Studying eBay provides insights into consumer behavior

[mandy]

Forget miracle medicines, advanced aeronautics or genetically modified crops. When it comes to business research, the biggest laboratory in the world isn't at Pfizer, General Electric or Monsanto. It's online, at eBay.com, where everyone from university scholars to conventional retailers are carefully studying the auctions of baby pajamas, home board games and other items to better understand consumer behavior.

What makes eBay so fascinating? In part, it's sheer size. In the first three months of this year, the company had 75.4 million active users...

Even more important, though, is transparency. Target, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and other retailers guard the details of their pricing and transactions like state secrets. But eBay, while protecting its users' personal privacy, sells facts about its auctions to companies that use the information to try to make sense of consumer behavior and tastes, marketing strategies and why one color iPod or a certain style of walking shoe outsells its rivals....

full article: http://www.rocklintoday.com/news/templat...cleid=3413&zoneid=12

[Anita]

Studying eBay provides insights into consumer behavior

Do the ones doing the studying use rats or mice?

[xppman]

Don't you just love these "lets try and pump up that ebay stock spin hype types".

First thing out of the gate Mike inflates the numbers for Meg and makes a
totally false and inaccurate statement. Seems like I've seem MIKE MEYERS
do this before.

SEC report stated 71.8 million active right?

OK so no problem I'll just add 3.6 million to really make the article
and ebay sound impressive who's gonna know?  :twistedevil:

I wonder if he gets a free ebay pen on a rope every time he lies to his readers?

Rats and mice. 

[Anita]

Bell posted this article on the Stores Board and was ripped a new asphole when the subject got side-tracked.  The thread is WILD and hard to understand completely because a LOT of posts seem to be missing.

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?t...2000149781&start=0

I don't care if people like Bell or not (no offense), BUT man are they getting U G L Y!!!!

callyann even jumped on the wagon.  I think you need to address her, BBH. 

[BellisimaJ.]

Hey Anita,

First, thanks for the support!!

I have the missing posts--I copied and pasted when I saw what was happening. Fun day.
Can't go positive, cannnnn't go negative----think I'm ready to throw my hands up.

What is it that so irritates them, for Pete's sake.

[bargainbloodhound]

[xppman]

What is it that so irritates them, for Pete's sake.

Lack of sales, lack of sense of humor, lack of a good laxative,
lack of common sense, or the number one answer.


lack of good luvin. 

[stardust]

I see.  I guess we need protection on the boards, too....other than asbestos undies...  :

[BellisimaJ.]

Just want to express my sincere gratitude for your support, Amy and Anita especially--I so appreciate your efforts. That thread is truly amazing, lol. The gang mentality on the boards is alive and well, for real.

Lack of sales, lack of sense of humor, lack of a good laxative,
lack of common sense, or the number one answer.


lack of good luvin.

Xppman,
If that's the case, I will be passing out laxatives and business cards for a male escort service at Live. Know a good source? 

Mandy, thanks for the article--very interesting read.

[valleygirl]

Target, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and other retailers guard the details of their pricing and transactions like state secrets.  But eBay, while protecting its users' personal privacy, sells facts about its auctions to companies

I guard my sales data too.  I would never put my business in a situation where my competitors had access to the details of my transaction history.