Promoted Listings Advanced

[katzrul15]

Have read thru this a couple of times.  

Will this mean that PLs as we know them now will essentially be worthless/not effective?

A little concerning as we use PLs quite a bit currently.  Not certain our budget can work for the PL Advanced or that I have a "daily" budget for PL Advanced?

Thoughts?  

How Promoted Listings AdvancedBETA works

Promoted Listings AdvancedBETA is based on a cost-per-click model. You start by deciding how much each keyword and click is worth to you. Next, you bid to target placements at the top of eBay search results. Top placements show your listings to buyers right when they’re looking for your items across all experiences on eBay, including desktop, mobile, and the eBay app.

With this new type of campaign, you’ll be able to:

• Bid for the top slot in search using keyword and budget controls, and pay per click.
• Select the keywords that matter to you.
• Set a daily budget for additional control.

To set up your first campaign, go to the Seller Hub Marketing tab. You can create a new campaign within the Advertising dashboard by following these simple steps:

1. Name your campaign.
2. Choose dates and a daily budget.
3. Name your Ad Group.
4. Add your listings and keywords to the Ad Group.
5. Select a maximum cost-per-click for the keywords, displayed as “CPC bids” in the tool.

Review your campaign after you complete these steps.

Top tips

• Use features like suggested keywords and bids to help you set up effective campaigns.
• Include high-quality listings in your campaign with complete and accurate item specifics and great photos for the best chance of gaining high visibility. In addition to your bid, factors including keyword relevancy, listing quality, competition, and daily budget determine whether your ad will appear in the number one position.
• Use the daily budget feature to manage your ad spend.

You can also use both Promoted Listings Standard and Advanced together to help achieve maximum visibility for your ad placements across the eBay network, and utilize both budget approaches for your ad spend.

Coming later this month—Promoted Listings AdvancedBETA

Starting at the end of this month, Promoted Listings AdvancedBETA will be available to all eligible Promoted Listings sellers. If you’re eligible, you’ll be able to opt in to Promoted Listings AdvancedBETA to start bidding for the highly coveted top spot in the search results, as soon as it’s accessible.

All existing Promoted Listings campaigns will automatically be renamed Promoted Listings Standard campaigns, without you having to do anything. The only changes will be to the name and attribution logic.

[katzrul15]

Our PLs are just dead.  Impressions way down - sales are gone. 

What is happening with PLS?  Did they kill it when Beta PLA launched???

[nuclearomen]

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@katzrul15 wrote:

Our PLs are just dead.  Impressions way down - sales are gone. 

What is happening with PLS?  Did they kill it when Beta PLA launched???

---

@katzrul15 it's due to the changes on how views are now counted @my-cottage-books-and-antiques  and @valueaddedresource can fill you in...basically expect views/impressions to be down as the new norm, by exactly how much will be the new norm not sure, we'll have to go 30 days in to see how the change has really effected impressions

[flyingmvp]

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@nuclearomen wrote:

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@katzrul15 wrote:

Our PLs are just dead.  Impressions way down - sales are gone. 

What is happening with PLS?  Did they kill it when Beta PLA launched???

---

@katzrul15 it's due to the changes on how views are now counted @my-cottage-books-and-antiques  and @valueaddedresource can fill you in...basically expect views/impressions to be down as the new norm, by exactly how much will be the new norm not sure, we'll have to go 30 days in to see how the change has really effected impressions

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The timing they elected for the launch of the Beta PLA is beyond comprehension, SMH...🤔

[coastaltechsolution]

@flyingmvp 

You mean 4th Q? 

[flyingmvp]

It is the beginning of the busiest shopping season of the year, which happens to be Q4,

Why "rock the boat" right now? 

[monster-deals]

Hey, remember back when PL was rolled out ebay told us it was us sellers that DEMANDED that our 20% discount went away so we could "promote" listings?

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

I'm not a fan of stuff being rolled out in Q4, but this was rolled out just in time for Q4, after ebay had been talking about it---and actually providing it to a limited number of sellers---for a while now. So, frankly, if I was one of those sellers who had been asking for this (and, yes, sellers wth the right business model and who understand/have experience with the CPC model, HAVE been asking for this)....I think I'd actually be unhappy if ebay announced that they will launch it next year. Sellers who know what they are doing with this will very possibly have a much better Q4 because of it. So for them, this isn't coming at a bad time, it's coming just in time to make money with it during the Holiday Season.

