The UK might be relishing the opportunity to enjoy three bank holidays weekends in the month of May – but is this the right time to put up your feet and relax?

According to eBay data, while the nation enjoys nothing better than an extended weekend, it also enjoys using all that extra free time for some online shopping.

With the promise of better weather just around the corner, much of that shopping focus will be on home and garden categories with an emphasis on outdoor living.

eBay Outdoor Living

In the post-pandemic world, more Brits are taking pride in and enjoying their garden spaces than ever before. Nearly half (48%) of UK consumers say that relaxing outdoors is their favourite way to use their garden space. Understanding this, it’s perhaps unsurprising that during the last May bank holiday, searches for items like ‘sunloungers’ increased by a staggering 221%. Similarly, searches for ‘deck chair’ and ‘garden sofa’ also surged by 197% and 115%, respectively, during the same timeframe.

Therefore, it stands to reason if you sell plants, garden tools, garden furniture, garden lighting, barbeques, hot tubs, outdoor toys, etc., you are just about to enter peak sales season and might want to rethink how you are spending the bank holiday weekends in May. Essentially, you might wish to make money while the sun (hopefully) shines.

eBay Bank Holiday Sales and Promotions

eBay has issued special listing guidance for sellers that hope to take advantage of the sales opportunities over the bank holiday weekend.

The online marketplace suggests using the following strategies to increase sales:

• Coded Coupons: Create and share your own discount codes for buyers.
• Multi-buy: Encourage customers to order more of the same listing with reduced prices for bigger orders. According to eBay, Sellers can see their sales increase up to 10% when using Multi-buy.
• Offer to Buyers and Best Offer: Engage your interested buyers by offering a reduced price on your listing or giving them the opportunity to make their best offer.
• Order Discount: Encourage customers to increase their order size with reduced prices for higher quantities or orders over a certain threshold.
• Promoted Listings: Boost visibility for your listings in prominent placements across the eBay network.
• Sale Event + Markdown: Create a Sale Event for in-demand items or offer reduced prices on the part of your inventory. Show customers before and after prices with Markdown.

eBay Optimisation

eBay also recommends that sellers take their time to optimise their listings based on the latest eBay listings’ best practices. These best practices include carefully written titles and descriptions, considered use of images, design, and item specifics, and optimised delivery.

To learn more about how Frooition can help you ensure your listings are fully optimised for eBay search, visit our free eBay Listing Optimisation Tool.