eBay launches Australia’s first 24-hour shoppable Christmas windows at via Pulse and LiveWorks

eBay is modernising the seasonal tradition of visiting beautiful Christmas windows, by giving gift inspiration and making the whole experience instantly shoppable 24/7 via mobile. eBay’s shoppable windows have been created in partnership between Pulse Communications (creative and brand communications lead) and LiveWorks experiential marketing and promotional staffing agency.

From 7am Thursday 4th December to Sunday 8pm 7th December at Customs House Forecourt, eBay’s shoppable windows will operate around the clock to provide inspiration for Sydney’s Christmas shoppers. The interactive windows, complete with live actors, bring the best of online shopping into the physical world; merging physical items with seamless online shopping into one end-to-end customer experience.

Showcasing a curated selection of gifts, shoppers will be inspired to find the perfect presents for Christmas, browse them through 46-inch screens on the windows and then shop directly via their mobiles. The magic of Christmas will be brought to life through a full sensory experience including the sounds and smells of Christmas as well as built-in snow machines to ignite the festive spirit for all ages.

Global eBay research* has revealed that for 65% of Aussies, the start of the Christmas shopping season is signalled by hearing Christmas music, and 37% source their inspiration for Christmas gifts from what they see in shop windows. With 27% of Aussies admitting to feeling disorganised when it comes to Christmas shopping, eBay is making it easier than ever to buy all your gifts in one easy, online (and now offline) location.

Four windows will represent some typical Australian family members and will showcase curated gifts for each; actors bringing the products to life in a way that has never been done before in Australia. Windows will include gifts for “Lycra Mum”, “Daddy Cool”, “Teenage Dreamer” and “Little Princess”.

The final day of the windows, Sunday 7th December, is predicted to be Australia’s Busiest Online and Mobile Shopping Day. On this day, eBay is predicting a massive 2.6 million visitors to the AU site, 1.5 million of these using their mobile devices (16% more than the busiest day of 2013, 8th December). eBay, Australia’s largest online shopping destination, anticipates that 510,000 items will be sold on this one day on eBay.com.au (23% more than last year’s biggest day). 200,000 of these items will be purchased on a mobile device (a 48% increase from 8th December 2013).

Says Jo-Ann Hicks, eBay Australia’s head of retail experience and innovation: “At eBay we really see our role as being responsible for exploring new innovations that help drive the future of shopping for consumers, but also on behalf of our retail partners.

“With these windows we wanted to provide a peek into the future of shopping, blurring the lines between online and offline. In the future, retail will be both local and global, online and offline and of course overwhelmingly mobile.

“We are modernising the Christmas window tradition in direct response to the savvy Australian consumer who shops anytime, anywhere and on any device of their choosing. We’re hoping this takes some of the stress out of Christmas for them by providing loads of gifting inspiration for their loved ones.”

From yoga gear to coffee machines, wearable technology and the top trending toys of 2014 (Frozen topping the list), shoppers can browse and shop the windows’ hottest items from eBay curated Collections, making it simple to find an array of gift ideas for even the choosiest of recipients. Products in the windows are from some of Australia’s top retailers, including SurfStitch, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, Only Online, Zanui, Target and Kidsstuff.

Additional insights into Australian Christmas shopping inspiration

• Australians have an average of 10 people to buy for at Christmas time
• 20% of shoppers are likely to spend over $580 on Christmas gifts
• When it comes to Christmas shopping, 8am to 12pm is the peak time for us to be buying up a storm, with 34% saying that’s the peak time. eBay brings the best products from Australia’s best retailers right to shoppers’ hands, so they can shop when it best suits them.
• When it comes to finding inspiration, 29% of Australians state that come mid-December, they are at peak stress levels. eBay has launched Christmas deals to provide inspiration and great deals on a range of gifts for the whole gift list, and the shoppable window will provide a unique experience for finding the perfect gift for loved ones.
• While a number of Aussies are organised enough to shop for Christmas gifts throughout the year (25%), 54% of us leave it to the last couple of months to pick up Christmas gifts, and 9% leave it right up to a week before!
• For 65% of Aussies, the start of the Christmas shopping season is signalled by hearing Christmas music – evoking that festive cheer. eBay is encouraging online shoppers to enhance their Christmas cheer by cranking up the carols (via a partnership with Spotify), lighting Christmas candles or settling close to the pine tree, bringing all the scents and sounds of Christmas to life while they shop.

* Global research was conducted in October 2014, commissioned by eBay Australia, carried out by TNS.