The tool isn't designed for my business model, so I don't care much one way or the other. But, while I don't think it's a real game changer, I've been waiting and waiting for ebay to add the new store features they've been talking and talking about, and we are now in Q4, and still waiting. Supposedly, they will be arriving "shortly", according to ebay's Seller Check In yesterday, but I wish they had launched when PLA did....(Frankly, they should have launched 5 or 10 years ago, but that's a whole other discussion) LOL

[katzrul15]

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@nuclearomen wrote:

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@katzrul15 wrote:

Our PLs are just dead.  Impressions way down - sales are gone. 

What is happening with PLS?  Did they kill it when Beta PLA launched???

---

@katzrul15 it's due to the changes on how views are now counted @my-cottage-books-and-antiques  and @valueaddedresource can fill you in...basically expect views/impressions to be down as the new norm, by exactly how much will be the new norm not sure, we'll have to go 30 days in to see how the change has really effected impressions

---

@nuclearomen 

Well, we are more than 30 days in.

It just keeps on getting worse each day. 

[nuclearomen]

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@katzrul15 wrote:

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@nuclearomen wrote:

---

@katzrul15 wrote:

Our PLs are just dead.  Impressions way down - sales are gone. 

What is happening with PLS?  Did they kill it when Beta PLA launched???

---

@katzrul15 it's due to the changes on how views are now counted @my-cottage-books-and-antiques  and @valueaddedresource can fill you in...basically expect views/impressions to be down as the new norm, by exactly how much will be the new norm not sure, we'll have to go 30 days in to see how the change has really effected impressions

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@nuclearomen 

Well, we are more than 30 days in.

It just keeps on getting worse each day. 

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@katzrul15 i don't have any answers, there is no right or wrong answer either. Because PLA is new and the effects it has on PLS, the changes ebay has made with way views are counted etc... site changes, category changes, category eliminations.... i don't know where to say issue specifically lays. I can tell you my PLS impressions and views are up, in fact they are way up, but sales are in the dirt...in fact, they went from in the dirt to drilling to china. Makes ZERO sense. 

There are only a few logical reasons, one being the economy and that people are looking, people are watching, but people are not buying as much. For me, my main item is vinyl and in past 2 months vinyl sales have went from really good to really horrible. Most of what I am selling isn't vinyl at all. To re-enforce this I ran sales, several of them for all vinyl and got only a handful of sales. I ran a 25% off sale and nothing, not one sale, not even from my repeat buyers. I however, ended the sale and then like hour later got a vinyl sale yesterday. This seems to happen when I run sales. Run a coupon sale especially it happens... like ebay cuts views or something off - even though that is ridiculous makes you wonder. 

Side note, sales on another platform I use have been descent - steady. It's on ebay they are getting worse. Weekends I use to generate anywhere from $200-$500 in sales F-S-S and into Monday - now lucky I break $100 in all those days combined. I suspect that is consistent with many other sellers experiences right now (not all of course, nothing is ever the same for all). 

You can try to raise your PLS elected rates and see if it sparks a higher volume of sales (if they are really bad, any sale would be an improvement). I raised all my elected rates few days ago by 1%, since 2 sales - so idk if it is doing anything or not at the moment to say it helped. The one thing I know for fact isn't anything about ebay, but Nov 1st was our glorious "presidents" deadline for vacs mandates and many people are facing loss of employment due to it. I need/like sales just as much as the next seller...but I understand that when people are facing if they eat or pay their rent/mortgage, car payments, credit card payments, keep electric on etc... they won't be making purchases. 

[katzrul15]

@nuclearomen 

Our sales elsewhere - really brisk.  FBA finally hit 100 in a day.  Buyers are shopping early for Christmas.

Impressions and views on here are way down from before PLA beta launch.  About 1/2 of normal traffic.  We did increase oyr campaign percentage with zero addirional results other than giving e-Bay more $$ if it sells.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@katzrul15 @nuclearomen  My dollar sales for the last 31 days are well above my sales for the previous 31 day period. BUT.....ought to be even higher, in my opinion. I doubt PLA itself has had any negative impact on my stuff. ( ebay might have created some sort of glitch while rolling it out...that sort of thing is always a possibility with ebay).  I agree that the economy is a consideration, too. I'm still hoping for a strong Q4, and I think it might happen.

When it comes to explanations for low sales, there are usually multiple reasons, not just one. One that concerns me is: ebay marketing.

