eBay Promotes eGift Cards for Last-Minute Shoppers

eBay sent an email campaign this week promoting eBay electronic gift cards. “Introducing eBay eGift Cards,” read the subject line of the marketing email.

With Christmas less than a week away and delivery deadlines top of mind for holiday shoppers, the email read: “Give the gift of choice. Running out of time to shop for gifts or just not sure what to get? eBay’s new eGift Cards are a fast and simple way to give your loved ones exactly what they want.”

“Your digital gift is delivered by email,” the email read, and linked to a landing page for egift cards on eBay.com.

eBay launched traditional gift cards in 2007, though in the fall of 2013 it stopped offering them in brick-and-mortar retail locations, citing a “business reason” for the decision. eBay gift cards returned to store racks in 2014.

Two years later in March of 2016, eBay pulled gift cards from the eBay Partner Network (ePN), meaning there is no longer an incentive for affiliates to promote them.

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.