Marketing - Tuesday, August 31, 2010 10:49 - 0 Comments

E-bay to launch christmas marketing blitz

eBay is to launch a huge multi-million pound advertising campaign across the UK to promote its Fashion Outlet site ahead of Christmas.

Termed by marketing news pundits at both Brand Republic and The Guardian as the “biggest” or “largest ad campaign to date”, the e-commerce site’s ad campaign will run across both print and outdoor media. The campaign will focus upon brand products and the potential savings consumers could get from purchasing them via the Fashion Outlet site, launched in April.

Outdoor advertising activity will begin from the end of September, with double-page ads appearing in print media such as Vogue, OK!, Grazia, Look and Elle in the same period.

The advertising campaign is believed to be inspired by the increasing competition in online retail from high street brands, as well as the recent and predicted growth in online retail sales; according to the IMRG e-Retail sales index, online sales for clothing and accessories grew by 64% in June and a similar surge in sales is generally seen during the holiday season.

“The Fashion Outlet is our fastest growing sales channel and this advertising assault reflects our growing position as a leading fashion destination,” said Angus McCarey, director of eBay enterprise in a press release. ”Over the past year, we have seen a 25% increase in the number of fashion-savvy shoppers who are choosing to shop online at eBay instead of the high street.”

eBay’s Fashion Outlet has, according to figures in The Guardian, generated some £4m revenue in sales for the brands selling through the site (Ted Baker, Karen Millen, Superdry and others). Unconfirmed figures indicate that in the three months from May 2010, some 4.6 million people made purchases from the site.