eBay vault monetization

Overview

The eBay vault allows people to store high-value trading cards in a tax-free facility that makes buying and selling instantaneous. The monetization project that I led was an ongoing exploration of how we would evolve the service to include fees after the launch period. This project was highly technical, fluid, and involved a wide range of domains. Exploration and research that came out of my work found key insights about what impacts the changes would cause and how best to provide transparency and build trust for our customers. In some areas of the project, success looked like shipping a set of completed designs, and in other areas, success looked like pushing back on a business strategy that we found flaws in.

Customer problem

As we fully roll-out the eBay vault product, it was critical to inform customers about the available services in a clear and timely way. For monetization, being informed clearly without surprises can be the difference between a using the service or not.

• Inform customers of fees

• Create simple decision points

• Provide full transparency

Opportunity

We worked to make eBay vault easy to find, learn about, and chose (across domains: search, view item, checkout, checkout success, view order details). Our program is very competitive compared to other vault options, but the way we display that can greatly affect user perception.

• Showcase our value props

• Deliver a white glove experience

• Tie the experience together

Goals

We wanted to make eBay vault something you couldn’t miss for qualifying trading cards. At the same time, we wanted the entire flow to be clear, quick, and seamless. I collaborated extensively to ensure our solutions mapped to the other value added services.

• Make vault prominent

• Drive adoption

• Align with other services