Does an eBay store and Listing template make a difference?

[JJWinst]

I thought I would start this discussion to see what people's views are. Tons of companies are offering store and listing templates which claim to increase sales by X amount and tie into your companies brand..

What do you think?

 

[Aileen B]

I don't use any template but I do have an eBay store. In my opinion having a responsive,accessible design with the key information made clear is more important than a fancy look, and what easier way to do that than have a text only listing. Sure, use bolding and underline to highlight key points if you must.
I don't think it's the most popular opinion though, especially amongst purveyors of such templates and store designs. Will be interesting to see the other side of the coin.

 

[Octa]

As a buyer I don't care too much about the template as long as, as said above, the information I need is clear.

 

[silvermusic]

A store is worth having, as for a template forget it, keep pages as simple as possible. the days of fancy expensive templates are over. There's no magic in them to increase sales despite what these firms will tell you, they're all getting very desperate nowadays. I get at least two or three of these emails everyday from people trawling eBay. I know that for a fact as the email address I use on eBay is specific only to ebay.

 

[David P]

A well designed storefront is a must IMO.

We also have a responsive listing template. I think it adds to your overall appearance of a professional seller, plus it allows us to increase buyer confidence by promoting our returns policy etc in a way different to just loads of text.
Making sure it is responsive is key. Mobile is so important nowadays.

I know there are some that feel plain text is the only way to go for listings. There were a lot of rumours that best match prefers it to ones with templates but it doesn't make sense to me and I have yet to see any evidence that it is the case.

 

[fisicx]

My wife buys loads of stuff of ebay using her iPad. People with templates and storefronts break her browsing pattern so she just ignores them.

Anythng you do that disturbs the buying process can have a negative effect.

And being responsive on ebay isn't enough, people use tablets and expect to be able to swipe images. Which most templates don't support.

 

[Simon.P]

yeah i agree with fisicx, i have looked at a bit of stuff lately where the templates dont work on Iphone, kindle etc and its whether i can be bothered to use the laptop or find someone who is selling the same item that i can actually read, decide and buy from the same device.

 

[fisicx]

That's exactly what my wife does. If someone has a store or template that doesn't work on her iPad she just goes and finds another seller. Even if it's a bit more expensive.

I needed a car part the other day and found the bit I wanted. I clicked on the image and landed on this appaling shop page. I went straight back to my search results and click the next seller. The buy it now price was OK, they had good feedback and were in the UK so they got my £5.39 not the bloke with the shop.

 

[David P]

From what I have been told you can't have a responsive storefront. I would be interested to know if this isn't correct.

And being responsive on ebay isn't enough, people use tablets and expect to be able to swipe images. Which most templates don't support.

Sorry but what do you mean by this? On mobile ebay has the pictures separate to the description (template) bit. You can swipe through these I believe.

 

[fisicx]

Use the ebay app on a tablet or a phone and you will see how the galleries and swipe gestures work. This is the layout people expect and how they are used to using ebay.

If your template or store doesn't replicate the layout and the gestures then you will alienate many prospective buyers.

I've just been brought some fuses form a seller with a massive shop. But because the look and feel of their shop replicates the ebay layout I didn't notice.

Usability and accessibility is a major part of the online buying experience so integrate rather than differentiate. If you want to PM me your shop URL I can take a look for you.

 

[Carl Feldman]

You'd have to visit the top selling results to see for your self. Just type in the keyword of what you want to sell see the top 3 sellers and see if they're using templates and if they are do the same.

 

[Carl Feldman]

Find success and copy!

 

[antp__]

As far as I am aware WidgetChimp is responsive on mobiles, tablets etc.
I have seen a few sellers on eBay using this now and when I check the listing on my mobile it works great.

However, to answer the original question. I don't care whether they have a nice fancy template. If it has the information I need i'll buy it. And from experience, spending a lot with Froo, our sales haven't increased due to the template. We have a few extra sales but i would rather put that down to business expanding.

 

[silvermusic]

One thing I would add that's not been mentioned is the way the standard descriptions on a product are being downgraded by eBay in their importance. Even on a desktop PC they've been running trials where people have to click on a link to see the description, much like the mobile version of the site. Item Specifics are becoming increasingly important for vital information, such as size, colour, model, etc. Given you can add your own freely this is something worth spending time on. I think I'm also right that words in the item specifics are included in the standard keyword search too; I'd need to verify that though.

 

[Chris34]

One thing I would add that's not been mentioned is the way the standard descriptions on a product are being downgraded by eBay in their importance. Even on a desktop PC they've been running trials where people have to click on a link to see the description, much like the mobile version of the site. Item Specifics are becoming increasingly important for vital information, such as size, colour, model, etc. Given you can add your own freely this is something worth spending time on. I think I'm also right that words in the item specifics are included in the standard keyword search too; I'd need to verify that though.

That's correct. The best sellers in my market tend to keyword stuff the item specifics. Any words in item specifics will get picked up in the main search.

I've also noticed them keyword stuffing the product variation details which also gets picked up in the main search. So somebody selling blue, red and yellow widgets would have three product variations for the buyer to select (red, blue and yellow) except instead of just putting 'red' 'blue' 'yellow' they put something like 'Gold Yellow Vintage Widget'. I don't know how much of a difference this makes but the ones at the top of search tend to do this.


Chris.

 

[Beautycoll Ltd]

For me, Your listing is your businesses virtual shop window! The more professional it looks the more sales it will generate. A branded template will generate more sales! I agree with other posts though, You must check that any template you use is mobile responsive.

 

[fisicx]

A branded template will generate more sales!

Do you have any evidence for this?

 

[Beautycoll Ltd]

Do you have any evidence for this?

Only from my own personal experience with my eBay account, I have traded for 10 years selling various products, I increased my sales by 10% using my current template, I must stress it does depend on what items you are selling! I can see templates could have an adverse effect as well.

 

[fisicx]

When you created your template did you use the same copy as before or did you rewrite the copy for the template?

 

[Novevan]

In my opinion, the most important thing is hot products, prices, quality for an eBay store.

Anyway, if you can design your store much beautiful and convenient.

That should be great!!