We are pleased to announce the next session of our Open House Program where users get an opportunity to chat with the eBay India Team.
Join Rathin Lahiri, Head of Marketing for an online discussion on marketing initiatives of eBay India.
Rathin will discuss: --Efforts to get new buyers for our sellers --Other Marketing Initiatives and results --How can our buyers and sellers help eBay's marketing efforts --Your ideas and suggestions if any
Rathin will be available on this thread on Friday, the 3rd of November, 2006, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM IST, for an interactive discussion with our community members.
You can submit your questions before or during the event by making a post on this thread. Click Here for help on using the discussion boards.
See you on the 3rd at 5:00 PM!
Thanks and Regards, Rohit, Community Development Team
As usual it was very insightful for me to get a chance to interact with all of you . While it might take us time to act on all your ideas and suggestions you can rest assured that we will take each of your ideas into consideration . If any question have remained unanswered , either i or my team will get back to you . Happy ebaying !!
Here are a few tips for boptimising your shops and listings from a natural search perspective . Natural search refers to the listings which show up on left hand portion on google search . This helps you get free leads from active buyers who are looking for specific products .
Your Shop name / User id The Shop name you choose determines your Shop's web site address (URL), so choose a descriptive Shop name that tells buyers what you sell. This will also help Web search engines find your Shop when buyers are looking for the products you offer.
* Do not change your Shop name often
Shop Description
A Shop description helps increase the likelihood of appearing in search engines.
• Use keywords that people enter when searching for your products
• Be sure your description accurately represents the products in your Shop
• Use a Shop theme that includes your Shop description in the header
• Remember that the description should also be useful and meaningful to buyers visiting your shop, so it should be more than simply a list of search keywords.
* You should not change your description often, unless your Shop inventory (business) changes often. By changing a description often, search engines will not be able to index your page.
Custom Categories
Help buyers browse your virtual shelves-create and organize up to 300 categories and subcategories for your Shop. Be sure to use relevant, descriptive, specific and popular keywords in your custom category names.
As an example, if you offer laptops, desktops and printers in your Shop, clearly specify your product offering with custom categories. Search engines will not recognize generic terms such as Category 1, Category 2, Other etc.
* Do not change your Shop Categories often. This should be a one time set up when you are initially setting up your Shop, or when you significantly change the types of items you are selling.
View Item Page
Your item's title and description are your advertisement, an opportunity to both inform and excite buyers. Writing a good title and description will significantly increase your chances of your listing being found and sold.
Listing titles and descriptions provide valuable real estate for generating natural search-friendly content, and are critical to how search engines rank your page.
- Listing Title: Include 1-3 important keywords or keyword phrases in your listing title. This is not only a great SEO practice, but it also helps buyers find your products. Take advantage of the full length of the item title allowed; this is valuable real estate and information.
- Listing Description: Include at least 200 words of visible copy in your listing description, with the most important keyword phrases mentioned at the beginning and end. Remember to employ other content best practices, such as the frequent use of keywords where relevant and formatting (e.g., bolding, using font size on important titles and keywords)
• Describe the item. Don’t make the description generic.
• Avoid keyword spamming. While it is important to include relevant keywords (keywords that relate to the product being sold), overuse of the keywords will result in the search engines penalizing your listings and will reduce your exposure on the engines.
About Me Page/ About the Seller Page
Use the About Me page (About the Seller Page for Shop Sellers—same thing; different name when it appears within your Shop) to provide visible content about your business and products. Your About Me page is also a great place to include text links to your Shop, search results and specific promotions.
Note: Search engines generally cannot see images. Like your item descriptions, we recommend including plain text or HTML text that provides both prospective buyers and search engine crawlers information about your products and/or services. Content-Rich About Me pages perform well in Natural Search.
Custom Pages
Custom pages are a set of unique pages that you can create for your Shop to serve a variety purposes, such as showcase items and specials, explain shipping and return policies, describe the history of your business, and so forth.
Just as with your About Me page, Custom Pages can be a valuable tool in creating magnets for incremental buyer traffic through search engines. Consider creating content-rich custom pages that target specific product lines within your expertise.
