OMR 2026 recap: The most important trends in e-commerce for sellers
Summary: The discussion provides no content to present, as both the initial post and the response consist of "None," without any further details on the relevant trends in e-commerce from OMR 2026.
In our recap of the OMR Festival, our hosts take you along to one of the most important events around e-commerce, marketing, and digital trends.
You’ll get to know our new host Carlo Bellmann, Senior Strategic Partnership Manager in Fashion at eBay. He’s now taking over the mic from Vincent, whom we’d like to thank for his great podcast commitment as host.
Lisa and Carlo talk about their impressions of OMR, the many exciting conversations, and the topics currently driving retail in particular: artificial intelligence, new tools, sales via social media, community management, and the creator economy.
What became especially clear at OMR is how strongly AI now influences almost every area — from content creation to performance marketing. What does that mean for sellers? Which developments should you keep an eye on? And which impulses can you take away for your own eBay business?
And a special highlight for us: The podcast team was able to accept the German Podcast Award for “Alles top. Gerne wieder!” on the HBO Stage.
Listen in and get inspired for your own business by new ideas, trends, and updates from e-commerce.
**Important Links**
- eBay for Business on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ebayforbusiness.de/)
- eBay for Business on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebayforbusiness_deutschland/)
- More info about the eBay podcast “Alles top. Gerne wieder!” and our podcast hosts (https://www.ebay.de/verkaeuferportal/news/podcast)
**Chapter markers**
- 00:00:00 to 00:02:10: Welcome, new podcast host Carlo & intro to OMR
- 00:02:10 to 00:05:15: Carlo introduces himself – Fashion, sneakers & his role at eBay
- 00:05:15 to 00:08:05: OMR as a networking event & award at the German Podcast Award
- 00:08:05 to 00:12:20: AI as the big OMR topic
- 00:12:20 to 00:15:05: Why AI is becoming a must for sellers & how to get started
- 00:15:05 to 00:17:50: Social commerce, content & buying decisions via social media
- 00:17:50 to 00:20:20: Community building, authenticity & the importance of real connections
- 00:20:20 to 00:22:45: Micro-communities, creators & why trust is becoming more important
- 00:22:45 to 00:24:35: Recommerce, secondhand & the circular economy as the future of retail
- 00:24:35 to 00:25:45: OMR conclusion – opportunities through AI, content & community for eBay sellers
Carlo: Without AI, things won’t work in the future. You just can’t get around it. I always compare it a bit to the smartphone era or generally the mobile phone era. I still remember how my mother said at the beginning that she didn’t want a mobile phone. At some point, you just can’t get around it, and then, I don’t know, 99 percent of people eventually had a smartphone or a mobile phone, and that’s how I see AI too. It will become so established in our everyday lives that every one of us will at least come into contact with it.
Lisa: Hello and welcome to a new episode of “Alles top. Gerne wieder,” the eBay podcast about retail and e-commerce. Today with a recap of OMR in Hamburg. For anyone who doesn’t know OMR yet: it’s the event for Germany’s marketing and digital scene. People discuss current trends and developments there, a mix of conference, masterclasses, side events, and a classic expo. We were there in person and brought back the most important insights. So stick around and don’t miss anything. Before we jump into the insights, we have two pieces of news. With this episode, we say goodbye to our previous host Vincent and welcome Carlo as the new host of “Alles Top, gerne wieder.” But don’t worry, Vincent will continue to be with us as Senior Legal Counsel at eBay and will surely still appear from time to time in episodes about laws or regulations. Vincent just has a lot of other internal tasks these days and unfortunately had to step down from the role of podcast host. At this point, a very heartfelt thank-you from the entire team to you, Vincent. And the good news: a very warm welcome to you too, Carlo.
Carlo: Hello and welcome from my side too. And first of all, many thanks, Lisa, for those lovely words. Before I talk about myself, I also want to say a big thank-you once again to Vincent from my side, and yes, he leaves behind some big shoes to fill.
Lisa: Are you nervous?
Carlo: I am nervous, but I always think a certain basic level of nerves is actually good and positive.
Lisa: That’s true. Carlo, let’s introduce you a bit so our listeners out there can get to know you a little better. Why don’t you just tell us who you are? What do you actually do at eBay, and what should people know about you?
