eBay has said it will soon roll out an AI-powered ‘magical’ listing tool which will make online selling faster, easier and more accurate.
The image-based tool uses artificial intelligence to provide details about listings from images, greatly simplifying the process of listing an item on eBay. It allows sellers to take or upload a photo in the eBay app and then watch AI fill in item information details.
According to the firm, from one photo AI can write titles, descriptions and add vital information, which could include product release date, detailed category and sub-category. It can also combine with eBay’s other tech to suggest a listing price and shipping cost.
Writing in a blog post, the company said: “This addresses what we call the “cold start” issue, in which first-time sellers can feel overwhelmed with the amount of information required to create a competitive listing. There’s no need to work through a cold start with AI: as soon as you’re ready to sell, your listing is ready to post.”
The image-based listing tool has already been released as an employee beta and will be rolled out to the public in the coming months. Up until now, in its first version a seller could add in a title for a listing, maybe a category, and would then be given the option of using generative AI to fill in the description from there.
As of late July, approximately 30% of U.S. sellers using the app on any given day were reported to have tried the feature at least once, and over 95% of those who tried it opted to use the AI-generated descriptions, including those with edits. In addition, eBay said it is rolling out an enhanced version of its background removal tool for greater conversion.
“Sellers tell us that compelling, clean images are crucial to their sales, and the background removal tool can make a huge impact on conversion by creating a clearer image of their product,” eBay said.
