Do businesses really appreciate how important an eBay presence is to their e-commerce strategy?

The answer, until recently, has been no. But times are changing. Corporates, SME and sole traders alike are embracing eBay, accessing not only the 14 or so million active buyers in the UK, but also a massive international market.

The real problem up until now has been to do with skills, cost, and time. Has anyone really got resources to throw at setting up an entire business unit specifically for eBay? The answer generally is no. Most businesses will “dip their toes” first. Often it rapidly becomes clear that eBay represents a vast revenue stream. So where next? Well, to grow and scale really are the challenges that present most businesses with “blockers”. Moments where it really would be easier to “put on hold until we are ready” – I’ve seen this many times. I’ve also seen the same businesses 6 months or a year on panicing about being left behing. Consequently scrambling to change and making mistakes.

My advice to any corporate, SME or sole trader would be this – Include eBay into your e-commerce planning now. This is essential. eBay represents the largest on-line marketplace in the world. Correct planning allows you to establish and scale out an eBay operation complementary to existing e-commerce routes to market. Your next e-commerce planning session should have eBay on the agenda!