The holiday season has always been a perfect opportunity for any eBay seller to create a runaway success. While preparing for this biggest retail moment can be both challenging and time-consuming, it’s truly a game changer in deciding whether you can boost your eBay holiday sales.
With the ongoing tough competition, eBay merchants have to go above and beyond to secure this chance. But what to do to make the most out of the festive miracle?
Let’s now wait no more and discuss the matter deeper!
The Effects of eBay Holiday Sales for Sellers
With eBay being one of the best selling platforms in the market, eBay holiday sales volume surely has significant effects on e-sellers, especially the profit levels throughout the year. According to the eBay community, the slowest months for individuals who sell on eBay are from April to September, and the most prominent ones are October, November, and December.
When selling on eBay, e-sellers may want to pay the most attention to December while they are in the festive months. A misleading statement is that the best holiday sales on eBay occur in November or even earlier in October.
Nonetheless, this is far from the truth, reported by Forbes. In fact, December releases the highest sales rates annually, and seasonal variations, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the eroding confidence of shoppers have determined the estimation.
But keep in mind you must set up the planning phase at least 4 weeks in advance to gain an increase in eBay holiday sales. Throughout the period, ensure that the product checkups, inventory management, and holiday advertising campaigns on eBay get taken care of. Besides, don’t forget about the holiday payment system and shop ratings as well!
During these festive hustle months, eBay has also updated its latest Holiday Shipping Guide. Should you be new on eBay, remember to consult the instructions as you kick it off to make the most out of the selling opportunities as well as the benefits of eBay.
A topic that’s worth reading also: How to Increase eBay sales
Remarkable Dates for eBay Holiday Sales
One of the simple ways to level up your eBay holiday sales when selling on this top marketplace is the timely release. The most “profitable” dates are Halloween, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas Eve, and End of Year sales. Let’s now discuss why these occasions are the best ones to implement holiday sales ideas for eBay.
1. Halloween
There is a reason why many of the best holiday marketing campaigns on eBay take place on remarkable dates in the festive season. Believe it or not, people are expected to make 10.6 billion USD, according to Statista’s report. Halloween is now not so scary, isn’t it?
This upcoming Halloween is definitely an excellent time to increase eBay holiday sales with items:
- Costumes;
- Masks;
- Home decorative;
- Sculptures.
Apart from eBay, Amazon is incredible as your additional selling channel, and Etsy holiday sales are a great selling opportunity if you are in the craft and handmade sector.
2. Black Friday
Black Friday is next on our list of remarkable dates during this festive season.
More statistics on Black Friday in 2024:
- Online traffic came from mobile devices contributed 74.17% of the total;
- The portion of cart abandonment on Black Friday 2024 was 77.74%;
- Most items went Add-to-cart at 12.00;
- The peak hour of Black Friday was 10.00;
- Online traffic rocketed by 35.28% overnight;
- The dominant sections in cart abandonment were Airline and High-end fashion.
Although Black Friday is among the most driven days to expand eBay holiday sales throughout the year, e-sellers still face severe risks of cart abandonment. That’s a reason to set up carefully for your eBay Black Friday to increase eBay sales.
3. Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday is the first Monday right after Thanksgiving. In comparison with Black Friday, Cyber Monday’s origin is much more recent (the 1950s vs 2005).
Nevertheless, Cyber Monday and Black Friday are quite similar to one another, according to economists’ perspectives. It is not surprising as every buyer looks for their eBay deal of the day on such dates.
In 2024, Cyber Monday got some impressive numbers, which include 10.8 billion USD in retail, 1 trillion shop visits via shopping sites, and 205 billion USD spent on the holiday season (according to Adobe).
Also, holiday selling tips for eBay can be paying close attention to what you sell. It can immensely affect your eBay holiday sales profit on Cyber Monday. So, which item to list on eBay for this occasion? Here are some recommendations on what sells best on eBay during the holiday.
- PCs or laptops;
- Garments;
- Streaming services;
- Educational software;
- Online subscriptions;
- Traveling-related items.
