How I Drove 14% of All SIO Rule-Based Activity Through Strategic Seller Outreach
Qualitative Insights Research
eBay Inc. is a global online marketplace founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar, headquartered in San Jose, CA, connecting millions of buyers and sellers across 190+ markets through auctions and fixed-price listings. With over 132 million active buyers and approximately 2.3 billion live listings, eBay empowers individuals and small businesses to thrive via technology enhancements, like AI-powered tools, livestream shopping, and integrated PSA grading services, while generating around $10 billion in annual revenue
DEFINE
THE PROBLEM
Seller-Initiated Offers (SIOs) allow sellers to proactively send discounted offers to interested buyers—boosting conversion and velocity on watched items. However, most sellers were sending SIOs manually, leaving conversion potential untapped. Despite the existence of automation tools, adoption remained low due to lack of awareness, confusion around functionality, and limited trust in the impact of automation.
THE GOAL
To increase adoption of SIO automation among eligible sellers by identifying blockers, conducting 1:1 outreach, and capturing insights that inform both product and go-to-market strategies.
AT A GLANCE
Project: SIO Automation Campaign – Q1 2024
Role: Business Operations Manager, Seller Acceleration
Tools Used: Salesforce Hive, ArdiraSurvey, Personalized Messaging, Campaign Performance Dashboards
Scope: Outreach, Seller Enablement, Adoption Feedback Loop
MEASURE
Primary KPIs
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SIO automation enablement rate post-consultation
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Percentage of sellers converting to rule-based logic
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Qualitative feedback to identify blockers and motivators
METRICS
Total Sellers Contacted: 147
Reached via Outreach: 76 (52%)
Sellers Who Enabled Automation Post-Outreach: 24 (16%)
New Rule-Based Automation Contributors: 40 (27%)
14% of all rule-based SIOs during the campaign came from sellers we engaged
The above shows the survey written for this project
ANALYZE
TOP INSIGHTS
Low Awareness of Automation Functionality: Many sellers didn’t know SIO automation was available, or misunderstood it as a default feature they already had.
Confusion Around Rules & Configuration: Sellers struggled with the logic: When are offers sent? Who gets them? How do thresholds work?
Skepticism About Value: Some sellers, especially high-volume ones, doubted whether automation would outperform their manual targeting or feared spammy buyer experiences.
IMPROVE
TARGETED OUTREACH
Using Salesforce Hive, I segmented sellers who had access to SIO automation but hadn’t enabled it. I then led personalized outreach to:
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Explain the value proposition of automation (save time, increase offer velocity)
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Demonstrate the setup in real time using shared screens and walkthroughs
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Deconstruct seller assumptions using peer examples and campaign data
SELLER STORIES
Seller #1: A luxury watch vendor was hesitant to automate. After outreach, they set up automation rules and saw higher conversion with less manual effort—freeing up resources for other high-touch clients.
Seller #2: A collectibles seller didn’t trust the automation logic. Post-demo, they enabled it on aged inventory and reported an immediate uptick in off-peak sales volume.
CONTROL
STRATEGIC NEXT STEPS
Build In-Product Templates: One-click automation presets by category or item type
Improve Visibility: Add clearer automation banners and tooltips in Seller Hub
Show Impact: Light reporting on how many SIOs were automated and what offers converted
Create Guided Tutorials: Short-form videos and help docs tailored by seller maturity level
Share Learnings Across Teams: Playbooks passed to ProTrader (UK) and Durchstarter (DE) for scale
OUTCOMES
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Completed and presented a compelling, seller-voiced Order Discount Readout that influenced strategic planning across CX, Product, and Seller Engagement.
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Successfully translated qualitative insights into actionable recommendations.
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Earned stakeholder buy-in for developing a centralized coupon resource hub and a phased deprecation support strategy.