eBay follows Amazon into fulfilment

In an announcement that we’ve been expecting for a while, eBay have announced that they’re launching a warehouse and shipping service for eBay merchants.

Whilst some may say that this is eBay trying to copy the phenomenally successful Fulfilled by Amazon proposition, there are some pretty fundamental differences:

Instead of building an empire of sheds and trucks, the main proposition here is one of collective bargaining.  eBay will use the bargaining position that comes with being one of the world’s biggest online marketplaces to negotiate discounts with logistics partners for warehousing, pick & pack and shipping services

According to quotes from Devin Wenig, CEO of eBay, ‘the service will let (sellers) fulfil orders placed on eBay or on other online platforms.’  So the service will be open for instance for sellers selling on Amazon

What’s also interesting is the messaging around the importance of eBay branded boxes, which will become a key offering within the ‘Managed Delivery’ programme.

‘If every eBay package showed up in an eBay box there would be millions everyday on people’s doorsteps,” Wenig told Business Insider in an interview.

This is eBay recognising the importance of delivery not just as a new revenue stream or way of taking control of fulfilment, but also as the final, and arguably most important, brand touch point.  By literally stamping their mark on the experience they hope to make the customer’s final impression of the brand a lasting and positive one that cements brand loyalty.

Watch Doddle’s Mike Richmond on CX in the last mile.