Carlo: Yes, gladly. So I’m Carlo, I’ve been working at eBay for five years now, originally from Hamburg, but now I also live in Berlin, where eBay is based too. Well, actually in Brandenburg, but I still always say Berlin/Brandenburg, and I came to eBay for the sneaker area. I have a big passion for sneakers or for fashion in general, and that was my first stop at eBay five years ago, and with eBay I helped rebuild the sneaker category. It was an incredibly exciting time when I joined, and I’m still working in the fashion area and in my current role I’m responsible for partnerships for the entire fashion area in Germany and take care of all the partnerships we have, whether it’s brand-related, whether it’s also Fashion Council, so a bit more political, or also large sellers. So I always say I’m the link between the internal and external world for the fashion area at eBay.
Lisa: And now also the link between internal and external on this podcast. Carlo, I’m really, really happy that you’re joining Isabelle and me on our host journey, and who knows, maybe there’ll be a lot more fashion on the podcast from now on. I’d personally be very much on board with that too.
Carlo: Yes, I’ll try, but I’m generally a very interested person, also in all other areas, and I try to bring that in as well. Everyone tries to bring in their own style a bit. One thing you can definitely expect from me is that I’ll ask a lot of questions, and maybe also ask some critical questions. I think that’s very important and very interesting. And yes, having a bit of fun along the way, maybe cracking a joke or two. I’m really looking forward to working with you both. It’s sure to be a fantastic time.
Lisa: And we also had a great time together at OMR. We were in your hometown of Hamburg last week, which was a bit fuller than usual, because the OMR Festival always manages to bring together the who’s who of the digital and marketing scene, and by now I’d also say a big part of the e-commerce scene, in Hamburg for the OMR Festival. We picked up a few things there, but maybe, Carlo, in your own words: how would you describe the OMR Festival? What is it?
Carlo: Yes, the OMR Festival, I think that’s also what makes it so interesting. What it is isn’t that easy to answer, because it’s a bit different for everyone and everyone, or many people, go there with a different focus. What it is above all is an absolutely huge networking event. That’s how I see it, above all, where, as you just said, the who’s who comes together, where you can really meet a lot of people face to face. I always find that the nice part. Also the exhausting part, because there are, I think, more than 70,000 people there. You see a lot of people, but you can use it to talk to people in person about business topics that go beyond marketing too. Of course, marketing is always the foundation that brings everyone together a bit, but that’s actually what I find exciting about OMR. And even though lots of jokes are made about OMR, I don’t think there’s a comparable format in Germany, I’d even almost say in Europe. So I definitely think it’s a must-attend event, especially for us at eBay, to be present there.
Lisa: Yes, definitely. I think many people are skeptical about OMR because of what floods LinkedIn or what you see on other social media channels, but once you’re there and get swept up in the OMR wave, you can take away a huge amount personally. And for me there was another completely different reason to visit OMR this year, because we were able to accept an award. “Alles Top, gerne wieder” won the German Podcast Award in the Brand Branded category, and it should be said here that this would not have been possible at all without the support of our amazing eBay community. So at this point, a huge thank-you from our entire podcast team and my whole seller community and event team behind it. This podcast we’re making here is an absolute labor of love for us. Many people put a lot of time and capacity into it beyond their actual work, and this award confirmed for us that we’re doing the right thing here, that there are many people out there who need to hear from eBay, hear from us directly, hear from employees, but also from all the sellers and experts we invite onto this podcast, what it takes to run a good business on eBay. And since this Podcast Award for Brand Branded was nominated in a category that was decided by a community vote, it should also be said once again that we were of course very happy about every single vote. And I think, Carlo, that’s also a great sign for you. You’re now the podcast host of an award-winning podcast, which means we definitely have to keep this going a little further.
Carlo: Yes, definitely. It’s also super hard to follow that, but I see it as motivation, and from my side too, a huge congratulations once again to the team, to everyone behind it who puts in the work, but above all also a big thank-you, I think, to the whole community. Because, as you rightly said, without community it doesn’t work. And I think that also shows what a great community is behind this and what kind of community eBay has. And that’s simply very nice and actually makes the award even nicer, that you won above all through a vote from the community. And if you look at the field of other podcasts that were also in the race, I think that’s a hugely great achievement and you can all pat yourselves on the back for that. Really well done.