I hope you will find the above helpful. If you have any questions on the above, please feel free to ask them on another thread and my team will be glad to answer them for you.
That is quite possibly a solution . The bigger challenge is to educate the buyer before he transacts . Like you suggested sellers can also play a role in educating buyers and we hope other sellers take it up.
While most of our transactions go smoothly , a few do run into problems and complaints are about those . We do have a buyer protection program wherin we reimburse upto Rs 50000 . One of our top priorities is to see that genuine buyers have a good buying experience and in 2007 we will pilot a few initiatives based on feedback received from members such as you .
I am sorry to hear that you had to face delays in PaisaPay transaction. However, I will like to give you some background on why at times PaisaPay transactions takes time to process.
For some PaisaPay credit card transactions, the team asks the buyers to send in certain verifiation. This is to ensure that payments are genuine thereby reducing chargeback risks for the seller.
Many a times, the delay occurs at the buyer's end who does not send relevant documents on time. Having said that, we are also continuously working at making the system faster for our users. Your continuous feedback will be help us make further improvements.
Also, you may dispatch the product to your buyer as soon as you receive PaisaPay confirmation. The money is dispatched to the seller on a weekly basis.
We have done a few top buyer meets and they are great forums for us to learn about buyer needs and problems . We havent thought of a new user meet before but it is a very good idea and we will definetly pilot it and see response !
Our buyer & also seller numbers have been growing quarter on quarter . So while there are more buyers there is increasingly greater competition from other sellers . One of the things for you to reflect on is how does the quality of your products match up to what the buyers can get from other online sellers and even offline outlets . While we are actively looking at simplyfying our user experience the ebay brand is here to stay .
At eBay India , we are constantly reviewing each of our policies after considering its impact on a variety of factors like sales , impact on buyers , sellers , community at large , other international sites , etc . Therefore we might seem a bit slow as there are multiple stakeholders and different points of view . However we are most interested in having a healthy business and a vibrant community and the beauty of ebay is that constantly improving and evolving
Our domestic and international buyer numbers for 2006 have been increasing quarter on quarter , but I agree we need to do a lot more to get even higher growth . Some of the initiatives for 2007 should help us do better going forward.
We are always open to ideas from anyone ! Wishing you a very prosperous 2007 .
We do have a large number of Indian affilates in our program , All you need is an Indian bank account with a bank which has a SWIFT code and while the payments are made in dollars , you will receive them in rupees .
I have forwarded your request to Amarjeet and his team is considering doing a revamp of the India export bazar page and I am sure he will consider your suggestion
we are also planning more marketing activities in 2007 to drive more international buyers and we hope you will see the benefits of this .
Sir do you think sometime you can upgrade us how e bays is doing marketing . and what's new on e bay ? So we can relate to e bay in a different dimension. Rakesh
Hello sir Loke you have a semenar in big city for seller. Why don't you have a semenar for buyer in big and small city.Infact i think in small city it will work better because they do not get these product. And for buyers because they feel scared buying online and sending payment. one main proble with new buyers are courier charges. Thanks rakesh
This is the most asked question to me - ) , and doing tv or other advertising is a matter of timing . Currently we are focused on getting users thro internet marketing only . But during Diwali we did take a few press ads in Bombay , Delhi & Bnagalore + took scrollers in CNN- IBN and it is a matter of time before we do mass advertising.
You are absolutely right in the first phase we have been focusing on getting new buyers but we are increasingly looking at repeat buyers too , which is why we have flash sales , diwali sales , cash back offer with ICICI bank etc .
Introducing gift coupons to stimulate both first time trial and repeat buying is an important element of our 2007 plans , and we hope to introduce it going forward .
There are 3 broad thrust areas to improve the consumer pull for ebay
1.Get more visitors ( potential buyers ) to the site
a.In 2006 we have tied up with yahoo / msn as their shopping channel partners to drive traffic on to our site . We also run banner campaigns on almost all leading websites in India .
b.We buy over 50000 keywords and you type any product that you are looking to buy on ebay and you will find ebay showing up .
c.We have periodically started doing marketing promos like the style diva etc to drive traffic to our site .
