In 2022, e-commerce giant eBay was on a mission to establish new, effective communication channels with their top sellers in Australia. Local sellers felt unheard, forgotten, and taken for granted. The connection between the marketplace and its sellers had collapsed, and our task was to help eBay rebuild it. DEPT® teamed up to change the perception of eBay amongst sellers from a ‘faceless brand’ into real people who are here to help them.
Building connections
Together we created a traveling forum that brought eBay and their sellers face to face, to help solve problems and create real connections.
We hit the road together to let sellers know that eBay is “All Ears”. This bold step out of the norm showed sellers that eBay is willing to go above and beyond to build a better eBay experience for sellers.
Changing perceptions within the eBay community, at the Roadshow and beyond
The Roadshow visited eBay seller communities across the country, connecting sellers to the real people behind eBay Australia. They were able to form personal relationships and collaborate on solutions to everyday challenges. Sellers saw how together they can develop a vision of a better eBay, reinforcing that eBay is the platform for sellers, built by sellers.
We welcomed sellers in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane to a content-loaded event designed to help them with everything eBay. DEPT® helped launch the jam-packed event with tailored workshops and activations curated by sellers, a ‘family feast’ style lunch, and capped off with an hour-long Q&A where sellers could get direct answers from eBay Director of Selling, Neil Mackay, and the Seller Panel.
We prioritised a cohesive experience at each Roadshow event. We liaised with printers to maintain consistent branding across all signage and digital materials. eBay’s heritage logo and colors were featured throughout the signage, reinforcing eBay’s identity and presence.
Our design philosophy aimed for an ‘in the round’ atmosphere, where sellers and eBay were on the same level. Even with minor changes between each venue, this fostered a uniform and engaging environment for attendees.
Helping eBay reach over 20,000 sellers on their platform
Over 300 sellers joined us across the four events to meet with eBay staff, attend the workshops, and enjoy the atmosphere. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with 93% of sellers saying they’d attend again.
Our aim was to rekindle a positive relationship between eBay and their seller community. Sellers reported a 31% increase in community connectedness and a 28% increase in belief in eBay, with the post-event survey showing 90% of sellers rated eBay 3+ out of 5. The Roadshow’s success stretched beyond the event: eBay reached over 20,000 sellers across their platforms.
Questions?
General Manager of Creative & Content AU
Jessica White
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