21/09/2017
eBay Autumn 2017 Seller Release – The Future of eBay
eBay`s Autumn 2017 Seller Release, shows some strong hints about how they see eCommerce and the future of eBay for the next year and beyond. The release, out today – 21st September 2017, explains how some of the changes which are being expected of sellers fit into the vision for eBay into the near and more distant future.
Past, Present, Future
eBay have generally been good at predicting in which direction the technological world will move in, being one of the first businesses to really embrace mobile, as well as one of the first to develop an app for use on iPhones or smart phones.
eBay have recently made some changes for sellers, including the increased need for product identifiers cracking down on the passing of email addresses between buyers and sellers and prohibiting the use of watermarks on images. Some of these changes are to help with security for sellers, byers and eBay themselves, but some also give a good indication of where eBay see themselves going over the next few years.
`Shop the Look`
One of the directions that we are seeing eBay pushing their resources is in their project, `Shop the Look`. This is a function for buyers where they can see an image of, for example, people. They can then click on a piece of clothing, which will then allow buyers to be able to buy the specific piece of clothing that they chose.
Image Search and `Find it on eBay`
The other direction which is appears that eBay are looking to go is the image search function. This allows buyers to use images to search for an item on eBay instead of trying to describe it in words. `Find it on eBay` allows you to share a picture that you have found on a web browser or social site with eBay, which will then direct you to items which match or are similar
Image search works in a similar way but the image is taken from a photo which you have taken on your smartphone. Again, this matches the items which are available on eBay, or are similar, to give you the chance to buy them.
These are two of the main features which suggest the direction that it is expected that eBay and online marketplaces are heading. It seems that the future is all about improving the buyer experience and these new features will be central to helping eBay towards this goal.