Lastly, maximize your sales during peak holiday seasons, it’s crucial to have well-optimized listings. Learn how to create compelling and effective listings that attract buyers in our guide on how to promote eBay listing in 5 detailed steps.
4. Christmas Eve
The fourth significant occasion giving you a chance to level up your eBay holiday sales volume is Christmas Eve. Looking at the figures collected, we estimate the spending of Americans solely on this occasion is about 1000 USD. Astonishing as it may sound, 65% of Americans’ holiday expenditure is for gift purchasing.
Additionally, the key figures on Christmas annually are as follows:
- During the Christmas season, up to 96% of Americans search for and purchase presents for their family members.
- The age range of 45 to 54 spends the most on Christmas shopping sprees.
- Approximately 57% of Americans shop online.
- 43% of shops on marketplaces begin their Christmas promotion at the end of October.
You will probably go against the fiercest competition during this holiday on any selling channel. To secure and improve your chances of achieving aimed eBay holiday sales, you’d better set up the best eBay Christmas promotion plans with all the product and holiday marketing checklists.
5. End of Year sale
The End of Year sale is not as prominent as Christmas, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday. Throughout this period of the eBay holiday season, e-sellers on this marketplace are advised to focus on their garments and accessories sections.
After Christmas, consumers would mainly search for and purchase items among the following:
- Women/ men’s jackets;
- Watches;
- Smartphones;
- Kindles;
- Women’s bags and clutches;
- Video games.
Especially, at the End of Year sales, try to embrace your New Year’s marketing ideas on eBay and prepare for the next quarter of January to March. You would then enter the slowest periods from April to September and repeat the cycle.
During peak holiday seasons, offering Best Offers can be a strategic way to attract more buyers and increase your sales. Learn how to effectively utilize Best Offers in your listings in our guide on eBay Best Offer Tips: The Success Guide for Seller.
Guide to Sell on eBay Effectively on Holiday Seasons.
Following our remarkable days happening in the festive season, why don’t we dig a bit further into tips to boost eBay holiday sales?
Increasing sales volume can occur from every online interaction you have with e-consumers. Thus, invest and embrace these four factors: product images, product description, seller rating, and sales channel expansion.
1. Product images
Our brain is capable of processing images 60000 times faster compared to text. Then why add a poor-quality product?
It is not wrong to state that a picture is worth 1000 words. They provoke buyers’ curiosity, emotions, and potential purchase intention. Not to mention, writing convincing descriptions but uploading unclear product images would lead your business to a lower position against competitors rather than enhancing your eBay holiday sales levels.
As you launch your campaigns or new products in the festive season, use your product images as collateral to support the overall marketing performance.
2. Product descriptions
A well-written product description is more beneficial for increasing eBay holiday sales revenue than you may estimate. As a matter of fact, Nielsen Norman Group has conducted research on eCommerce shoppers’ experience and found essential figures. About 20% of failed purchase comes from irrelevant or poor information in the product description.
One fine example of the product describing lines should at least contain:
- Every relevant detail in brief;
- Benefits for customers;
- The story behind (if available);
- Keywords that can get better ranking chances on eBay.
Depending on your products, choose the most suitable tone with no exaggeration. However, don’t forget to add powerful terms to optimize your eBay SEO and entice customers to your online shopfront. Adding to that, remember to include how you ship your items on eBay and never copy product descriptions on the Internet, or worse – your competitors.
3. Seller rating
Here is one factor having a huge impact on your eBay holiday promotion. The rating and feedback coming back positive represent your performance, whether on eBay or other selling channels.
With the support of an optimistic seller rating, you can then gain more customers’ trust, loyalty, and purchase rate. Adding to this, high seller ratings can improve your position against competitors and definitely the eBay holiday sales revenue.
If you are new on eBay, there are a few things to acknowledge, which are discussed in depth through our topic on eBay product reviews. Besides that, keeping your prices affordable is also a good strategy to get a high seller rating, providing that you are in good control of your eBay selling fees.
