Online Seller Wales event on May 15th in Cardiff. - An eBay Seller’s Guide to Cassini Search - Amazon Repricer Inside and Out - How to Increase your Sales with Google Shopping Ads? - 7 Trust Tweaks For Profitable Online Selling

1. Cardiff Digital,
Cardiff County Hall
Thursday, 15th May2014
6:30pm
www.OnlineSellerWales.com

2. About OSW
• Aim to equip sellers with bite-size learning which
can be implemented immediately.
• Our topics include anything everything related with
online selling; from eBay, Amazon, Rakuten Play to
SEO, Email Marketing and Google Shopping Ads.
• If you feel the need for one of our events in your
area please get in touch
07518839629 or to ps@onlinesellerwales.com
PRABHAT SHAH
@day2dayeBay

3. Topics / Speakers

4. Topic: CROSS BORDER TRADE

6. Sorry Q & A only
at the end
Presentation to
be Emailed
Speakers: 25 Minutes Each

8. An eBay Seller’s Guide to Cassini Search
Dan Burnham
Head of Account Management

9. WHAT IS CASSINI?
• eBay’s new(ish) search engine built to replace Voyager which was 10 years old.
• 3 years in development.
• Development led by Hugh Williams – previously of Microsoft’s Bing.
• Biggest change to eBay search since 2008 – Time ending soonest to Best Match
• Now released globally on all eBay sites.

10. WHAT IS BEST MATCH?
Introduced in 2008, Best Match is eBay’s algorithm that
determines the order in which products are displayed in
search results.
Voyager Best Match was focused on conversion rates.
Products that sold most, relative to the number of times
they were viewed, rose to the top.
Conversion rate =
Cassini considers many more parameters than Voyager.
Impressions
Sales
>80%
of eBay users enter a
search query to find
products.

11. SEARCH: MENS SHIRTS
Step 2: Search Results
1
3
5
1
2 Description checkbox
3 Premium Listing
6
4 Price reduction
Item Specifics5
7
6
8
Category filter
Default search order
2
4
7
8
~3.3 million results
Listing type filter

12. WHERE ARE WE NOW?
50% drop in sales Cassini
search engine!
eBay VP Hugh
Williams resigns
eBay’s new Cassini
search engine causes
consternation
amongst sellers
eBay’s new search
engine Cassini--Epic fail.

13. EBAY’S GOALS FOR CASSINI?
Trust.
Shoppers should see listings that they
can trust, from sellers that are likely
to serve them well and to generate
return business for eBay and eBay
sellers.

14. EBAY’S GOALS FOR CASSINI?
Relevance.
Shoppers should quickly see the results
that they intend to see and/or want to
see, rather than having to dig through
results that don't matter to them.

15. EBAY’S GOALS FOR CASSINI?
Value.
Shoppers should always find that items
in their eBay search results represent a
good overall value.

16. EBAY’S GOALS FOR CASSINI?
Convenience.
Shoppers shouldn't have to work harder
than is necessary for a pleasant and
positive transaction, from the initial
search all the way through to
fulfilment.

17. TRUST

18. TRUST: PREMIUM SERVICE
PowerSeller:
•Registered as a business for at least 90 days
•Positive Feedback of 98% or higher
•Minimum sales of £1,000 per 12 months (UK and IE)
•At least 4.6 average across all 4 detailed seller ratings (DSRs)
•Less than 1% of transactions with low (1s or 2s) on Item as Described DSR
•Less than 2% on Communication, Dispatch time and P&P cost DSRs
•Less than 1% of transactions result in opened eBay and PayPal Buyer
Protection cases and less 0.3% of transactions result in closed cases without
seller resolution
Premium Service:
•A minimum returns period of 14 calendar days
•1-day or same-day dispatch.
•An express delivery option – offering delivery within 1 day.
•A free domestic delivery option.

19. TRUST: PREMIUM SERVICE
From August a new ‘Defect rate’ will be reflected in your evaluation cycle.
*This isn't a new measurement

20. TRUST: PREMIUM SERVICE
What is a Defect?
•DSRs of 1, 2 or 3 for item as described
•DSRs of 1 for dispatch time
•Negative or Neutral Feedback
•Returns for item not as described
•Transaction cancelled due to lack of stock
•eBay Money Back Guarantee or PayPal Buyer Protection cases
for item not as described or item not received*
* If an eBay Money Back Guarantee or PayPal Buyer Protection case opened for an item not as described or not received is resolved in your favour, this won’t count as a defect.

21. TRUST: PREMIUM SERVICE
Premium Service listings drive Impressions
Premium Service listings drive Clicks
Premium Service listings drive Conversions
Bad feedback now has an instant effect on all search placement
Best Practice:
•Respond to all negative feedback to try and get it removed.
•Respond promptly to all buyer enquiries and deal with them quickly
and efficiently.
•Deal with all eBay Money Back Guarantee or PayPal Buyer Protection
cases promptly.
Listings that meet the
new Premium Service
listing requirements
on average receive
85%
more visibility than
listings that don’t*
* Based on an eBay study of listings carried out between January and June 2013.

22. RELEVANCE

23. RELEVANCE: TITLES
Titles drive impressions
Titles drive clicks
Best Practice
• Use all 80 characters using relevant keywords like brand
name, size, colour, fabric, condition etc.
• Avoid the over-use of capitals and using words like
‘unusual’ or ‘L@@K’ and symbols such as ‘£’ or ‘%’.
• Make sure titles are coherent and not just a random set
of keywords.