Lisa: We and especially the sellers and experts who have been with us over the last few years. I mean, when you look at who has already joined us on this podcast, we’ve had so many great people behind this microphone and will continue to do so in the future. But let’s take another look at OMR today. I always find it a bit overwhelming when you’re there. There are an incredible number of people. It’s a big program spread across many stages and masterclasses. You always feel a bit of FOMO because you can’t take in everything on offer. If you had to define it for yourself, Carlo, what was the overarching theme of OMR for you? What overshadowed everything?
Carlo: Yes, I think that’s fairly easy to answer. I honestly don’t even know whether OMR officially announced it, but AI was basically above everything, and every workshop, every keynote, everything I listened to at least touched on AI, if not made it the entire topic, and that’s why it stands above everything. What I found super interesting was the further development of AI, or rather how people talked about it. If I compare the last OMR events or just look at the general trend, there used to be this discussion a lot: when do I start using AI? How do I use AI? That’s no longer the issue now; the issue now is, it’s established, it’s not going away, and how can I optimize it? How can I use it best for myself? It’s also no longer often that thought you have: I need to hide AI, or if I use it in a process, I want to set it up so that you can’t see it. No, that’s no longer the basic idea; now everyone knows that everyone uses AI. That’s basically the premise, and beyond that people are looking at how can I optimize it, how can I optimize it for my sales? How can I optimize it for my, for example, in eBay terms again, my listings? How can I optimize the description? How can I make it more personal? That, I think, is a big point that’s coming soon. How can AI work better for me so that it also comes across more personally? Even so, we don’t want to hide it anymore, but that was my key takeaway. What about you?
Lisa: Yes, before I get to my key takeaway, I’d like to come back to AI once more, because I had a very similar impression and, above all, I thought it’s now totally en vogue to do something with AI and it’s basically a must. So I also had the feeling that companies are being measured by how much AI they actually implement, and that you also measure projects by whether the use of AI was beneficial. And no one came on stage anymore and warned against AI a bit, as in previous years; instead it was more like, if you haven’t been dealing with AI for a long time already, then you’ve fallen behind. And let’s look at how not to downplay AI or, as you say, somehow hide it, but rather how AI can now also be your competitive advantage, because it allows you to move faster, higher, further. And what I found very interesting is that there was often talk about the monetary value behind AI too. So to what extent does AI already bring you a monetary advantage? There was a lot of discussion about which jobs can be done by AI, but where human interaction is still needed, and also the clear call-out that AI takes over roles so that you create capacity in your company for other things that move you forward. But AI can no longer, or not yet for the moment, run on its own; it needs human interaction so that, for now, there is still that intermediate step from the perhaps previous world of work to where we’re heading right now. And I think that this change process we’re all somehow in right now was no longer presented as quite so threatening. And I thought that was very good, because I often notice that sellers have reservations too, not knowing how to approach the topic because it seems potentially time-consuming or unfamiliar or maybe even expensive. And I think you have to put that thought aside and just approach it. And that was my second takeaway on AI. We are so far beyond it only being about ChatGPT; now it’s no longer just ChatGPT as a company that is mentioned constantly. In all the keynotes, people were always talking about several companies or LLMs that are being used. I think the differences between the various companies are becoming much clearer, as are the use cases behind them. And that was also a wake-up call for me, because we talk a lot about ChatGPT and how ChatGPT can help with listing on eBay or creating content and so on. That you have to remind people it goes beyond that and that we’ve moved on from: AI can help you draft documents or create an image, to the fact that there are simply far more use cases you have to be willing to explore in order to, as I said, have your own capacity to focus on other strategic topics.
Carlo: Yes, I can fully second everything you said. You brought up a point, or said something just now, that I’d like to pick up on again. You said that people may have already almost missed the boat, or could have missed it. That was also interesting to see at OMR, and I’d like to take a bit of the pressure off. It’s not too late. Right now the learning curves in the AI area are still huge. So we’re still in the early stages. If you start now, these are gaps you can really close quickly and catch up on. So for every seller who hasn’t worked with AI yet: we’re still at the very beginning, and there’s a huge amount of potential now and in the next few years there will be a lot more development and further development. As you just said, there isn’t just one player or two players. There are many players on the market working in different directions. We at eBay also offer AI solutions already for sellers. That means we have opportunities to get started everywhere, and to get started easily too. But I think it really is fair to say that without AI, things won’t work in the future. You just can’t get around it. I always compare it a bit to the smartphone era or generally the mobile phone era. I still remember how my mother said at the beginning that she didn’t want a mobile phone. At some point, you just can’t get around it, and then, I don’t know, 99 percent of people eventually had a smartphone or a mobile phone, and that’s how I see AI too. It will become so established in our everyday lives that every one of us will at least come into contact with it.