4. Expand to other sales channels
In spite of the enormous traffic amount on eBay, with more than 159 million active users, we don’t see a reason holding e-sellers back from expanding to other sales channels. The biggest advantage of going multichannel selling is gaining the opportunity to double, triple, or even quadruple the current profit level.
As a result, expanding to other selling sites like eBay surely gives you a great chance to increase either your eBay holiday sales or daily ones. Among the top marketplaces for selling products, Amazon vs eBay and Etsy vs eBay are some integrations you should not miss.
eBay Holiday Marketing Tips
One of our last sections is devoted to revealing all eBay holiday marketing tips for online business owners. Especially, this one is certainly a must-check part because it will leak the holiday promotion ideas for small businesses!
1. Social media promotion
Social media is currently effective in drawing the attention of thousands of millennials in this era. According to news sources, a digital consumer spends approximately 2.5 hours per day on social media. Hence, any platform can be your major channel for delivering holiday season marketing campaigns for eBay.
As you carry out eBay holiday marketing ideas on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, learn to master supportive tools.
In addition, trends and hashtags are key factors for social platforms. Combining appropriate materials (images, trends, hashtags, content, etc.) may not only increase eBay holiday sales but also gain you a fortune for successful campaigns.
2. Special offers for loyal customers
Aside from conducting holiday social media marketing for eBay, don’t forget to show appreciation for loyal customers via special offers during this festive season. Holidays are perfect times to let your customers know they have exclusive discounts awaiting.
This marketing movement can be delivered through email marketing or a brief eBay holiday message. Offering loyal customers private discounts and coupon codes enables businesses to strengthen their relationships and work like a charm toward boosting eBay holiday sales.
3. Flash Sale
Flash sales, as among eBay holiday promotion ideas, have gained a certain fan base on every online marketplace.
Planning flash sales of adequate frequencies is helpful as they raise the excitement and the fear of missing the hot deal. Keeping your customers waiting for a bit longer with tough competition for the best deals will perform incredibly in pushing up holiday sales volumes.
4. Referral programs
Referral programs are fact-checked for their effectiveness. Statistics have said that referral marketing is 3 to 5 times more successful than other channels. They also detect the results that referral programs can bring back greater margin profit levels (25%), more loyal customers (18%), and referred shoppers will continue to refer others (4 times).
From these numbers, expanding eBay holiday sales revenue is now achievable even for new e-sellers on the marketplace. With a nicely constructed referral program, you will be one step closer to approaching a much larger audience and numerous potential customers.
5. Add countdown timer
What time does Black Friday start on eBay? When will it end?
Let e-shoppers know about the time within which your flash sales would take place. Adding a countdown timer is likely to create a sense of urgency among customers. This is by far a potent holiday marketing strategy to increase sales for eBay stores.
The period of your deals should not last for too long. What explains it is the eroding desire. Since the longer a customer spends deciding whether to buy or not, the lower chance of their purchase becomes.
Providing a timer with limited slots during discounts would work miraculously to boost your eBay holiday sales. The steps to add a countdown timer properly are:
- Choose a product in increasingly high demand;
- Set a starting and ending time for super discounts;
- Create additional incentives for the 20 or 50 fastest customers (free shipping, extra coupons, etc.);
- Promote the deal and trigger a sense of FOMO;
- Let the flash sales begin, and enjoy.
Let’s Go Multichannel Selling with LitCommerce
This holiday season is absolutely ideal for leveraging your business potential to its fullest with the LitCommerce Multichannel Selling Tool. Once you have gone multichannel-selling with LitCommerce, all you’ve got on your plate and then boosting sales throughout the period, enhancing products’ quality, and increasing brand identity.
It is because, with LitCommerce, business owners can now:
- Connect their stores to the world’s most famous marketplaces and eCommerce platforms;
- Manage all data from one central spot;
- Stay tuned with real-time synchronization and inventory management across selling channels.
What’s more, you are not alone during the holiday season, as we are reachable via our 24/7 customer service team. You will also find more valuable information regarding marketing tips and business growth hacks in our Retailer Blog and Facebook community.
