eBay bets big on live shopping

eBay is adding a live camera to its longtime auction formula.

The company’s livestream shopping push is gaining traction, with more shoppers tuning in to watch products get showcased, bid on, and sold in real time.

During its second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, the company said eBay Live’s gross merchandise volume (GMV) jumped ~8x year-over-year across seven markets, alongside increases in viewers, watch time, and items sold.

From listing to livestream

eBay Live, which involves sellers showing off products on video while buyers bid in real time, fits pretty naturally into the company’s longtime online marketplace for trading cards, sneakers, vintage goods, and other collectibles.

• Instead of relying on a handful of photos and a description assuring you that the 1998 Charizard is definitely in mint condition, sellers can show products in detail and manage bidding in real time.
• eBay last month moved beyond its invite-only model and launched Live for eligible sellers across 300+ categories, covering electronics, fashion, collectibles, and more.

eBay’s bet appears to be paying off

More than 90% of sellers who regularly stream on eBay Live have seen their GMV grow, according to the company.

• Sellers using Live also move ~3x more merchandise than those who don’t.
• On the buyer side, first-time shoppers in the collectibles category spend ~70% more through Live than their non-Live counterparts.

Zoom out: The concept of live shopping is in the process of moving beyond a niche trend and into a serious side category for retailers. Resale giant StockX recently introduced live-shopping capabilities, dedicated platform Whatnot (valued at $11 billion) continues to find success, while TikTok is reportedly testing a Prime-style paid membership for its popular TikTok Shop live-shopping service.