Lisa: Absolutely. And what I found super interesting in one keynote was that the speaker reported how AI helped her understand AI. That you can have AI explain AI to you, that you can have AI write guides for you on how to build your own agent, or that you can talk to it and use it as a sparring partner to discuss everyday problems and how a KI can then optimize things in that case or create processes for them. And I think that’s also super important: if you don’t know what the next step is that will move me forward with AI, but I’m already doing a lot with AI in my daily work somehow, then you take the model you trust and go into consulting mode with it for a bit. That is definitely something I will do.
Lisa: We have a segment we introduced a few weeks ago. It’s called: Gladly never again. And we give our guests the chance to leave a topic or something in the past that they say: “Gladly never again, never want to talk about it again. Let it go.” What’s your gladly never again for today?
Carlo: Gladly never again, I’d like never to say again: AI yes or no, but only AI how, when, and where.
Lisa: Very good. A bit Matze Hielscher-like. We can print that on a poster at Alexanderplatz. But I like it.
Lisa: Let’s briefly get to my findings. Besides AI, I found two things super interesting. The one thesis that kind of ran through everything is the whole area around: does selling really still happen on the platform, or does selling actually happen where content happens, for example? So how does content happen on YouTube, on Instagram? Where do people get informed and actually make a purchase decision already, and the checkout then basically only happens on the platform? And I think that’s also a kind of alignment with AI, because creating content can be done super well with AI. And if I appear with my content about the products I sell where people are informing themselves before buying, and I’ve linked that to eBay or my platform of choice, and so connect the experience and the information gathering with the sales, then it kind of all comes together. And I found it very interesting how they talked about how many people are now really going from social media and recommendations from social media straight into purchasing.
Carlo: Yes, I also have to say I noticed that even more strongly at OMR, exactly as you said. This whole topic of selling via social and communities was already strong, but now it’s becoming even stronger. Especially with moving image content. That was my impression. A lot of people in many different masterclasses or keynotes talked about moving image content. How can you use it? That’s definitely something. You mentioned YouTube. There are other ways to present or distribute moving image content as a content creator too. But that’s exactly it. Besides using social media channels, you also generate direct sales through a marketplace and guide people there. That will be important. Of course, moving image content, eBay Live is naturally also a topic that goes in that direction and I think it could and will become even more interesting because of that. eBay Live is exactly that in the end. It’s video commerce, it’s content creation in a certain form too, and I think that will become super important and increasingly so.
Lisa: Yes, I also think the takeaway is that YouTube, moving image content, or even Reels on Instagram rank incredibly well when it comes to discoverability too. That’s something I think we should keep in mind again. And then trends and community building don’t happen on the marketplace; trends develop in social media and then you have to move from those trends into sales on the platform. And that’s something where, I think, you have to keep your eyes open, stay on top of the latest developments, and really think of a content strategy alongside your marketplace strategy. And you already touched on my second takeaway from OMR: community. I’ve rarely heard so much at OMR about human interaction and community: from how people connect in business, to small examples like writing each other cards, remembering birthdays, or thinking about when a business partner’s child graduates and asking how that all went. What I found super interesting in times of AI is that this human touch in business is becoming more and more important, or more and more valued. And people follow people and people buy based on recommendations from people. And if you’ve had a good experience or feel comfortable, you come back there too. Which is why, and this ties back to eBay Live again, I really think it’s cool how often people talked about how community is built not only through creators or influencers or even podcasts, but also around product interest groups. And that’s something we see every day at eBay, at eBay Live, that communities form there, trading card communities or Lego communities or sneakerheads, what are they called?
Carlo: Sneakerheads, yes.
