eBay’s Always Open Gives Boost To Physical SMBs

As brick and mortar businesses of all sizes are struggling to stay open, eBay is aiming to aid their smaller “mom-and-pop” sized sellers with the roll-out of a new initiative called Always Open.

Focused on sellers who also operate a physical store front, the program is free but requires an eBay Stores subscription. Merchants that sign on will get eBay branding for Always Open store windows, additional support from eBay staff and promotion on eBay’s new Always Open landing page.

“If they’re winning, we’re winning,” Bob Kupbens, eBay’s vice president of global trust and seller experience, noted about Always Open and the brands they are targeting.

Being well placed on eBay’s site is a big deal for small players, particularly as January 2018 led the year off with the news that 2017 had been the biggest year for announced store closings in U.S. history — a situation made even more surprising considering the high employment levels and relative stock market prosperity that were both in place last year. There is a lot of responsibility to go around as to why that happened, though online shopping and the so-called “Amazon effect” are both frequently named culprits.

This move follows the launch of an economic development program eBay began in January to work with local sellers in Akron, Ohio.

eBay is not alone — Amazon, the physical retail serial killer, for example, is also pushing its relationships with mom-and-pop operations through its Prime Now app as well as through programs like Launchpad and Amazon Exclusives.

eBay began piloting Always Open with 30 retail stores in New York and San Francisco in mid-December. The program’s page currently includes the Brooklyn antique furniture seller cityFoundry, which listed a $38,000 Danish folk art angel wall sculpture.  Exciting, sure, but not overly practical.

But as of yesterday, eBay opened up for tens of thousands of U.S. retailers on its site who also operate storefronts.

eBay employees will work with Always Open sellers to help them make their listings as effective as possible on the site, providing advice on online search, photography and other areas. Always Open members will also get an early chance to redesign their digital store fronts slightly ahead of other eBay merchants later this year.

“Their ability to highlight their inventory to a broader set of customers, and optimize it for online, encourages them to stay open,” one eBay exec noted, according to cNet.