Fast 5 with Rebecca Newton

In this month’s Fast 5 segment, we chat to eBay’s Rebecca Newton – Head of Brand & Customer Acquisition, eBay Australia and NZ. Rebecca shares some of the purchasing habits to come out of Covid with a look into the Victorian market, noting some of the top purchased items including crafts which are up 229% year on year. We also look at what’s next for online shopping as Covid recedes and some of the changes to the role of marketing through the crisis.

What’s one thing that surprised you the most during Covid?

This year has been challenging for everyone – from isolation to the restriction in activities to cancelled plans. But it’s made us unite in our shared experiences and has brought us closer together.
At eBay, there’s been a conscious effort to ensure we are all checking in on each other and being open about the ups and downs of adjusting to working from home. Our senior leaders have been open and honest in sharing some of their challenges during this time and that’s led to better connection.

When it comes to marketing, the agility and flexibility the eBay Marketing Team showed in adapting our existing campaigns was absolutely tremendous. We took stock of what we had in market and adapted or made new ads – some within a week – such as new outdoor and TV creative.

What purchasing habits in your segment have changed due to Covid?

It’s no surprise that there’s been a real acceleration of e-commerce. The NAB Online Retail Sales Index showed online spending in July up a record 65% compared to the same time last year.
When it comes to eBay, people are shopping across all categories – over 90% of categories have seen significant growth.

We’re currently seeing a resurgence of people buying items that keep them entertained or occupied during restrictions – especially in Victoria. Some of the top items Victorians are buying include crafts (up 229% year-on-year), sporting items (up 109% year-on-year) and video games and consoles (up 148% year-on-year). And Victorians are clearly missing the pub with shoppers buying in barware (up 97% year-on-year) and air hockey tables (up nearly 3,000% year-on-year).

How enduring do you think the increased online purchasing behaviours will be as Covid recedes?

We expect online shopping will continue to grow. Right now on eBay we’re seeing continued acceleration in SA and WA despite those states having fewer restrictions.

For those who began online shopping at the start of lockdown, enough time has now passed for it to become a habit. Buyers have discovered the ease in shopping online – they can do it from the eBay app from the comfort and safety of home and have the convenience of having whatever they need delivered straight to their door. And with eBay Plus, they get free express delivery and returns – so shopping on eBay has never been more convenient.

For those 57% of retailers who still don’t have an online presence in Australia, we expect they’ll come to places like eBay to start their online journey. We help online businesses get more customers because we have more traffic than any other online shopping site.

What changes do you see the role of marketing for a business as we move through the COVID crisis?

eBay’s purpose is empowering economic opportunity for individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes. We connect millions of buyers and sellers from Australia and around the world. COVID-19 has shown it’s important for us to continue to remind shoppers that they can get what they need at great value from Australian retailers – and for sellers, we’re only a click away to access 11-million Aussie visitors every month.

This year we have increased our marketing investment – not only to assure buyers we have what they need but also to support our 40,000 Australian retailers.

What energises you outside of work in this current environment?

My partner recently gave birth to our daughter in February this year, just before lockdown happened. So being able to work from home and spend quality time as a new family has been really energising (and at times exhausting!) for me.