win the bid with $5, you won’t necessarily need to pay $5. If the next highest bid was $3.50, you only have to pay $3.50.
Ebay Ads – Search Results Placements
As with any other marketplace, the most important place to be found on eBay is in search listings. However, eBay limits your appearance to one type of listing per product. If you have high-performing organic products and choose to advertise them to strengthen their performance, you maybe undercutting your own performance. Why? eBay ads will only show one or the other. On top of that, the marketplace weights ads more heavily, meaning they will show your ad over your organic page, even if it is ranking #1.
While this may not be the most desirable of formats, it still provides a wealth of opportunities for sellers of all sizes. For the most cost-effective results, we recommend running ads for items that rank lower in organic results to increase their visibility. Instead of spending more money on successful items, lean on your organic listings for products that rank well. Adopting this strategy can save you money in the long term without sacrificing your performance in the short term.
Device Targeting
Shoppers expect a more streamlined, tailored experience by the day. That means they are going to be far more amenable to ads, products, and explanations that fit their lifestyle. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that many sellers experience better results when they target consumers based on the device they use.
At this time, sellers cannot designate where they want their Ebay advertisement shown, desktop or mobile. To account for this, we recommend paying extra attention to the data generated by your ads. That way, you can see which content and device styles perform best for you on the platform. That can give you an idea of what device is used primarily by your audience and tailor your ads to that.
eBay Ad Match Types
eBay has some phrase-matching technology, specifically phrase match and broad match.
However, in general, eBay sellers need to be more targeted with their choice of keywords. We advise brands to craft keyword sets strategically and with intention. This sets a standard to test keywords and phrases and their performance on eBay Ads as well as to try out successful campaigns that convert on other platforms.
Targeting Options
While eBay has limited targeting options overall, it still offers powerful tools to grow your business. The most useful of these resources has to be competitor targeting. By leveraging competitor keywords, you can protect your market share or even increase it.
If you find that your competition is starting to outpace you — or worse, actively try to steal your audience from you — you can focus on the keywords and trends that are performing well with them. With a little budget and strategy, you can ensure you take your customers right back, and some of theirs for the trouble!
For all other circumstances, sellers can rely on eBay Ads keyword targeting. While limited, it focuses on the keywords consumers are actively searching on the site, allowing brand owners to capture new sales.
The eBay Ads Approval Process
Lastly, eBay approves new ads and updates to existing ads immediately. This saves you time from waiting to see if your new strategies work and lets you adjust your strategies accordingly faster. These capabilities ensure you’re always growing your business and performing your best.
Keep your education going with the other marketplaces featured in our deep dive series:
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