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How I Drive Adoption of Alternative Promotional Tools to Replace Order Discounts

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

Order Discounts (OD) remain one of the most frequently used promotional tools on eBay, especially among full-time sellers. However, with the potential deprecation of this tool, many sellers lack the knowledge, confidence, or incentive to transition to alternatives such as coupons, markdown events, or volume pricing. This posed a risk of seller dissatisfaction and potential revenue disruption.

THE GOAL

Assess seller behavior, attitudes, and friction points related to promotional tool use—then deliver a stakeholder-ready readout that drives alignment on support, education, and migration strategies.

MY ROLE

Led the qualitative research initiative, designed the survey instrument, facilitated interviews, synthesized themes, and built the Order Discount Readout. Used Salesforce Marketing Cloud to track survey completions and outreach engagement. Used FigJam to map seller personas, pain points, and recommended UX interventions.

The above images show how order discounts appear on Martketplace promotions and listings

MEASURE

Key Takeaways

Survey and Interview Sample: Mix of full-time, part-time, and hobby-sellers. A majority of which access eBay through the desktop site.

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Tool Usage: 80% preferred Order Discounts over eBay Coupons (similar usability). Only 14% used APIs or 3PPs for promotions.

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Success Confidence: High confidence reported in markdown/SIO (30–38%), but only 4–9% for OD/Coupons.

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Knowledge Gaps: Many sellers did not understand the differences between public/private coupons or OD auto-application behavior.

Behavioural Themes 

Sellers often equated “success” with what they’re used to, not necessarily with measurable performance.

 

Promotional stacking confusion created hesitancy.

 

Many hadn’t explored alternatives simply because “this already works.”

The above images show the survey creation process from start to finish.

ANALYZE

ROOT CAUSE

Tool Entrenchment: Sellers are emotionally and operationally invested in OD. Angela's  quote summed it up:
 

“When I find something that works, I stick with it.”

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Perceived Complexity: Max, a high-volume seller, highlighted how tools like coupons felt too manual or tedious across 1,500+ listings.​​

Awareness ≠ Understanding: Most sellers knew about coupons but lacked clarity on setup, visibility, and strategic use cases.

SELLER SEGMENTS

"Order Discount Loyalists" use ODs exclusively, show resistance to change​

"Tool Tinkerers" Try different promotional tools but need guidance​

"3PP Automators" use outside software but loop back to eBay for promotional tools

IMPROVE

Intervention Strategies

  1. In-Product Messaging
    Leverage the Marketing Tab—where sellers already go—to surface guidance and smart suggestions on using coupons.

  2. Coupon Education Hub
    Build a centralized resource hub that explains tool differences, offers how-to videos, and highlights high-performing examples.

  3. Transition Timeline & Messaging Plan
    Use a phased communication approach (announcements, documentation, reminders). Recommended prioritizing Message Center over email due to engagement concerns.

  4. Case Study Feedback Loop
    Sellers asked for examples of successful coupon use. Stakeholders were advised to develop anonymized case studies to inspire adoption.

  5. Personalized Outreach Campaigns
    Proposed outreach based on seller tool usage history. Salesforce tracked cohorts and message engagement for iteration.

CONTROL

Next steps

  1. Coupon Transition Readiness Playbook: Based on recommendations in your readout, stakeholders aligned on the need for a phased deprecation support plan.

  2. Educational Touchpoints: Stakeholder feedback validated the need for more intuitive educational surfaces, which were added to upcoming roadmap planning.

  3. Tracking & Measurement via Salesforce: Campaigns targeting OD-only sellers will continue to be monitored via Salesforce to measure tool adoption shifts.

OUTCOME

  • Completed and presented a compelling, seller-voiced Order Discount Readout that influenced strategic planning across CX, Product, and Seller Engagement.

  • Successfully translated qualitative insights into actionable recommendations.

  • Earned stakeholder buy-in for developing a centralized coupon resource hub and a phased deprecation support strategy.

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