Retail Revival Baton Rouge

Retail Revival is eBay’s comprehensive training and support program that empowers “Main Street” small businesses to thrive locally by taking full advantage of the digital marketplace and accessing new customers around the world. The program first launched in Akron, Ohio in March 2018 before expanding to Lansing, Michigan and Greensboro, North Carolina in the US, plus Wolverhampton, UK and Halifax, Canada.

Louisiana is already home to a thriving community of eBay sellers and buyers. The approximately 66,000+ sellers in the state generated $149M in revenue in 2017 through sales to customers around the world.

Within the state, Baton Rouge was particularly appealing because of the strength, creativity and diversity of its small business community. We were also impressed by the City of Baton Rouge’s commitment to small business and its vision for local economic growth.

At eBay, our driving purpose is to create opportunity for all. Supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses in communities around the world is central to this mission – it’s why we come to work each day, and it’s why we’re here in Baton Rouge.

There is no fine print and no cost whatsoever to the City of Baton Rouge or the small businesses to participate in Retail Revival. As a pure marketplace, eBay “wins” when Baton Rouge sellers bring their unique inventory onto our platform and into the carts and lives of our 182M buyers around the world.

No. A team at eBay conducted a private, independent assessment of cities across the US and narrowed our search to a handful of top contenders. We then visited those shortlisted cities to get a feel for the nature and potential of their local retail communities. We also met with the leadership of the cities to better understand their plans for economic growth and how Retail Revival might support them. No compensation or concession was requested or received at any time during this process, and the program will be offered at no cost to the City and the program participants.

Retail Revival offers a variety of valuable opportunities and perks, including:

• A comprehensive training program that will teach the eBay selling basics, as well as strategies to best utilize eBay’s platform and tools to boost business.

• One-on-one coaching from a dedicated customer service support team member.

• One-year access to Concierge, eBay’s elite customer support service typically reserved for our highest-performing sellers.

• A complimentary one-year Premium Store subscription.

• Supplementary business training provided in partnership with local entrepreneurship support organizations.

• Ongoing promotional and PR efforts, including inclusion in our dedicated Retail Revival page at ebay.com/RetailRevival.

$0. There is absolutely no cost to any seller (or the City of Baton Rouge) to participate in the program.

Like all eBay sellers, Retail Revival participants will be charged a final value fee when they sell an item, which depends on the product category of that item. Listing upgrades and promotions are available to help your products stand out on eBay, which involve additional fees. These are completely optional, and it is up to you whether you would like to dedicate budget to these tools. Read more about final value fees, optional listing upgrades, and promoted listings.

Please visit here to apply. Don’t wait! Applications close at 11:59pm ET on Wednesday, August 21.

Retail Revival offers much more than just training: it also creates a community of sellers like you looking to grow their sales online. Our previous Retail Revival sellers have hosted listing parties, shared shipping supplies, swapped tips and even met with groups of other local eBay sellers. Being part of the Retail Revival community has helped accelerate their growth and made selling online more fun.

In addition, we help drive traffic to participants’ eBay stores through promotions across eBay.com, a dedicated landing page highlighting Retail Revival sellers, social media storytelling and extensive PR.

Any and all businesses in the Baton Rouge area (meaning Baton Rouge proper and surrounding communities) are invited to apply to Retail Revival as long as:

1. They sell a product (not a service) that aligns with one of our product categories.

2. The products they intend to sell on eBay do not violate any eBay policy. Some categories of products are restricted, or completely banned from being listed. These include firearms, ivory and hazardous materials. Click here for more information on these products and policies.

In addition to the above requirements, there are a few business characteristics that we’ve found to be good indicators (although not guarantees) of success:

1. Business has been in operation at least one year (means you’ve gotten the hang of your operations and are in a position to start growing).

2. Business has a clear brand and value proposition (helps to tell your story and stand out in the crowd).

3. Business has sufficient infrastructure and human resources to grow (will keep you from getting overwhelmed and enable you to create efficient, effective operations).

4. Business has depth and breadth of inventory (mitigates risk of “empty shelves” and creates multiple ways for shoppers to find and buy from you).

Technically, yes. But we highly recommend that you adjust your schedule to be able to attend. We are planning a very full and informative day, and you will begin the program at a disadvantage if you are not present. If you absolutely cannot attend, you may designate a representative from your business to participate in your place. Otherwise, this event is open to business owners only.

Several of our previous Retail Revival participants had sold on eBay before joining the program and were looking to fine-tune their eBay expertise and strategy. While we aim to help sellers build their eBay stores regardless of experience, we also offer one-on-one attention that will cater to your unique needs and experience level.

We do not ask for or require exclusivity. You are encouraged to sell on any platform that works for you and your customers. In fact, as part of your training, you will learn about “multi-channel” tools and tactics so you can manage your inventory and sales in the most efficient way possible.

If you resell products (meaning, you do not make your items yourself, you purchase them through a wholesale arrangement and sell directly to your retail customers), you will need to check your contract with your supplier(s) for any potential restrictions on selling through third party platforms such as eBay. We encourage you to do this before you apply to join Retail Revival.

Please reach out to BatonRouge@ebay.com.