Amazon, WalMart, Target, FM, etc...they are all aggressively trying to increase their share of the online market this Q4. But so are the many newer, smaller sites/apps that are more focused on traditional ebay strengths: used, vintage, etc. They see Q4 as the perfect time to really get their name out there, and , especially among younger buyers, they are probably better known than ebay. 

ebay has told us very little about its Q4 marketing plans, but so far it looks like ebay is concentrating on its Chosen Verticals (Sneakers, luxury handbags etc) with targeted marketing most of us never see. In my opinion, ebay really needs a big, bold marketing move to prove its still relevant beyond the Chosen Few....and if that's happening, I haven't seen any evidence for it.  The Covid economy is still in flux, but it seems likely that, in the USA at least, many people will be getting together for Christmas this year, not hunkering down with just immediate family. There are plenty of problems, rising prices, low inventory in stores, political concerns etc....but most people want to be HAPPY. And nostalgia and vintage are a big part of that at Christmas. And here's ebay, with a huge selection of the sort of stuff that brings Happy to people, but all ebay wants to talk about is high priced handbags and inflated trading card prices. 

Marketing wise, I suspect they are going to blow the biggest opportunity they have to re-establish themselves as top of mind for vintage and oddball stuff. 

I hope ebay proves me wrong. I hope they do some great Q4 marketing (even if its now rather late to start it).

But I'm not holding my breath.

[nuclearomen]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@katzrul15 @nuclearomen  My dollar sales for the last 31 days are well above my sales for the previous 31 day period. BUT.....ought to be even higher, in my opinion. I doubt PLA itself has had any negative impact on my stuff. ( ebay might have created some sort of glitch while rolling it out...that sort of thing is always a possibility with ebay).  I agree that the economy is a consideration, too. I'm still hoping for a strong Q4, and I think it might happen.

When it comes to explanations for low sales, there are usually multiple reasons, not just one. One that concerns me is: ebay marketing.

Amazon, WalMart, Target, FM, etc...they are all aggressively trying to increase their share of the online market this Q4. But so are the many newer, smaller sites/apps that are more focused on traditional ebay strengths: used, vintage, etc. They see Q4 as the perfect time to really get their name out there, and , especially among younger buyers, they are probably better known than ebay. 

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques  even if sales are going "good" for most sellers total sales are down, if you experienced 2x months of lower sales, but your sales are going OK, ebay will show your sales up 100-200-300 etc... % because it based off previous month or this time last year. Anyways... PLA's won't really effect small dollar sale items, IMO, because they don't much have justification to spend to promote through PLA, if the item is that cheap why bother? It is as discussed when this all implemented, some things will see sellers using PLA's other things won't...depends on item, price it generally goes for, and the quantity sellers have to move, and the demand of the item if sellers invest in a PLA campaign. I personally feel that's all OK and dandy, as most stuff I peddle wouldn't spend $ on PLA's...and I highly doubt any my competitors would either. The thing that worries me is not who uses them, it's how sales have been affected since they implemented it...and a good point is as you mentioned, if some kind glitch was created that hasn't been looked into or fixed...and no way for me to say...who knows, but it's possibility. 

Q4 on ebay will come out as they had a great Q and sales are up etc... that's the way it always is. They just released an announcement not long ago talking about sales figures. It's extremely hard to believe from reading the boards here, but just because fewer sales are happening doesn't mean sales for higher amounts aren't...really i don't pay attention, i worry about me/my sales, not ebay overall sales. The large retail stores are doing very well right now, part of that is due to people just wanting to get out of the house, another part is xmas season, while ebay says sales are going good due to people wanting to get stuff early, the same is true for retail stores, both online and in store. Special, limited stuff these stores are doing extremely well with sales online where you basically have to pre-order to get it. Me and my wife went few weeks ago to walmart, looking at xmas trees and said "well get that one soon"... week past and where there looked and wind up buying it then because they had 1 left and the other walmart here are sold out... just as example, that was 2-3 weeks ago. 

As far as all the covid stuff... even so, people will be doing holidays no matter what is "enforced" - people are sick of it, 9 states have already canned the mandate bull. But none the less, the issue remains supply, and where there is demand there is sales because are not waiting when things are hard to get currently. If they fix this issue of customs/at the ports we would be likely fine, in the meantime it's get what you can and get it fast as can. I know some stuff is near impossible to get, Lego is flying off shelfs, some of the sets are in very high demand and none to found...if you deal toys good place to be right now. 

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@nuclearomen "people will be doing holidays no matter"

That's my point. And I think a lot of those people are going to want to do it big and nostalgic, and old fashioned Christmas with all the trimmings! And ebay is well suited for that, with tons of vintage Christmas items, vintage toys and games, clothing, all sorts of stuff...and the stuff is here, not sitting just offshore. If Hallmark is "the Christmas channel" this time of year, ebay should be "the Christmas site"  

It's just a thought, more a dream really LOL

[hustlehub]

love it

[simply-the-best-for-you]

Zombie thread & although it's not that old, the landscape for PL's have changed substantially (or are in the process right now), so the info here may be dated.