We’ve been hard at work on the next version of a new, magical listing experience, which uses AI to analyze, research, and extrapolate information from a small amount of data provided by the seller — greatly simplifying the process of listing an item on eBay. In the first version, a seller could add in a title for a listing, maybe a category, and would then be given the option of using generative AI to fill in the description from there. We’ve seen great customer feedback from this first version and have ramped to all eBay app users (both iOS and Android) in the US. As of late July, approximately 30% of U.S. sellers using the app on any given day tried the feature at least once, and over 95% of those who tried it opted to use the AI-generated descriptions, including those with edits. Over the same period, we measured customer satisfaction (CSAT) for this experience at over 80%, which is among the highest CSAT for recent feature launches.
eBay has been integrating various forms of AI into our tech for years now, through machine learning, deep learning, computer vision and other AI technologies. With recent advances in generative AI — in which AI algorithms can actually create text, images and videos — we’ve been able to use our large-scale yet extensible AI infrastructure to swiftly integrate Azure’s OpenAI technologies into our marketplace, all to make the process of selling and buying on eBay as seamless as possible.
Here at eBay, we’ve tasked ourselves with a challenge that seems paradoxical — and also vital. We want more detailed, more accurate and more in-depth listings, so buyers can access more information as they shop. But we also want those same listings to be faster and easier for sellers to create. Until recently, we would have had to choose one of these goals or the other. Now, though, we don’t need to. Artificial intelligence can achieve both of these goals at the same time.
But these AI description tools were merely a first step on our path towards seamless, magical listings. We’re thrilled to reveal the next version of this magical listing tool, which takes the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” and makes it literal.
Our new image-based magical listing tool allows sellers to take or upload a photo in the eBay app (iOS-only for now) and watch AI fill in item information details. From a simple photo, AI can write titles, descriptions and add vital information, which could include product release date, detailed category and sub-category, and can combine with eBay’s other tech to suggest a listing price and shipping cost. This addresses what we call the “cold start” issue, in which first-time sellers can feel overwhelmed with the amount of information required to create a competitive listing. There’s no need to work through a cold start with AI: as soon as you’re ready to sell, your listing is ready to post.
Take trading cards, for example. Even just identifying a specific trading card, from the millions out there, can be difficult. Buyers demand a great deal of information before they make a purchase, including manufacturer, set, league, team, card number, parallel/variety, grade, year and more. We think we can provide a more efficient way for sellers to provide that information.
And in addition to making it easier (and more fun) to list, we’ve rolled out a more seamless and improved background removal tool. Sellers tell us that compelling, clean images are crucial to their sales, and the background removal tool can make a huge impact on conversion by creating a clearer image of their product.
We’ve already released this magical image-based listing tool as an employee beta, and we’re excited to release it to the public in the coming months.
This new tool is simply the latest in a series of efforts to use AI to make selling and buying on eBay feel easy, fun and magical. AI will keep developing, and we’ll continue to incorporate cutting-edge technologies across our teams with the goal of making your eBay experience consistently more magical.