EBay Ads’ Home & Garden Research Helps Brands Capitalize on Seasonal Trends

The annual spring ritual of rethinking your garden or outdoor setup, sprucing up one’s decor, or refreshing one’s space with the changing seasons drives shoppers to their favorite ecommerce sites in droves. This leaves brands with immense opportunities to capitalize on sales, but a dilemma on how to stand out on increasingly competitive marketplace platforms. The answer lies in investing in advertising solutions and well-targeted ads. The breadth of advertising solutions at one’s disposal gives brands the opportunity to test and learn, finding the right mix to boost their business and increase sales of seasonal and trending items.

A recent shopper survey¹ from eBay Ads uncovered a trove of spring shopping trends, offering valuable insights into what shoppers are looking for while arming brands with the tools to connect with current and future customers.

eBay Ads’ survey shows shoppers are receptive to well-targeted ads that point to items fitting their needs. One in three people (37%) say they are likely to purchase a sponsored item during spring or summer this year.

As ecommerce and online marketplaces have boomed over the last few years, so have the solutions available to help brands achieve full-funnel goals, increase visibility of their products and drive sales velocity. Promoted Listings Advanced is a good example of an ad solution helping brands selling on eBay get their products in front of buyers searching for items like theirs. This solution offers brands premium placements across eBay’s search function through a cost-per-click model. Brands can have confidence in their ability to reach shoppers who are genuinely interested in their products as they take advantage of advertising solutions. In fact, brands see 50% more sales when using Promoted Listings Advanced, on average, compared to non-promoted items.²

From keywords to conversions

Even more promising is the correlation between search recommendations and completed purchases. The survey results show nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents say they are likely to view an item in their search results and then go on to purchase it when shopping on eBay. Powered by AI and ML, Promoted Listings Advanced  automatically generates real-time keyword suggestions to help brands achieve their goals. These suggested keywords are evaluated by how frequently they’ve been used in recent searches, how relevant those searches are to listings and likelihood to perform well in ad groups. Putting products in front of buyers who are looking for related items makes them more likely to complete the purchase.

Whether promoting an item or running a display campaign, relevance is key to ensuring your brand and products are in front of the right buyer at the right time.

Spring forward with warmer weather shopping trends

Diving deeper, the survey reveals a few trends in the types of items most appealing to spring rush shoppers. The most notable trend was the overwhelming desire to spend time outside as the warmer seasons approach, with 72% of respondents planning to spend significant time in their backyard or outdoor space this spring and summer. Specifically, the survey found that gardening supplies are the most sought-after item respondents are buying for their home and outdoor spaces this spring and summer—with more than half (57%) purchasing products such as turf, grass, plants, bulbs and seeds. As the warmer months come, there’s an opportunity for brands to drive more sales around Home & Garden.

Perks to drive sales

Apart from spring shopping trends that highlight what items shoppers are looking for, the survey revealed extra perks brands should consider providing customers to help make the sales. The top three perks that could influence a shoppers spring purchases on eBay are free shipping (55%), deals and coupons (51%), and unique items (43%), brands who take the initiative to have competitive listings with these components are sure to stand out.

While the idea of spring cleaning isn’t necessarily new to brands, it’s imperative that brands take advantage of the wave of potential buyers they can tap into. By utilizing the advertising tools at their disposal to reach buyers at every point in their shopping journey, brands put themselves at the front of the race to win over shoppers who are looking for the right items to complete their outdoor space. And by aligning the items they look to sell with these spring shopping trends, such as a demand for outdoor and gardening products, brands can be confident they’re fulfilling this demand as everyone prepares for warmer weather. 

Spring is in the air, and the journey from initial search to completed purchases for shoppers is best filled with advertisements informed by real-time search and shopping data. To learn more about eBay Ads’ recent home and garden survey, click here. 

¹ : Survey of 2,005 US consumers who own a garden and are aged 18+. Survey conducted between 3/24/23 - 3/30/23

² : eBay data, Sept 2022 - Feb 2023