EBay is to launch a fashion channel for branded goods, taking on rival etailers such as M and M Direct, JD Sports and Asos.
The site, at fashion.ebay.co.uk, is expected to launch in the next few months and will have the look and feel of a dedicated fashion site. It will have bespoke categories for fixed-price products, with clear branding and images.
EBay UK managing director Mark Lewis told the Retail Week Conference last week that the dedicated fashion site is part of the etailer’s move away from its traditional auction roots. Lewis said: “There will be richer branding and merchandising to make a store within a broader eBay store.”
He said the site will carry more product information than the traditional eBay site. Customers will be able to browse goods as they can on any other full-price etail site, rather than in traditional eBay listings.
Lewis said the change is about “segmenting the user experience”, which will suit different types of eBay customers. “A 30-year-old guy buying a DVD player has completely different needs from a 20- year-old woman looking for an outfit for a night out,” he said.
Fixed-price sales on eBay now account for 56% of the total, which grew 17% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Last year it launched the Outlet, which allows retailers such as Office, Schuh, Debenhams and Argos to use the traffic to eBay’s site to sell overstock.
EBay.com recently launched its first designer collaboration with US designer Narciso Rodriguez to sell an exclusive capsule collection.
Fashion etailer Asos has launched a new website, Asosfollowsfashion.com, which aggregates all Twitter activity relating to Asos fashion from insiders and commentators.
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