Lisa: Yes, exactly, I knew that. Sneakerheads meet in the lives, interact with each other in the chat, and not just with the person selling there on eBay Live. And when I feel I belong to something like that, I just have a different association and a totally different experience, and that ties me to the platform completely. Or in this case, on eBay Live, it ties me to the seller too. And that, I think, is the contradiction we’re living in right now. And OMR made that very clear to me: the tension between technological progress and AI on the one hand, and this need for community, human interaction, and lived experience on the other.
Carlo: Yes, I always say community, for me, if I say it in English, community is authenticity, simply being authentic. And I think that’s what a community can bring. And especially in the times we’re in right now, where everything is increasingly AI-generated too, which is good in itself, that makes the authentic, the real, even more important. And you get that through a real community. And I think that’s why it will become more and more important, too, to highlight that. And that’s a huge opportunity, a huge possibility. And right now it’s also a huge opportunity for sellers, for example, who aren’t acting against a brand or trying to find their niche. That you can do it through an authentic community — it doesn’t have to be big. It’s not always about this many followers or that many in a community.
Lisa: Yes, that’s super important.
Carlo: It just has to be real. And I think that will count for a lot. And you can also see it in terms of brand strategy. A lot of brands are also moving toward micro-influencers or people who may have fewer followers but really stand behind a brand, which mirrors exactly that too. And community is lovely when you simply have a common ground and do things with people who share the same passion. It’s just such a strong voice that you then have together. Sorry for my Denglish, but that’s the direction I mean. And I think eBay is also a driver when it comes to community. To share a bit from the inside, from the sneaker world. A good friend, Hikmet Sugoer, with whom we’ve worked together at eBay several times, is an eBay OG, and back then he already said about eBay that he built a community beyond Germany’s borders, a network, simply because they shared the same passion. And sneakers were what connected them all. And that’s why it’s so nice, I think, to see little groups form there. Simply for the passion.
Lisa: That would almost be a nice closing word now. I think we can wrap up, and then you can gladly give your final impression of OMR once more.
Carlo: May I still say something?
Lisa: Yes.
Carlo: I still have one topic I wanted to bring up if we still have those two minutes.
Lisa: So Carlo, only because you still get the newbie bonus — otherwise I really don’t like being interrupted.
Carlo: No, of course, immediately. Sorry. I apologize. The whole thing, because it’s also a very strong topic from the fashion area. The whole topic of secondhand, refurbished, recommerce was also a big topic. So this circularity, that products, if we’re talking about products now, stay in the cycle, that you say not just new products, but new with defects, used, from private sellers, but also from commercial ones. That’s something everyone is talking about, something interesting for everyone, and it’s also increasingly in demand among end consumers. And I think that’s something that has always concerned us at eBay anyway. And we also have the platform for it. But that was one key takeaway for me from OMR too: that this has reached the mainstream, so to speak, or every brand, and will become very important. Sorry.
Lisa: It’s good that you said it again. I had totally lost sight of it because it’s just so normal for me. And that just shows how deeply it’s embedded in eBay’s DNA, because for us that’s lived every day, and at OMR you actually felt a bit validated. So after OMR, I didn’t feel like, oh my God, there’s so much to do and we at eBay aren’t well positioned there, but rather that with all the tools we’re building around AI, eBay Live really hits the nerve of what’s currently in demand, and that with all our efforts toward the circular economy and pre-loved and refurbished products, we’re serving those trends really well there and giving sellers solutions that also make it possible for them to do good business with eBay. And that was great.
Carlo: I see it the same way. And from me, one final thought on OMR, coming back again to the topic of AI. That was ultimately the topic, and it also made me feel a bit confirmed in what we’re doing here at eBay, also for our sellers, that we say we also offer tools on our platform, that we use AI in the best way and tailored to buying and selling on eBay. In addition, of course, everyone can also do what they ultimately can off-platform with AI, but we also lay the groundwork for that on the platform, and it was simply good to see that we’re on the cutting edge there.
Lisa: Totally. I think my learning for all sellers is definitely this: you don’t become a successful eBay seller just by having a great offer on eBay and the input you put into the marketplace, but there has to be a shift in thinking about how content and data-driven work lead to visibility and how you build community. Because all the work you put into community building simply pays off in the loyalty of the customers you build. And maybe also, from your own buyer perspective, think about what your discovery channels are — the ones through which you come across products, where you make your purchase decision, and how you can then, with the help of AI too, create content for yourself and appear where potential buyers are learning about your products.