As a result , we are in pure traffic terms among the top 12 websites in India today . Also ,Our traffic has doubled over the past one year .
2.Improve our visitor to buyer conversion ratio
a.We have just completed a major testing of our home page to optimise conversions and there are host of other initiatives to improve the buyer ratios . In 2006 quarter on quarter our visitor to buyer ratios have increased every quarter .
3.Focus on building the image of ebay through consumer PR
a.We average over 3 press articles per day , most of them positive - ) and the ebay style diva was an example of creating our own event to drive traffic , transactions & pr .
The 2 big challenges for 2007 are :
1. Driving greater brand awareness & trials Advertising & Couponing / Trial vouchers are important elements
2. Improving our repeat buying rates . Having better quality inventory from sellers , handholding buyers if they have a problem and some gift coupons etc
Good evening, and welcome to our Open House Session. Today, we have Rathin Lahiri - Head of Marketing, with us, to interact with our members, and answer your queries.
Rathin will start off by replying to all the queries that have been posted in advance of the session. He will then move on to answering live questions.
You can post questions to Rathin by clicking on the "Post Reply" link at the top or bottom of the page. However, we request you to please restrict the questions to the topic of this Open House - how do we get new buyers to the platform?
Thanks and Regards,
Thanks and Regards, Rohit, Community Development Team
I am very disappointed with PayPaise Service, the Buyer was actually frustrated with the process, which he followed after buying the product, and PayPaise took a long time to process it, and after it was confirmed, it took still a week to reach me.
Other Example is, one buyer had purchased through Credit card on 25-Oct-06 and still his amount is under process, so how many days to wait for the Money, He is also got frustrated with the slow process of EBay.
Please do something with the Process, as I have decided not to use PayPaise from next Time.
I have some suggestions to build up quality buyers.
Some of the new buyers dont know buying procedures. Some blindly bid and end up with bad feedback and they will never come back. Or just to test the checkout they landup in unpaid case and lead to bitter experience. They will never come back.
Seller also should fairly treat, and allow them to cancel if they have purchased mistakenly (expecially 0 feedback cases). Also sellers should avoid negative feedbacks for unpaid cases having 0 feedbacks.
For 0 feedback cases, send them to remainders twice and if they dont pay, or if no responce seller should offer a cancel order first before making an unpaid strike, incase if they mistakenly purchased. First experience for a new buyer is very important. If seller build a good reputation buyers think twice about paying agian.
Demo purchase :
eBay should allow the new buyers(0 feedbacks) to have a demo purchase experience before they bid real item. eBay also can leave a good feedback just for 30 mins for the demo purchase, so that customer feel real buying and getting feedback points etc.
Another important suggestion is, always new sellers have creative ideas, it is because they want to sell a product competing with Powerful sellers(i mean the Power Selers ). eBay dont recognize and encourge them. So buyers always land up with unprofessional new sellers and bring bad name for eBay and they blame every one. Becuase anyone can open a user id and sell something, and run away with money easily (most of the reported cases : Mobile phones).
Today i wrote to Mr. Biren about recogonizing and encourgining new sellers, this can improve buying experience and eBay quality and trust will increase.
As a growing seller it is encouraging words for me.
If you really like to help, upcomming sellers having feedback score below 100, kindly help us in following ways. It is most difficult time in the eBay life.
1. Non Power Sellers having good feedback can be listed in a separately in group called "Outstanding New sellers" like "Popular eBay shops". The condition should be.
Mini Power Sellers standard:
A. Should be eBay member atleast from 3 months. B. Feedback score 10 and above (Less than 100, non-powersellers) C. 98% positive feedback score and above. D. 5 positive feedback scores in past month. E. Rs.1000 sales per month F. 5 active listing.
Buyer can identify good new sellers. Also new sellers will enjoy selling and they also maintain some standard to enter here same like Power Sellers. Later on when get 100 feedback score, they automatically become Power Sellers if they maintain standards.
With my experience most difficult part is getting feedback scores from 10-50, if you some how encourge them they will be potential power sellers for tomorrow.
