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Julia Wilkinson AuctionBytes Blog
Covering auctions, collectibles and marketplace selling.

Julia Wilkinson is Editor of the AuctionBytes Blog and is author of the "eBay Price Guide," "eBay Top 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks," "My Life at AOL" and numerous ebooks about selling online. You can also find her writing on Yard Salers.
Mon Aug 6 2012 10:25:24

Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?

 By: Julia Wilkinson
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Worldwide ecommerce company Rakuten, which owns Play.com (UK), Buy.com (US), and Priceminister, as well as a stake in Pinterest, to name a few, recently released some global shopping trend information which I found interesting, because they did not always mesh with some conventional wisdom of selling online.

Mondays Better than Sundays?

Many eBayers go by the axiom that ending an auction on a Sunday is optimal. But Rakuten's data shows that many people are engaging in Monday "online retail therapy" for the start of the work week, with shoppers in the US, UK and Germany all racking up the highest browsing figures on that day.

Catch Mobile People in the Mornings

The image of an online shopper clicking away from laptop while in bed in the evening is ingrained in some sellers' mind. But Rakuten's data shows that in terms of mobile shoppers, in both the US and UK, browsing peaks in the morning. They are browsing even earlier in the UK; the theory being because more people in the UK use public transport, which gives commuters time to shop. The data shows UK mobile browsing peaks between 7-8 a.m., "when many workers are mid-commute," according to Rakuten. In the US, this morning peak comes at around 10am.

Who Lingers Over What

Online and moibile shoppers are dwelling the longest over higher-priced items, which is not surprising. But who browses longer over what is interesting: US consumers spend more time viewing computers, electronics, clothing and bags, with an average of 4.4 to 4.7 minutes, compared with around 3 minutes for lower-priced items.

But Brits linger over fashion and literature, "with the average user dwelling just over 40 seconds on clothes before purchase and under a minute on books," according to Rakuten, compared to more considered purchases such as TVs, which have an average dwell time of around 2 minutes.

Have you tried ending items on Monday, or noticed a spike in Monday or morning usage? Will you try adjusting your auctions accordingly, or some of them, where appropriate? I already sell world-wide, and I do sell quite a bit of clothing and jewelry to people in the UK, including high-end items. But I haven't thought much about peak browsing times before. Do you take such online data into consideration, or just list and not think about timing and who's buying what globally? If you have thoughts on this, post a comment here!
Comments (5) | Permalink
Readers Comments

Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?   Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?
by: Digmen1 This user has validated their user name.
       Web Site
Mon Aug 6 15:48:59 2012
Very interesting article, thanks.

But it is hard enough to get views, to worry about the best timing.

When ebay can deliver me a whole lot of views I will start to worry about the best ending times.

In the meantime I just work on my website.
Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?   Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?
This user has validated their user name. by: Ming the Merciless
       
Mon Aug 6 23:44:16 2012
I see none of this in my listings. But then we all have to remember just how manipulated  the search and browse system is these days.
Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?   Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?
This user has validated their user name. by: juliawww
       Web Site
Tue Aug 7 10:22:50 2012
Thanks. Digmen. I don't think I'll pay a lot of attention to this, but I may be more willing to end an auction on a Monday now, and experiment with it a little. Ming, I agree..search is the big thing sellers worry about and that impacts our sales.  
Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?   Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?
by: BB2 This user has validated their user name.
       
Wed Aug 8 03:25:41 2012
I ran auctions almost every week up until about 6 months ago. I typically ran auctions ending Sunday and Monday, but sometimes other days of the week. With few anomalies, Sunday and Monday were always the best days.

About a year ago, I noticed auctions ending on Monday consistently outperformed Sunday.

I use fixed price almost exclusively now. But, I still put products up for auction on occasion. Mondays are still better for me. So, if I had to choose one day to have an auction end, it is Monday.

It is possible the product has a direct impact on the best day to list it. When I launch auctions, they are usually for art and high-end collectibles. Those do best on Monday.

However, I went to a couple of estate sales last year and put some low-end collectibles for auction. Those sold every day of the week. But, Saturday and Sunday were best.
Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?   Rakuten's Global Shopping Data: Mondays Best Day to List?
by: BB2 This user has validated their user name.
       
Wed Aug 8 03:27:44 2012
I should add, I get more orders for fixed priced items on Monday than any other day of the week.


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