Carlo: Exactly. And see that as an opportunity, not a risk.
Lisa: Very good. Carlo, I’m looking forward to many great episodes with you. Thank you very much.
Carlo: Thank you from my side too. Thanks for the warm welcome, Lisa, and see you soon.
Lisa: See you soon.
Lisa: Hello and welcome to a new episode of “Alles top. Gerne wieder,” the eBay podcast about retail and e-commerce. Today with a recap of OMR in Hamburg. For anyone who doesn’t know OMR yet: it’s the event for Germany’s marketing and digital scene. People discuss current trends and developments there, a mix of conference, masterclasses, side events, and a classic expo. We were there in person and brought back the most important insights. So stick around and don’t miss anything. Before we jump into the insights, we have two pieces of news. With this episode, we say goodbye to our previous host Vincent and welcome Carlo as the new host of “Alles Top, gerne wieder.” But don’t worry, Vincent will continue to be with us as Senior Legal Counsel at eBay and will surely still appear from time to time in episodes about laws or regulations. Vincent just has a lot of other internal tasks these days and unfortunately had to step down from the role of podcast host. At this point, a very heartfelt thank-you from the entire team to you, Vincent. And the good news: a very warm welcome to you too, Carlo.
Carlo: Hello and welcome from my side too. And first of all, many thanks, Lisa, for those lovely words. Before I talk about myself, I also want to say a big thank-you once again to Vincent from my side, and yes, he leaves behind some big shoes to fill.
Lisa: Are you nervous?
Carlo: I am nervous, but I always think a certain basic level of nerves is actually good and positive.
Lisa: That’s true. Carlo, let’s introduce you a bit so our listeners out there can get to know you a little better. Why don’t you just tell us who you are? What do you actually do at eBay, and what should people know about you?
Carlo: Yes, gladly. So I’m Carlo, I’ve been working at eBay for five years now, originally from Hamburg, but now I also live in Berlin, where eBay is based too. Well, actually in Brandenburg, but I still always say Berlin/Brandenburg, and I came to eBay for the sneaker area. I have a big passion for sneakers or for fashion in general, and that was my first stop at eBay five years ago, and with eBay I helped rebuild the sneaker category. It was an incredibly exciting time when I joined, and I’m still working in the fashion area and in my current role I’m responsible for partnerships for the entire fashion area in Germany and take care of all the partnerships we have, whether it’s brand-related, whether it’s also Fashion Council, so a bit more political, or also large sellers. So I always say I’m the link between the internal and external world for the fashion area at eBay.
Lisa: And now also the link between internal and external on this podcast. Carlo, I’m really, really happy that you’re joining Isabelle and me on our host journey, and who knows, maybe there’ll be a lot more fashion on the podcast from now on. I’d personally be very much on board with that too.
Carlo: Yes, I’ll try, but I’m generally a very interested person, also in all other areas, and I try to bring that in as well. Everyone tries to bring in their own style a bit. One thing you can definitely expect from me is that I’ll ask a lot of questions, and maybe also ask some critical questions. I think that’s very important and very interesting. And yes, having a bit of fun along the way, maybe cracking a joke or two. I’m really looking forward to working with you both. It’s sure to be a fantastic time.
Lisa: And we also had a great time together at OMR. We were in your hometown of Hamburg last week, which was a bit fuller than usual, because the OMR Festival always manages to bring together the who’s who of the digital and marketing scene, and by now I’d also say a big part of the e-commerce scene, in Hamburg for the OMR Festival. We picked up a few things there, but maybe, Carlo, in your own words: how would you describe the OMR Festival? What is it?
Carlo: Yes, the OMR Festival, I think that’s also what makes it so interesting. What it is isn’t that easy to answer, because it’s a bit different for everyone and everyone, or many people, go there with a different focus. What it is above all is an absolutely huge networking event. That’s how I see it, above all, where, as you just said, the who’s who comes together, where you can really meet a lot of people face to face. I always find that the nice part. Also the exhausting part, because there are, I think, more than 70,000 people there. You see a lot of people, but you can use it to talk to people in person about business topics that go beyond marketing too. Of course, marketing is always the foundation that brings everyone together a bit, but that’s actually what I find exciting about OMR. And even though lots of jokes are made about OMR, I don’t think there’s a comparable format in Germany, I’d even almost say in Europe. So I definitely think it’s a must-attend event, especially for us at eBay, to be present there.