In an over all result eBay standard will improve, and more and more buyer trust eBay and everyone enjoy shopping here.
Dear Mr. Rathin , I have a suggestion regarding feedback system on ebay . Most sellers eagerly wait for a positive feedback rating from thier customers which directly effect thier reputation and sales.Very often buyers do not care to leave feedback rating and efforts done by sellers towards the same go in vain . I suggest eBay can provide a positive rating from its side on all such deals after a suitable period like 2 months after completion of deal. I am sure whole ebay community will be very happy from this step. If required eBay can also generate some revenue by providing this service for a nominal fee .
I request support and suggestions from other eBay sellers also towards this important issue.
In the morning traffic, they announce traffic status every 5 mins, just before that if eBay advertise something you can reach them. BPO and Software company carry staff buy car or bus to work and companies bring them back home. All of the forced to listen to FM traffic news and the jokes by FM radio jacks. In Bangalore traffic jams almost every day, i dont know in other cities. Definitely it would reach them easily.
eBay should put advertisements in the Domestic Airport and International Airports, so that, upper middle class customers can be reached. Also Metro city bound Airconditioned trains can be targetted. What about printing eBay advertisements in the tickets of these passengers as well ? Sending SMS in Metro cities also a good way of reaching customers.
The slogon should be very attractice :
Are you looking for some special gifts ? - Check out www.eBay.in
Would you like to impress your loved one with gift ? - Check out www.eBay.in
NRI's are you missing India ? - Check out www.eBay.in
In the BPO, Software professional gathering can be targetted. There are so many entertainments provided by companies, eBay can reach there.
In Bangalore Tickets resturent complement coupons are given for free, eBay can print advertisement on it.
HI RATHIN LAHIRI, EBAY IS A GREAT SITE TO BUY & SELL ALMOST ANYTHING FROM PIN TO PEN, AS THE SAYING GOES. MY CONCERN IS, THAT WHENEVER I LIST MY ITEMS TO SHIP TO "WORLDWIDE", A). THE ITEMS ARE ONLY LISTED ON THE USA WEBSITE & NOT THE ENTIRE WORLD EBAY WEBSITES. B).THE FEES STRUCTURE IS VERY HIGH.THE INSERTION FEE SHOULD BE VERY NOMINAL, SO THAT EBAYERS IN INDIA CAN LIST THEIR ITEMS IN ABUNDUNCE. I THINK IT SHOULD BE Re.3.00.AS THE SAYING GOES " TAKE LESS GET MORE". PLEASE REVIEW MY REQUEST. THANKING YOU REGARDS.
Hi Sapna, plz clear ur term about "Unauthorised Copies". Since u r sister concern of world's no. 1 online shopping portal "EBAY.COM" its ur responsibility to clear ur term here rather then telling usere to go to other weblinks..
i noticed that u have removed negative feedback post(s). i was under impression that its a open house chat session.
Thanks for taking out time and posting in your thoughts on this discussion. While I saw some great points being made, I also came across some users who chose this forum to vent out their frustration instead of using it for constructive criticism.
eBay and its employees are open to constructive feedback, for this helps us make eBay a better place for you. However, you will also agree with me that this needs to be done while being courteous and respectful. Let us ensure that the debates on this forum are conducted without insults.
Also, to make the most of this discussion time, lets try and restrict the discussion to the topic. While the employee will be glad to help you in any manner, this might not be the most appropriate opportunity.
If someone is taking out time to visit the boards, let’s welcome them and give them a great stay, thereby giving them a reason to return back.
Regards, Sapana
P.S: I am removing posts that contain unwarranted comments or are off topic. Those members may re-post their views relevant to this discussion.
hi Mr Lahri, i have a complain about u r company i was deposite a cheque(no. 68512) favour of Mr bhasin dhruv amount is/2250 Rs dated 26/09/2006 still i didnt get any response about my product please take some needful action
Nice to see you again on boards. Diwali Offer was really great and had a lot of orders. Almost 90% sales from featured listings were successfull.
