eBay executive Jordan Sweetnam returned to the eBay Seller Announcement Board today with another message for sellers. The head of eBay Americas rejoined the company in July after a 3-year stint at Walmart, and we covered his initial September 30th post where he addressed the change in top leadership and said eBay wanted to hear from sellers to ensure their success.
In today's post, Sweetnam announced that his colleague Marni Levine, Vice President of Merchandising, was now Vice President of Seller Operations and Engagement:
"Marni will partner closely with our product and engineering lead Harry Temkin (VP, Seller Experience) to hold all of eBay accountable for delivering only the best end to end experience for our sellers. Marni and her team will bring your voice into everything we do, reboot our engagement through events and regular touch points, and foster a strong spirit of community."
Sweetnam also addressed three key areas in his post: Internet sales tax, Marketing spend, and Category focus.
He said eBay would use its strong marketing budget to drive buyers to sellers' listings through a variety of channels: advertising, search and owned channels, social media and more. He said eBay is expanding its "channel mix."
And he had this to say about buyer promotions:
"While we previously cast a wide net, we now have more knowledge of our customers and their behavior. This means we can use incentives to meet their specific needs, allowing us to "surprise and delight," but not rely heavily on site-wide coupons."
Sweetnam used some of the stock messaging sellers have grown accustomed to: "We don't compete with you and we never will," and "multi-year journey," for example.
He also told sellers eBay allows them to build their brand on eBay. "We allow you to build your brand on eBay, because we firmly believe eBay is strongest when you feel a strong connection to the customers - from hobbyists to small businesses, and everything in between."
We're curious if readers agree or disagree, and if you have specific concerns about branding your business on eBay. Here's your chance to weigh in.
One statement jumped out as a potential sign eBay may be open to paying more attention to non-commodity goods:
"Protecting and growing our ownable selection of things you cannot find at mainstream retailers. New: from espresso machines to the exact car part; refurbished tech and tools from your favorite brands; hard to find collectibles and comics; and the magic of mainstreet, from toy stores to local artists."
Let us know what you think of Sweetnam's second post, which you can read in full on
the eBay website - keeping it constructive is appreciated! And be sure to send me promotions you encounter, we're curious what how eBay will be enticing shoppers to buy.
Jordan Sweetnam Returns with New Message for eBay Sellers