Lisa: Yes, definitely. I think many people are skeptical about OMR because of what floods LinkedIn or what you see on other social media channels, but once you’re there and get swept up in the OMR wave, you can take away a huge amount personally. And for me there was another completely different reason to visit OMR this year, because we were able to accept an award. “Alles Top, gerne wieder” won the German Podcast Award in the Brand Branded category, and it should be said here that this would not have been possible at all without the support of our amazing eBay community. So at this point, a huge thank-you from our entire podcast team and my whole seller community and event team behind it. This podcast we’re making here is an absolute labor of love for us. Many people put a lot of time and capacity into it beyond their actual work, and this award confirmed for us that we’re doing the right thing here, that there are many people out there who need to hear from eBay, hear from us directly, hear from employees, but also from all the sellers and experts we invite onto this podcast, what it takes to run a good business on eBay. And since this Podcast Award for Brand Branded was nominated in a category that was decided by a community vote, it should also be said once again that we were of course very happy about every single vote. And I think, Carlo, that’s also a great sign for you. You’re now the podcast host of an award-winning podcast, which means we definitely have to keep this going a little further.
Carlo: Yes, definitely. It’s also super hard to follow that, but I see it as motivation, and from my side too, a huge congratulations once again to the team, to everyone behind it who puts in the work, but above all also a big thank-you, I think, to the whole community. Because, as you rightly said, without community it doesn’t work. And I think that also shows what a great community is behind this and what kind of community eBay has. And that’s simply very nice and actually makes the award even nicer, that you won above all through a vote from the community. And if you look at the field of other podcasts that were also in the race, I think that’s a hugely great achievement and you can all pat yourselves on the back for that. Really well done.
Lisa: We and especially the sellers and experts who have been with us over the last few years. I mean, when you look at who has already joined us on this podcast, we’ve had so many great people behind this microphone and will continue to do so in the future. But let’s take another look at OMR today. I always find it a bit overwhelming when you’re there. There are an incredible number of people. It’s a big program spread across many stages and masterclasses. You always feel a bit of FOMO because you can’t take in everything on offer. If you had to define it for yourself, Carlo, what was the overarching theme of OMR for you? What overshadowed everything?
Carlo: Yes, I think that’s fairly easy to answer. I honestly don’t even know whether OMR officially announced it, but AI was basically above everything, and every workshop, every keynote, everything I listened to at least touched on AI, if not made it the entire topic, and that’s why it stands above everything. What I found super interesting was the further development of AI, or rather how people talked about it. If I compare the last OMR events or just look at the general trend, there used to be this discussion a lot: when do I start using AI? How do I use AI? That’s no longer the issue now; the issue now is, it’s established, it’s not going away, and how can I optimize it? How can I use it best for myself? It’s also no longer often that thought you have: I need to hide AI, or if I use it in a process, I want to set it up so that you can’t see it. No, that’s no longer the basic idea; now everyone knows that everyone uses AI. That’s basically the premise, and beyond that people are looking at how can I optimize it, how can I optimize it for my sales? How can I optimize it for my, for example, in eBay terms again, my listings? How can I optimize the description? How can I make it more personal? That, I think, is a big point that’s coming soon. How can AI work better for me so that it also comes across more personally? Even so, we don’t want to hide it anymore, but that was my key takeaway. What about you?