But I see a lot of buyers suffer with the delay in approving payments from PaisaPay team. This should be done fast though PaisaPay team is working all 7 days. This delay makes buyers not to come again.
Fresh buyers are always welcome. As Swarup suggested, special promotions like Cash back offers will certainly click. --------------- With Regards, Navaneeth (snrama)
Have u ever tried to read the concern of the ebay user. I found most of them are cheated, these guys either recieved a wrong item and worst case scenario that they havent recieved there goods. what i feel listening to such concern it will be a foolish act to pay for something untill and unless it is in u r hand and in working condition.
I think following steps are essential for ebay to survive/improve.
1. Reduce charges for high value sold items(i.e. more than 10k). Because as higher the price of product lesser the margins and that way people avoid listing their high value products.
For example for any high value product include paisapay charges + ebay charges + service tax then it comes to approx. 8-10% which is too high considering Indian competitive market.
In India the markets are open. one can easily inquire in market and get prices easily. For encouraging people to buy on internet is not easy except they get good bargain.
2. Some ebay seller list their product like Rs.1/= for product and Rs.450/= for shipping/couriers. This way they misguide people and finds unlawful priorities in search pages.
3. Advertisement on NEWSPAPER & TELEVISION. (This must start immediately before any other portal actively campaings that way.
4. Shop Inventory Items should be given equal priorities as regular listing in search pages.
5. Appointing Franchisee way like (Shaadi.com) has done by opening 'SHAADI Point' in major cities. That helps people to atleast know what it is, and helps educating people about net transactions.
6. Regular campaign like public display, banner on cross roads.
Many more.... I don't remember otherwise there are many.
Shall put some more later..
Anyway it's your choice. People are sticked to EBAY only unless they are having any better choice.
I am complete agree with sigmabazzar and nitro_fashon Last dewali I was not power seller and only about 60 item to sell Now I am power seller and more then 300 items for sale Last depawali at opening I shipped 32 item in 1 day when courier services is open And paid also good eBay fee too And then listing policy and gallery fee come in Now every day I pay about 100 items gallery fee but I never send that much item in a month what I send last depawali in 1 day to courier even after I have 5 times more item and less cost then last depawali Even after paying gallery fee I don’t pay that much one year ago at dewali EBay 5 limit in listing and gallery fee make my business 10% Either make gallery free of make multi listing up to 7 so we can list item in auction for duration of 7 days when we paying for gallery If I want to buy a watch I choose to go to rediff instead of eBay because in rediff every item is with gallery but in eBay? What item you can search in other site in 10 minute you need 1 hour in eBay Why? Because you charging gallery fee so slow selling or less profit item we can not select gallery so buyer have to open all non gallery page and before he can find item get BORE and close eBay. in wkae up before other site grow more then ebay and take advantage of ebay Weakness
Let me tell you about us, we wre a bunch of college students started selling in Baazee.com Dogtags !
We had 2 listings and single product !
We couldnt believe our eyes we were getting 20 orders a day for a single product, I remember Diwali of 2003 we sold close to a Lac Rupees for a single product satin shirt which we had launched for that diwali !
We thought we have found Utopia !
Then came eBay and our sales took a plunge!
Now we have more than 250 Products and close 1100 listings and aggressive marketing mailers offers and STILL just 20 orders a day !
Where have all the Buyers have gone ?,
And the number of Fraud Orders... Oh my god !!!
<div align="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="80%" id="AutoNumber1"> <tr> <td width="100%" bgcolor="#FFCC00">This is where ebay India is going wrong !
eBay India's to follow ebay.com US marketing technique in saturating the internet advertising doesnt work,
You need good ads like baazee had in TV coz only a fraction of people use internet daily !
The model of ecommerce of eBay ..like commit to buy, No Options to choose size, color etc doesnt work here !
I read multiple Bengali and English newspapers. I have never seen any eBay ads in newspaper, at least in some of the major ones from Kolkata that I follow. I think some Ads in the newspapers / TV, at least during the special promotions (like free shipping / ICICI or other Credit Card Cash back offers), will increase no. of buyers immensely. . Best Regards Swarup Kolkata
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