eBay pitches its Global 24/7 programme to boost Thai product sales across the world
eBay, a leader in international e-commerce, today (September 10) launched its Global 24/7 programme, designed specifically to help SMEs in Thailand and other markets across Southeast Asia to leverage its platform for global exports as the economy gradually enters a recovery phase from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The programme is available to any business entity that is new to eBay and wants to start a global online business by joining eBay’s marketplace of more than 182 million active buyers, the platform said.
“Global e-commerce is experiencing exponential growth due to a shift in consumer behaviour resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Tam Yong Sheng, head of Business Development, eBay Southeast Asia. “Thai SME exporters on our platform have seen a corresponding increase in sales, especially in categories such as vitamins and dietary supplements, guitars and bass parts and accessories, fine jewellery, motorcycle parts, and garden & outdoor living, where volumes have shown strong growth compared to the same period last year,” he added.
“This shows e-commerce is a key driver for SMEs, helping them to recover from the economic downturn. Our aspiration with the eBay Global 24/7 programme is to empower businesses by helping them move online more quickly and giving them the opportunity to participate in an international marketplace with approximately 1.5 billion live listings at any given time across 190 markets,” Sheng said.
According to eBay, the programme, which runs from now until December 31, 2020, offers new sellers a range of benefits, including:
• New business seller incentives: eBay will waive 100 per cent of eBay Store fees at the basic subscription tier and 50 per cent of fees for businesses to use the platform’s Promoted Listings to advertise their products. Total rebates for each seller can be as high as US$1,000 (Bt31,290 baht). These benefits will significantly reduce the costs for SMEs, allowing them to grow their businesses online.
• Educational webinars: eBay offers webinars for business owners to gain insights on cross-market selling opportunities on eBay, best practices to optimise listing rankings and visibility, and tips on developing a traffic generation plan for their virtual storefront.
• Free Access to Product Listing Tools worth up to $700: Sellers will have full access to Viewider, enabling easy store set-up on eBay and building on the strengths of their existing online selling channels. Those in the Automotive category will be entitled to additional listing assistance to map their items to eBay’s Master Vehicle List, enhancing visibility through eBay’s fitment finder. These tools will reduce the amount of manual work SMEs need to complete and accelerate their go-global journey.
• Special Offers from DHL Express: eBay sellers who register a new account with DHL Express will get a Bt500 discount voucher, an additional Bt300 when using the service at least once a month for three consecutive months, special shipping rates, 30-day credit (juristic persons), and the chance to collect more discounts every quarter with accumulated shipping with DHL First Promotion.
• Special offers from Fastship: eBay sellers can enjoy a 5 per cent discount when registering a new Fastship account at https://app.fastship.co/joinus/ebay2020 and completing a transaction via Fastship’s API called “eBay Feed”. Sellers can also enjoy a Bt300 discount by using the ebay300 discount code at checkout.
• Dedicated business development manager: Each business owner with more than 100 products listed on eBay will also be assigned a dedicated adviser, who offers personalised guidance and consultation to ensure the owners make the most of their online stores.
• Market intelligence: To help business owners make better-informed decisions and strategies, eBay offers local market intelligence reports for their specific product categories and industries.
In addition, recorded webinars and self-help tutorials are available at eBaySEAforbusiness.com/th.
SMEs operating an existing business that does not have an eBay account are eligible to apply for this programme.
To get started, they need to apply at eBaySEAforbusiness.com/th and follow the instructions that are provided in subsequent emails. The application period for the eBay Global 24/7 programme is from now until September 30.
Thai products sold on eBay
The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Canada were the top five export destination markets for Thai sellers on eBay in the first quarter of 2020.
Guitar and bass parts and accessories, vitamins and mineral supplements, fine earrings and rings, motorcycle parts, and plants, seeds & bulbs were among the leading items sold globally.
According to eBay, retail exports by Thai sellers on the platform for the first quarter show a strong growth trajectory year-on-year for the following "hot-selling" categories:
> Parts and accessories for guitars and basses saw a growth of roughly 38 per cent in the US market.
> Thai sellers recorded growth of 53 per cent in vitamin and mineral supplements to the UK.
> Thais also recorded massive growth of 98 per cent in vitamin and mineral supplement sales to Australia.
> Thailand’s trade with Germany for fine rings and fine earrings recorded more than 50 and 110 per cent growth, respectively.
> Sales to France, Italy and Spain of motorcycle parts and plants, seeds & bulbs grew 44 and 32 per cent, respectively.
