|
EcommerceBytes-Update, Number 170 - July 09, 2006 - ISSN 1528-6703
This & That: Online Auction Roundup
1) Great Brand Stories: eBay
By Ina Steiner
Reminder: AuctionBytes does not endorse the products and services featured in the "This & That" column, which often features new Web sites. (Anyone can set up a Web site.) Fraud has become widespread in the online auction world, and you should think twice before giving private information or User IDs and passwords to any third party.
********
Author Elen Lewis wrote to tell me about an eBay auction she ran last week. She's in the process of writing a book about eBay, "analyzing what makes it such a successful brand." She auctioned off a chapter and will write up the story of the winner in chapter seven of her book, "Great Brand Stories: eBay, the brand that taught millions of people to trust one another." Lewis' last book about the Swedish Furniture store Ikea ("Great Ikea, a brand for all the people") was listed in the top five business books of the year by the English newspaper The Times. The money raised from the auction goes to a charity called Book Aid International.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6067380515
2) eBay Live Videos
By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes was not the only one with a video camera at last month's eBay Live conference.
http://auctionbytes.com/cab/pages/tvguide_ebaylive2006
Mike Enos of PlatinumPowerseller published his eBay Live video interviews on his website.
http://www.platinumpowerseller.com/eBayLIVEVideo_mpire.php
And eBay videotaped several of the courses from eBay Live.
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200607051640212.html
3) eBay Video: Clarification Around 'Double Jeopardy'
By Ina Steiner
The Chatter newsletter, which is now a blog, has posted some clarification about eBay's new "double jeopardy" policy involving chargebacks. The clarification comes in the form of a video interview with Jennifer Hunt, Senior Manager of Seller Protections. This is an excellent use of video over the Internet, and I hope we'll see more of these videos from eBay and PayPal employees!
http://ebaychatter.typepad.com/the_chatter/2006/07/some_clarificat_1.html
4) About Me - About Us
By Ina Steiner
One of the most useful resources on online marketing is MarketingSherpa.com. A recent MarketingSherpa study shows that 5-7% of website homepage visitors click through to the "About Us" page. Shoppers who view that page convert at a rate 30% higher than shoppers who do not see that page. If that's true for websites, imagine how true it is for About Me pages on eBay. Lavish creative marketing on your About Me page and see if it makes a difference to your sales! The article is available for no charge through July 16, 2006.
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=28532#
|