The goals
- To increase annual C2C GMV.
- To inspire buyers to apply the value of their past purchases towards items inline with their current consumer interests.
- To assign a tangible revenue and customer-centric purpose to the emerging technologies.
Cash in and Buy New
Sell your past purchases
My role
Concept co-creator and sole designer. Key 2015 Product track for C2C Selling Org.
2015 | eBay San Jose, CA
Context
From the very moment we acquire a consumer item, it embarks on a journey through its predictable lifecycle. Initially, it gleams with novelty and purpose, but over time, its shine fades. The frequency of use wanes, and wear and tear take their toll. Eventually, most consumer goods find themselves at a crossroads: their usefulness to the owner diminishes, yet they retain a strong market value.
Imagine the person who once cherished this item - they are likely already eyeing their next discretionary purchase, as a part of never ending consumer circle. But there lies an intriguing opportunity: to mine and to redirect the pre-owned item’s value back into the marketplace. Let’s call this “sell-cycling” where the new owner benefits from substantial costs savings, while the former paves way for their new acquisition. And eBay is one of the three winning sides with a tangible influx of reawakened C2C selling GMV.
Common lifecycle of consumer ownership where item’s subjective value (desirability) diminishing while market value remains considerable:
ML-assisted selection of past purchases whose current market value would approximate that of a new item on user’s eBay watch list. The user is then presented with a clear value proposition and an easy selling flow that would convert proceeds into a new purchase price.
With the perceived consumer value met, the projected eBay-facing benefits would unlock the new possibilities for key target metrics.
+
7%
annual C2C GMV uplift
+
+$108M
End Value Fees revenue
+
1.4M
new C2C sellers YoY
Highly personalized and engaging user-facing value proposition. The consumer appeal is drawn by specific item that the user had demonstrated interest in (watch list, browsing history, repeat page visits, sharing and bookmarking.
Simplified E2E experience
A compact and fast-moving user flow was most critical in retaining the momentum from the initial moment of engagement.
The impact.
This pilot had a direct influence on eBay’s product approach to lifetime spectrum of consumer value and to creation of sustainable marketplace ecosystem philosophy. It also had operational impact where product teams began to work as a part of larger, interconnected master plan to serve well-validated consumer needs in a much broader way.
The learnings: Clearly define the value.
Appeal to your user’s senses in the most effective way by presenting a relatable and desirable outcome. Invest all your product design acumen into ensuring that the end value is equal or greater than the effort you require from the user. The ultimate output for a product designer is Product itself.
Next: Sell it for me
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