FI V E M INUTE S W ITH
Chelsea Walsh Senior Category Manager, Media & Musical Instruments, By Brian Berk
There is no question the retail landscape has changed forever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One great way MI retailers have adjusted their business plans is by dramatically boosting their online ecommerce efforts, with eBay being an excellent place to do so. Chelsea Walsh, senior category manager, media and musical instruments, for eBay, provides tips for MI retailers to boost online sales and describes the company’s charitable efforts, plus much more.
The Music & Sound Retailer: Please tell us about yourself, your background, how long you have been at eBay and why you originally joined the company? Chelsea Walsh: My love for music developed very early in my childhood. I grew up in a family with seven siblings, and my parents bravely embarked on countless summer road trips using music as a way to keep the peace, so my passion for music — as well as my passion for travel — likely came from these adventures. In my adult years, I have continued to pursue music and travel, visiting 27 countries in the last 10 years with my husband. Often, the fondest memories of our travels are the music we experienced in each country. I have worked at eBay for 17 years, joining while I was still in college in our customer service team and quickly transitioning into various roles in our account management team. From there, I moved into my role in category management and have been doing that for the past five years. When I joined eBay, I was excited to be part of a company that was enabling commerce for small business in a revolutionary way. Seventeen years later, that is still one of the things I’m most excited about when I come to work every day. The Retailer: How have you personally changed your personal shopping habits during the COVID-19 pandemic? Walsh: Having worked at eBay for so long, I was already a seasoned online shopper before COVID-19 — perhaps too seasoned given the number of packages that arrive at my house each week. With shelter-in-place orders enacted, I tried to limit my trips to 28
stores and did find myself shopping for essential items like groceries and health and beauty items online. And like many people around the world, I have been purchasing more at-home entertainment items. My small vinyl collection has grown quite a bit in the past few months.
The Retailer: During these times, it is perhaps more important than ever for MI retailers to have a strong online presence, such as the one eBay provides. Can you provide some tips for retailers, both beginner and advanced, on how to improve their online presence and make more sales on eBay? Walsh: Understanding the challenges that so many businesses were facing in the initial months, eBay launched its “Up & Running” program that focused specifically on retailers without an online presence. In order to keep these businesses running, and to connect them with new customers online, eBay committed $100 million to cover their selling fees and resources to get started. We have welcomed tens of thousands of new businesses onto the platform, connecting them to a community of small businesses offering to help. Once set up on eBay, my advice to sellers would be to list as quickly as possible, even if it’s just a few items, to try it out and kickstart that additional flow of income. Of course, considerations like taking high-quality images, pricing it right, and including the right product descriptors are all important as well. But, we help sellers every step of the way, and the JULY 2020
