September saw the debut of eBay Outlet, a section on the
eBay.co.uk home page dedicated to selling products from top-name
brands and large high-street retailers at discounted prices.
For the consumer, the addition to the site makes it easier to
locate clearance deals from well-known retailers. For the
retailer, it represents greater visibility among and exposure to
eBay’s 16 million monthly visitors. Launched with 13 partners,
including Littlewoods, Argos, and Morphy Richards, eBay Outlet is
looking to add more big names as it evolves during the coming
months.
The move is seen as another shift by eBay toward becoming an
online shopping mall. This time last year it overhauled its fee
structure to make it more attractive for large merchants to list
more of their items for sale. According to spokesperson Jenny
Thomas, the Outlet reflects the “changing face of
eBay”. Once solely known for its auction format, eBay now
reaps 51 percent of its sales from new, fixed-price products.
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