eBay applies generative AI to social media posting
eBay sellers have a powerful new tool to assist social promotion of their listings.
The e-commerce retailer is releasing a new feature, based on generative AI technology, that enables sellers to draft social media posts with the click a button. Generative AI is based on machine learning (ML) and can create new content and ideas, including conversations, stories, images, videos, and music.
When eBay sellers visit the Social page in Seller Hub (under the Marketing tab) and start creating a social post, they can click the “Use AI Caption” button next to the text entry box when adding a social media caption. The eBay generative AI solution will then craft a post about the item being listed, including hashtags and emojis.
The seller can prompt the AI to rewrite captions, and also manually customize them to include any, all, or none of those extra features. Once published, the post also includes a link to the listing(s) along with images of the item to attract new buyers.
This feature is fully available in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Australia, allowing sellers to share individual listings, categories, promotions, and stores. According to eBay, early user response has been positive.
eBay says it will soon release auto-posting as an additional enhancement. With auto-posting, sellers will be able to choose to automatically post their listings to social media as soon as the listing is published, with no additional action needed.
"This is just one more way eBay is leveraging innovative technology to help connect people and build communities to empower economic opportunity for all," the e-tailer said in a corporate blog post.
eBay streamlines listings with generative AI
eBay’s new social posting tool is not the first generative AI application it has offered sellers. In September 2023, the e-tailer released what it termed a “magical” seller listing solution that uses AI to analyze, research and extrapolate details about listings from a small amount of seller-provided data, including images.
In the first version of the tool, a seller could add in a title and possibly a category for a listing and would then be given the option of using generative AI to fill in the description from there. More recently, eBay has also been rolling out a new image-based listing tool which allows sellers to take or upload a photo in the eBay app (iOS-only for now) and have generative AI fill in item information details.
From a photo, the AI technology 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 technology to suggest a listing price and shipping cost.