By Erin Wawok

Feb

26

Understanding eBay’s Product-Based Shopping Experience

eBay has transformed its online shopping experience in an exciting (and much-needed) new way for both consumers and sellers. You’ll need to understand its new Product-Based Shopping Experience (PBSE) if you want to stay up on all the best deals and make sense of how to successfully present your products to customers who crave them.

Change can sometimes be overwhelming for everyone involved, but eBay’s goal in revamping its listing structure is to streamline users’ shopping experiences and reorganize its incredibly high volume of items, which have a tendency to overwhelm even the savviest bargain hunters. Let’s take a look at how you can take advantage of eBay’s Product-Based Shopping Experience to make online shopping easier than ever before for your customers while maximizing your ability to reach and convert customers.

Cut Through the Mess

In the past, eBay has shown a variety of products in any given search result. Let’s say you submitted a search for “New York Yankees.” Your results could have contained autographed memorabilia, game tickets, books, and much, much more. Now, with the Product-Based Shopping Experience, instead of having to sift through seas of products you don’t want just to find the one you do, eBay will automatically divide up all listed products into categories. This ability to zero in on what you’re really looking for is a huge help for any eBay shopper, making the platform much more appealing.

Find That Perfect Product

New category breakdowns aren’t the only way you and your customers are going to benefit from eBay’s Product-Based Shopping Experience. The system also allows users to more easily sort and filter items based on their condition and price, and to consider product reviews and seller feedback while preparing to make purchases.

The Rollout

eBay will be gradually implementing and refining its Product-Based Shopping Experience features throughout time. This will give users the chance to grow accustomed to the new system while also allowing the company to take a look at what works well and what needs continued tinkering. Over time, eBay will require certain products to be associated with categories in their listings, and these requirements will grow as more categories are added to the Product-Based Shopping Experience.

In the United States, the feature has already begun to make its mark in 2018 and has resulted in more organized listings and a more navigable homepage. The rollout is not yet complete, but sellers who offer items in the categories of Consumer Electronics, Home & Garden, and Sporting Goods are required to categorized their inventory in accordance with the Product-Based Shopping Experience feature.

eBay Product IDs

Another new feature associated with eBay’s Product-Based Shopping Experience is the Product ID, which made its debut in June of 2018. Product IDs are similar to YouTube tags in that they allow items to show up in searches by brand name, manufacturer part number (MPN) or global trade item number (GTIN) once the corresponding IDs are added. This is an extra step in the process of listing an item, but it allows customer searches to be more fruitful and gives sellers another resource in helping their products get found.

What It Means for Sellers

Sellers who already have a lot on their plate may not be excited by the way the Product-Based Shopping Experience adds extra steps to the listing process. True, it is always nice to keep things simple, but eBay’s old simplicity was hindering it from serving buyers and sellers to the best of its ability. The added benefits all users will get far outweigh the drawbacks of having to take a little more care in presenting products. eBay has a reputation as a bare-bones site where bells and whistles are done away with in favor of efficiency and ease of use.

No need to worry, though, because the Product-Based Shopping Experience has given eBay a more organized, professional look while still maintaining the no-nonsense simplicity that makes it a great place to buy and sell. Both buyers and sellers have largely reported being pleased with the upgrades, and things will only get better as eBay continues the unveiling of its new features.

Make the Most of eBay Product-Based Shopping Experience

The recent (and ongoing) changes to eBay appear to be succeeding in making it a better site for all who use it. But it’s understandable that the complication of the listing process will be a source of frustration for sellers. For those who want to boost their sales on the new and improved eBay without sinking a lot of time into the project, Listing Mirror is an incredibly easy-to-use multi-channel sales service that helps sellers automate their product listings on eBay and many other similar sites. It’s a great option for sellers who want to make their presence felt on the ever-expanding and ever-changing slate of websites that help them reach customers. With Listing Mirror’s help, sellers can feel truly excited about the new potential of eBay.

Sell More. Work Less.

Erin Wawok

Erin is the Co-Founder of Listing Mirror.