Impact Highlights
Case Study
eBay
Im pact Highlights
• Determined customer motivatio
ns and identified the issues
and frustrations encountered w hile on the site.
• Revealed that a high percentag e of activity comes from
the first page of search results, indicating that eBay must
get the most relevant results to users sooner.
• Discovered shoppers wanted more and better-quality photos,
prompting the company to proactively address the issue.
“Keynote is playing a
About eBay
shopping for gifts, home remodeling
critical role in helping
projects or simply browsing for fun?
eBay is The World’s Online
Moreover, it needed to identify the
us understand the
Marketplace®. Founded in 1995,
issues and frustrations these buyers
needs of our buyers and
eBay created a powerful platform for encounter while on the Home &
the sale of goods and services by a
drive conversion rates.”
Garden site.
passionate community of individuals
John McDonald, Director of
and businesses. On any given day,
“We wondered if it was difficult for
Home & Garden, eBay
there are millions of items across
buyers to get to the right products in
thousands of categories for sale on
this category,” says Jeannie Reeth,
eBay. One of the company’s newest
Senior Category Manager of Home &
marketplaces is eBay Home &
Garden at eBay. “We wanted to see
Garden, which attracts more unique
how people were using our search
visitors than any other home-related tools and moving through the site and
site on the Internet. There are
in order to determine where exactly
900,000 listings at any given time
they were running into problems. The
and 160,000 new listings on any
idea was to understand why some
given day on eBay Home & Garden.
people were successful and others
weren’t so we could apply the right
eBay’s Challenge
recipe to everyone.”
eBay had many theories about who
The Keynote Solution
was coming to its newly launched
home decor category and how easily The eBay evaluation involved
these visitors were finding—or not
intercepting users on the eBay Home
finding—the products they wanted.
& Garden site, tracking their behavior
But it had no hard data to back up
as they completed their intended
these hypotheses. eBay needed to
tasks and gathering detailed feedback
determine the motivations of its
directly from users while they
customers—were they typically
interacted with the site. Keynote then
“We needed to
conducted deep analysis and
ensure that the most relevant items
understand the needs
segmentation on users’ clickstreams, fall within the first few pages.
mapping their behaviors (what they
of our buyers and
To that end, eBay Home is now
did) to their feedback (what they
rolling out an increased number of
how they shop in order
said) in order to understand what
dynamic landing pages, or
to better merchandise
behaviors lead to bidding and buying interim pages that encourage users
on the site.
to them”
to further refine searches before any
The study targeted a specific set of
results are listed. For instance, users
customers: namely, those who were who enter the words “Laura Ashley”
at or near the beginning of their
will be shown specific subcategories,
shopping experience and who were
such as Bedding and Bath, so they
hunting for home furnishing and
can find their desired products earlier
décor items. These customers were
in the searching process.
instructed to go about their normal
The study also revealed that people
shopping, but were intermittently
who know the brand names of
asked a number of questions about
products they seek have a better all-
their satisfaction, potential
round experience on the site than
frustrations, and why, ultimately,
customers who do not know specific
they chose to bid or buy. The
brands. This confirmed the need to
intercept approach gave eBay a rich provide additional search and browse
foundation for understanding
tools, such as product finders, to help
visitors because it returned
users who do not have a brand in
About Keynote
quantitative data that revealed the
mind. The Keynote data helped eBay
customer’s satisfaction ratings of
Keynote Systems (NASDAQ
determine what attributes should be
eBay, qualitative data that articulated
"KEYN") is the global test and
included in the product finders,
the impressions and attitudes of
measurement company
thereby allowing users to base their
customers in their own words, and
for mobile communications and
searches not just on brand, but on
behavioral data that showed what
online business performance.
the size, condition and color of
customers actually did—or did not
As an independent and trusted
particular products.
do—on the site.
third-party, Keynote provides
The Keynote study also found that a
IT and marketing executives
The Keynote Impact
number of shoppers on eBay Home &
with an unbiased view
Garden would like to see higher quality
into their Internet services
The Keynote study helped confirm
photographs and more photos on the
from around the world. For over
many of eBay’s original theories,
site. Armed with this information, eBay
a decade, we have been
but it also uncovered insights that
is now aggressively reaching out to its
providing measurement data
made the company think twice about sellers and encouraging them to
and testing capabilities that
key aspects of the site. For instance, improve the backdrops of their photos
allow companies to understand
the study revealed that a high
as well as include more images and
and improve their customer's
percentage of bidding activity on
close-ups of product details.
online and mobile experience.
eBay Home comes from products
listed on the first page of search
“At the very highest level, we are
Keynote Systems, Inc.
results, and that the majority of
working to increase the action and
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
consumers do not browse the full set activity around our home furnishings
San Mateo, CA 94404
of pages of listed products. The
category,” says John McDonald,
Main Tel: 1-800-KEYNOTE
Keynote findings indicated that eBay Director of Home & Garden at eBay.
Main Fax: 650-403-5500
must encourage users to refine
“But first we needed to understand
product-info@keynote.com
their product searches sooner to
the needs of our buyers and how they
1-800-KEYNOTE
© Keynote Systems, Inc.
All rights reserved. The Mobile & Internet
(1-800-539-6683)
Performance Authority and Perspective are
www.keynote.com
registered trademarks of Keynote Systems,
Inc. Other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners. CS1008v1
“We needed to
shop in order to better merchandise
understand the needs
to them. If buyers can navigate the
site more effectively and find exactly
of our buyers and
what they are looking for, we will be
how they shop in order
able to significantly drive conversion
to better merchandise
rates in the days and months ahead.
Keynote is playing a critical role in
to them”
helping us reach that goal.”
About Keynote
Keynote Systems (NASDAQ
"KEYN") is the global test and
measurement company
for mobile communications and
online business performance.
As an independent and trusted
third-party, Keynote provides
IT and marketing executives
with an unbiased view
into their Internet services
from around the world. For over
a decade, we have been
providing measurement data
and testing capabilities that
allow companies to understand
and improve their customer's
online and mobile experience.
Keynote Systems, Inc.
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404
Main Tel: 1-800-KEYNOTE
Main Fax: 650-403-5500
product-info@keynote.com
1-800-KEYNOTE
© Keynote Systems, Inc.
All rights reserved. The Mobile & Internet
(1-800-539-6683)
Performance Authority and Perspective are
www.keynote.com
registered trademarks of Keynote Systems,
Inc. Other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners. CS1008v1
