eBay’s growth forces it to rethink site search

As sales transactions on eBay continue to surge, the online trading site is planning to present more product categories while going deeper into existing hot categories like computers, motor vehicles and consumer electronics. But growth is also forcing it to build significant improvements into its site search function, Jeff Jordan, senior vice president and general manager of eBay U.S., tells InternetRetailer.com.

“We have significant and unique characteristics that make site search extremely important,” Jordan says. For example, he adds, its search function must be able to accommodate a huge number of products while operating within the time constraints of auctions, enabling shoppers to find what they need quickly before the searched-for item is auctioned off.

For its third quarter ended Sept. 30, eBay transacted a record $3.77 billion in gross merchandise sales, up 60% from $2.36 billion in the year-ago period. The company transacts about $40 million in sales daily.

That growth is expected to continue as eBay builds up more categories in such areas as jewelry, restaurant equipment, agricultural equipment and printing products, Jordan says. He adds that eBay is seeing large increases in the amount of overstock products sold directly by retailers and manufacturers. In addition, eBay is planning to launch a November TV and print advertising campaign to increase business among consumers who may not yet be aware of how eBay operates.

By the time that ad campaign gets into full swing, Jordan notes, eBay expects to have a more effective site search function in place.