Yes, you can write great descriptions, take stunning photographs, and optimize your product attributes - but to really succeed on online marketplaces, you need to pay extra to advertise. At least that seemed to be the message from eBay, Walmart, and Amazon in recent blog posts.
eBay published a post on December 22 where it listed enhancements it had rolled out to its "advertising solution portfolio" in 2023, including adding additional slots in search ("Campaigns can now appear in three additional premium placements on the search results page") and dynamic bidding ("eBay sellers can stay competitive in an ever-fluctuating market with automatic bid optimizations").
eBay also said it would expand availability of its Offsite Ads program, which is currently in closed beta testing. eBay said it had made great improvements to the program, which allows eBay sellers to promote their items on external channels, such as Google, to increase reach and sales.
Julie Klein, eBay Ads’ Director of Consumer Marketing, wrote: “Going into next year, I’m excited to build and scale on our seller education and in-person events; hearing directly from our sellers about how they’ve used Ads to grow their business and what can be improved on. Looking forward to a great 2024!”
Meanwhile, in a
December 20th blog post on Walmart, the retailer shared statistics to show how sellers benefited from advertising through its ad program, called Walmart Connect.
On average, return on ad spend (ROAS) grew by ~30% year over year for all Sponsored Search advertisers, Walmart said, adding that marketplace sellers see an average of 4:1 return on ad spend.
"This is the perfect time to continue your holiday momentum and capitalize on opportunities and events in the new year," it said, and Walmart advised sellers to stay tuned for more developments in the works.
The hot topic on Amazon is the addition of ads on its Prime Video streaming service (see this week's article in
the Verge, for example) - though the format is geared for brand advertisers. In a
November Amazon post, "
How Prime Video ads can help brands connect with audiences through premium streaming content," Amazon revealed that Prime Video shows and movies would begin including limited advertisements. Ads in Prime Video content will be introduced in the US, UK, Germany, and Canada, followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia.
Amazon said the ads would reach an estimated 115 million viewers on a monthly basis in the US - 84% of whom are Prime Video households who have shopped on Amazon in the past month. It also said Prime Video households are 25% more likely to have an annual household income greater than $150K than non-Prime Video households.
Naturally Amazon has more traditional ad solutions for marketplace sellers - including cost-per-click Sponsored Products ads.
Expect to see online marketplaces continue to push sellers to advertise more as it introduces more features - including some that take advantage of the latest trend, AI (artificial intelligence), to help sellers create and optimize their ad performance.
While many sellers welcome the opportunity to pay extra to get an edge over the competition, many others find ads annoying, making it more difficult to be seen in search and potentially driving shoppers away from their listings when rival ads appear on the page. But given how lucrative ads are for marketplaces, don't expect them to disappear anytime soon.
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eBay, Walmart, Amazon Tout Seller Ads for the New Year
by: Rexford 
by: COVID-19