When it comes to eBay and numbers, the figures tend to be on the large size. We recently announced that we ended the third quarter of the year with 3.4 million new buyers. That takes us up to 152 million active buyers, who have more than 800 million listings to choose from.
As head of user experience for eBay in Europe, I always make a beeline for the latest mobile numbers. Looking at eBay Inc’s suite of mobile apps, we’ve now had 282m downloads since 2008, the year the Apple App Store launched. On top of that, 7.3 million users joined us in Q3, which – to put this into context in the UK specifically – means an item is bought every second via the eBay app.
Mobile matters to me in my role because it presents an enormous challenge. eBay’s incredible choice and diversity, that combination of great value and the aspirational, allows us to inspire shoppers like no one else. But how do you combine all this choice and information with an engrossing and engaging experience, all within the confines of a smartphone screen?
Making this a reality is crucial, as what we’re seeing today in online retail is a new quest to combine functionality and ease of purchase with something that looks and feels beautiful. Customer-centred design is the key, and for eBay, this broadly covers three areas:
Always listening to both active and lapsed users
We run surveys to get the views of tens of thousands of users in any given market in one year. We also run trials in our labs that examine the impact of what might seem like small changes, such as where we put the box that tells you what price an item is. We supplement this with more in-depth buyer engagement sessions.
Focusing on every aspect of the user experience
The user experience of the eBay app covers so much, from where you land and where you register, to how we make checking out and buying as convenient as possible. We have dedicated experts owning each of these elements and continually running trials with our eBay users to make it the best it possibly can be.
Translating those customer needs into product prototypes that then get built
One aspect we’re focusing on is helping our smaller sellers know what it means to showcase an item. In the past, we were a warehouse of everything. We gave you a candle and said: “go and find what you’re looking for.” We still provide anything, from anyone, anywhere – only now, we’ll arm you with a flashlight and you’ll be surrounded by conveyer belts of the items you want. All in the palm of your hand.
Valerie Nygaard is senior director EU of buyer experience at eBay
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