EBay told its sellers this week in its 2012 Spring Seller Update that a higher level of service increased active buyers to more than 100 million. What’s more is that customer service has proved to be a big enough bump for eBay’s business that they have introduced policies designed to reward eBay sellers that provide great service.
The move is clearly an effort to find better position with customers accustomed to the kind of service they get from Amazon.com and other top online retailers.
“Savvy online merchants understand that consumer expectations are evolving, and they are adapting to the world class services needed to compete,” eBay says in an overview of its 2012 Spring Seller Update.
The update provides policies for eBay sellers that will begin to take effect this spring and summer, including fee incentives to offer fast shipping and a minimum 14-day return policy, free product pictures, new protections against questionable feedback from buyers and the availability of Top-Rated Seller status to sellers with minimum annual sales of $1,000, down from $3,000.
The news comes on the heels of the National Retail Federation and auditing and advisory firm KPMG reporting that customer service strategies will be a top priority in 2012 for many companies.
