eBay engages consumer with live game on FB

eBay engages consumer with live game on FB

Shivani Suri

MUMBAI: Festive season is a busy time for Indian brands, especially the e-commerce players given the shopping spree the nation witnessed around the time. Thus it becomes important to brainstorm on new and unique ways to get the consumer’s attention; something different from the unbelievable discounts that is default of the season.

eBay India’s doing so by hosting the first ever Facebook live gaming event for its consumers called Dhanbola (online tambola). Hosted by stand-up comedian Zakir Khan, Dhanbola went live on October 25, from 4:00-5:00 pm on eBay India FB page, and was witnessed by over 7000 people live.

The concept of Dhanbola was simple: over 5.6 million consumers on ebay.in had gotten codes that entitled them to participate in live Dhanbola event, witth prizes such as MacBook Pro, an Apple iPhone 7 or a Philips Bluetooth speaker up for grabs.

“Our festive season in India, which started on 15 September and will continue till Diwali, is the most important time of the year for our business. These forty five days have been packed with multiple activities, be it exclusive launches, new products and attractive offers and discounts,” shared eBay India marketing director Shivani Suri.

This year, eBay is especially looking forward to the festive given a huge jump in their over all product selection on the platform. Compared to last year’s three crore products, this year the e-commerce player boasts of 10 crore products on the site.

Thus, unlike its usual presence on the digital platforms, this year eBay has launched a TVC campaign as well, with a shelf life of around six weeks.

The e-commerce player’s latest TVC campaign titled #ThingsDontJudge highlights the variety of products that eBay has to offer while also turning materialism on its head. The caption for the ad sums up the idea behind the advert. It states that “Don’t let the voices hold you back. eBay has products that don’t judge you for who you are or what you believe in. They say just one thing – Live and let live.”

Tying the TVC’s message with the latest FB initiative Suri had earlier said "Our recently launched TVC campaign #ThingsDontJudge struck a chord with consumers from different walks of life. Dhanbola is yet another industry first from eBay India to not only deepen our engagement with consumers on a platform which is preferred by them but also to celebrate the spirit of the upcoming festivities."

Apart from 'Dhanbola', eBay shoppers will be given a chance to engage with the stand-up comedian through several additional activities. Consumers can challenge the host for either a 'Truth or Dare', and/or a real time "Roast the Host."

eBay offers consumers the option to make purchases via EMI through ICICI, Citibank and HDFC credit cards. All purchases are covered under the eBay Guarantee which ensures refund or replacement in case a consumer is unhappy with the purchase.