EBay to woo high-spending customers with mail pack push

by Staff, Brand Republic 22-Oct-08, 14:15

LONDON - EBay is running a direct marketing campaign to alert regular users to recent site enhancements and the increased number of 'Buy it now' items now available on-site.

The campaign has been created by Tullo Marshall Warren and includes a direct mail pack, on-site marketing and email.

The target audiences are people who regularly spend significant sums of money on eBay. They will receive a mailpack based on the theme of 'Guess What?', designed to inspire curiosity and excitement. A select group will also be given an incentive of a £5 saving on postage when they spend more than £10 by quoting a redemption code.

Laura Ohrman, account director at TMW, said: "The majority of eBay's communications are online, so using the offline channel gives eBay the opportunity to gain cut-through with their top buyers, as it brings an element of surprise. It's great to see eBay push the boundaries and produce a pack that uses a raft of dynamic technologies to demonstrate that it values its top customers."

There have been criticisms that encouraging more traders to use the 'Buy it now' option instead of running auctions will change the nature of eBay and make it less unique in online retailing.

In response, eBay has stressed that auctions are still at the heart of its business.