eBay announced changes to its store offering in the UK (called eBay Shops in that country), writing that it's a tool to "build your brand, engage with buyers and grow your business."
It will be interesting to what sellers think about how far these changes go in allowing them to engage with buyers, given that eBay is limiting the engagement to the eBay marketplace, apparently still concerned about the potential of off-site transactions.
To help with branding, eBay UK will display seller names and feedback at the top of the View Item page next to the listing headline and will move the "seller information card" higher.
"By reinforcing your presence on the View Item page," eBay UK said, "you can build trust with your buyers and get them excited about your business and encourage them into your Shop to make a purchase."
In addition, "you'll also see entry points to your Shop in search autocomplete when a buyer types in your Shop name."
Another potentially helpful change is the addition of a category module to Shops - "In March we'll be adding a module that shows up to 12 categories of your Shop and a "See all" button for buyers to explore all your categories."
"In March, we'll also be introducing buyer groups for your Shops newsletter. To begin with these groups will be based on simple factors such as "past purchases", and we'll then expand the capabilities over time. With your mobile-friendly newsletter templates, these groups should help you increase your reach and help convert more sales.
"With the old listing frame the newsletter opt-in only existed on desktop, was positioned low on the page, and there was no buyer groups functionality that led to limited reach."
What do you think about the ability for you to build your brand on eBay Stores?
eBay Says Changes Will Help Sellers Build Their Brand
by: Rexford 
by: iheartjacksparrow