According to chief marketing officer Eve Williams, eBay has over 20 million customers in the UK – but “there’s nothing more embarrassing than turning up on a social media channel and not knowing what to say”.
Talking to Shoptalk Europe as part of a discussion on the ‘Evolution of Marketing’, Williams spoke to Debbie Ellison, global chief digital officer of VMLY&R Commerce, about Love Island, handling data chaos and how to appeal to a ‘discerning’ Generation Z.
“We have the opportunity to speak to basically every household in the UK,” Williams said, highlighting that eBay spoke to many different communities.
“However, it is all about building relevance within those different groups, especially the fashion loving ’20-somethings’.”
“It’s about making sure that when you do use certain channels, you’re doing it in a really authentic and meaningful way,” she said.
“There’s nothing more embarrassing than turning up on a social media channel and not knowing what to say. The community there are going to be very discerning and call you out on it very quickly.”
READ MORE: Will Love Island bring success to the brands sponsoring the show?
Williams also touched on partnering with the English Football League (EFL), which gave the company the opportunity to “take over advertising in local football clubs.”
“Showing up in surprising places is just as important as having a presence in digital channels,” she emphasised.
According to Williams, appealing to consumers centres around understanding people’s nuances and what they do in their everyday lives.
“Panels of customers come into our offices at key points and we have conversations with them about what’s going on their lives – especially with the cost of living crisis at the moment.”
As part of eBay’s attempt to appeal to an ever-more distrusting Generation Z, the company’s collaboration with Love Island has been described as “driving a positive change in social behaviour”.
“Gen Z is an incredibly discerning generation who care deeply about the impact of climate change and responsibility when it comes to reducing waste and extending the life of products,” said Williams.
“Our partnership with Love Island is not about saying that everybody has to be wearing pre-loved clothes, head to toe every single day. It’s about recognising that we can make very small changes and that our behaviours are going to have a massive impact to the future.”
“The islanders will help normalise this attitude, which is ultimately what we want.”
Touching on data overload, Williams highlighted the importance of using consumer data ethically and efficiently.
“Through accessing data, it’s imperative that we make sure that we are speaking to our sellers and making sure that they’ve got the inventory. We also have to ensure that we’re servicing specific products and that we’re producing the best edits for them.”
“By recognising certain behaviours we can tailor content to them that helps and supports their experience,” she added.
“It’s our responsibility to make sure that we’re showing up with the right product at the right time.”
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