24. RELEVANCE: DESCRIPTIONS
Descriptions drive impressions
Descriptions drive conversions
Best Practice
• Keep your descriptions simple. Avoid lots of code and
strip out aspects such as your policies, cross-selling
promotions, advertisements and widgets.
• Do include a complete description of your item. Don’t
repeat information already captured elsewhere.
• Don’t include Flash or other code. It makes the pages
slow and can compromise the display - particularly on
mobile devices.
In tests, modifying an html
styled listing to include a
short description at the
top, resulted in a
29%
increase in
impressions.

25. RELEVANCE: IMAGES
Images drive impressions
Images drive conversions
Best Practice
• Use high quality images 1600 pixels on the longest side
to make the most of zoom and enlarge.
• Use a plain background and don’t add text, logos,
borders or overlaid images to your pictures*.
• Include detailed pictures taken from different angles
and close-ups.
*Based on an eBay.com study (July 2012) that reviewed 6.8 million listings which resulted in 4.5% more sales over this period. **Watermarks can be used for copyright purposes.
An eBay study showed on
average that sellers who
list with 2 pictures are
7%
more likely to sell and are
3%
more likely to sell with
each additional picture
added to a listing*.

26. RELEVANCE: CATEGORIES & ITEM SPECIFICS
Well mapped attributes drive impressions
Well mapped attributes drive clicks
Well mapped attributes drive conversions
Best Practice
• Make sure you select the correct category to help make
it easier for buyers to find your item.
• Make sure you include the recommended item specifics.
• Use the recommended values for Item Specifics not your
own.
eBay state that
33%
of all purchases made on
their platform are now
‘touched’ by mobile as
part of the shopper
journey.

27. RELEVANCE: LISTING DURATION
Some sellers state that Cassini responds well to changes.
Best Practice
• Don’t use Good ‘til Cancelled.
• Try ending and relisting items.
Sellers have reported an
uplift in traffic of up to
49%
from simply revising old
listings.

28. VALUE

29. VALUE: PRICE
Price drive conversions
Best Practice
• Use features like the Seller Marketing Engine and Strike
Through Pricing to draw attention to an item’s value.
• Consider both an item’s price and the shipping costs.
80%
of listings over £15 in the
top 30 results for “Mens
Shirts” were Premium
Service listings.

30. VALUE: SUBTITLES
Subtitles drive clicks
Best Practice
• Should call out additional sales information such as
money off, free shipping etc.
• Don’t repeat information from the title.
*Based on an eBay.com study (July 2012) that reviewed 6.8 million listings which resulted in 4.5% more sales over this period. **Watermarks can be used for copyright purposes.
In tests, adding a subtitle
to an existing listing
showed an increase in
page views of
26%

31. CONVENIENCE

32. CONVENIENCE: SHIPPING
Fast delivery drives clicks
Fast delivery drives conversions
Fast & Free
Lets buyers know when a specific listing offers free postage and
will likely arrive within 3 business days.
• Icon visible in search results pages.
• Buyers look at the total price.
Click & Collect
Buyers can have items shipped to an Argos store for collection.
• Currently guaranteed by eBay against poor delivery DSRs.
• Sellers see an average of a 17% uplift in sales.
*Based on test on ebay.co.uk Feb-Mar 2013, in which 40% of buyers were exposed to listings with the FAST & FREE logo.
Converting listings to FAST
& FREE increases listing
conversion by an average
3%
with some sellers seeing
an increase in sales of up
to 14%*

33. CONVENIENCE: RETURNS
Buyers are more comfortable shopping with sellers who offer
returns and, from June 2014 a returns period of a minimum 14
days is required.
Best Practice
• State your returns policy clearly.
• Offer a returns period of more than 14 days.
• Ensure you are familiar with Returns and the Law.
• Be familiar with eBay’s Structured Returns & Managed
Returns policies.
63%
of online shoppers check a
seller’s returns policy
before even considering a
purchase.*
*2013 UPS survey

34. 1. Compete on price where possible
and draw attention to any savings.
2. Watch your Conversion rate and
relist/revise where possible.
3. Strive for Premium listings
wherever possible.
SUMMARY

35. THANK YOU

36. Who’s talking?
International Sales
Deepak Goyal
Let’s talk

37. Currencies Direct | All rights reserved 2014 ©
2
TOP TIP: If you source products from
overseas………
E-tailing
Let’s talk
$100
1.50
GBP/USD
Exchange rate
£66.67
Purchase
price
Cost price in
GBP
1.54 £64.93
Cost price
reduced by
2.6%!

38. Currencies Direct | All rights reserved 2014 ©
3
E-tailing
Let’s talk
TOP TIP
Ensure you achieve the best exchange rate for
overseas stock purchases to lower your input
costs
……..Don’t use your retail bank!

39. Currencies Direct | All rights reserved 2014 ©
4
E-tailing
Let’s talk
You might specify
payments to go to
your GBP bank
account in your
Seller Central
module
Amazon
Currency
Converter for
Sellers (ACCS)
will charge a
hidden 4%!
TOP TIP: If you sell or plan to sell on Amazon
international sites………….

40. Currencies Direct | All rights reserved 2014 ©
5
E-tailing
Let’s talk
Use a EUR collection
account instead
Avoid
Amazon’s
exchange rate
and save at
least 2%
TOP TIP: If you sell or plan to sell on Amazon
international sites………….

41. Currencies Direct | All rights reserved 2014 ©
6
E-tailing
Let’s talk
TOP TIP
If you sell on Amazon overseas markets, use a €
collection account to collect your funds
……..Don’t use Amazon to pay your Euros into your
GBP account!

42. Currencies Direct | All rights reserved 2014 ©
7
Thank you for
listening….
Let’s talk.
www.currenciesdirect.com/etailers

43. Click to edit Master subtitle style

62. 28th June – Bristol SATURDAY, Bright Pearl Office, New Bond House
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63. University of South Wales,
City Campus