Lisa: Yes, before I get to my key takeaway, I’d like to come back to AI once more, because I had a very similar impression and, above all, I thought it’s now totally en vogue to do something with AI and it’s basically a must. So I also had the feeling that companies are being measured by how much AI they actually implement, and that you also measure projects by whether the use of AI was beneficial. And no one came on stage anymore and warned against AI a bit, as in previous years; instead it was more like, if you haven’t been dealing with AI for a long time already, then you’ve fallen behind. And let’s look at how not to downplay AI or, as you say, somehow hide it, but rather how AI can now also be your competitive advantage, because it allows you to move faster, higher, further. And what I found very interesting is that there was often talk about the monetary value behind AI too. So to what extent does AI already bring you a monetary advantage? There was a lot of discussion about which jobs can be done by AI, but where human interaction is still needed, and also the clear call-out that AI takes over roles so that you create capacity in your company for other things that move you forward. But AI can no longer, or not yet for the moment, run on its own; it needs human interaction so that, for now, there is still that intermediate step from the perhaps previous world of work to where we’re heading right now. And I think that this change process we’re all somehow in right now was no longer presented as quite so threatening. And I thought that was very good, because I often notice that sellers have reservations too, not knowing how to approach the topic because it seems potentially time-consuming or unfamiliar or maybe even expensive. And I think you have to put that thought aside and just approach it. And that was my second takeaway on AI. We are so far beyond it only being about ChatGPT; now it’s no longer just ChatGPT as a company that is mentioned constantly. In all the keynotes, people were always talking about several companies or LLMs that are being used. I think the differences between the various companies are becoming much clearer, as are the use cases behind them. And that was also a wake-up call for me, because we talk a lot about ChatGPT and how ChatGPT can help with listing on eBay or creating content and so on. That you have to remind people it goes beyond that and that we’ve moved on from: AI can help you draft documents or create an image, to the fact that there are simply far more use cases you have to be willing to explore in order to, as I said, have your own capacity to focus on other strategic topics.
Carlo: Yes, I can fully second everything you said. You brought up a point, or said something just now, that I’d like to pick up on again. You said that people may have already almost missed the boat, or could have missed it. That was also interesting to see at OMR, and I’d like to take a bit of the pressure off. It’s not too late. Right now the learning curves in the AI area are still huge. So we’re still in the early stages. If you start now, these are gaps you can really close quickly and catch up on. So for every seller who hasn’t worked with AI yet: we’re still at the very beginning, and there’s a huge amount of potential now and in the next few years there will be a lot more development and further development. As you just said, there isn’t just one player or two players. There are many players on the market working in different directions. We at eBay also offer AI solutions already for sellers. That means we have opportunities to get started everywhere, and to get started easily too. But I think it really is fair to say that without AI, things won’t work in the future. You just can’t get around it. I always compare it a bit to the smartphone era or generally the mobile phone era. I still remember how my mother said at the beginning that she didn’t want a mobile phone. At some point, you just can’t get around it, and then, I don’t know, 99 percent of people eventually had a smartphone or a mobile phone, and that’s how I see AI too. It will become so established in our everyday lives that every one of us will at least come into contact with it.
Lisa: Absolutely. And what I found super interesting in one keynote was that the speaker reported how AI helped her understand AI. That you can have AI explain AI to you, that you can have AI write guides for you on how to build your own agent, or that you can talk to it and use it as a sparring partner to discuss everyday problems and how a KI can then optimize things in that case or create processes for them. And I think that’s also super important: if you don’t know what the next step is that will move me forward with AI, but I’m already doing a lot with AI in my daily work somehow, then you take the model you trust and go into consulting mode with it for a bit. That is definitely something I will do.
Lisa: We have a segment we introduced a few weeks ago. It’s called: Gladly never again. And we give our guests the chance to leave a topic or something in the past that they say: “Gladly never again, never want to talk about it again. Let it go.” What’s your gladly never again for today?
Carlo: Gladly never again, I’d like never to say again: AI yes or no, but only AI how, when, and where.
Lisa: Very good. A bit Matze Hielscher-like. We can print that on a poster at Alexanderplatz. But I like it.
Lisa: Let’s briefly get to my findings. Besides AI, I found two things super interesting. The one thesis that kind of ran through everything is the whole area around: does selling really still happen on the platform, or does selling actually happen where content happens, for example? So how does content happen on YouTube, on Instagram? Where do people get informed and actually make a purchase decision already, and the checkout then basically only happens on the platform? And I think that’s also a kind of alignment with AI, because creating content can be done super well with AI. And if I appear with my content about the products I sell where people are informing themselves before buying, and I’ve linked that to eBay or my platform of choice, and so connect the experience and the information gathering with the sales, then it kind of all comes together. And I found it very interesting how they talked about how many people are now really going from social media and recommendations from social media straight into purchasing.
Carlo: Yes, I also have to say I noticed that even more strongly at OMR, exactly as you said. This whole topic of selling via social and communities was already strong, but now it’s becoming even stronger. Especially with moving image content. That was my impression. A lot of people in many different masterclasses or keynotes talked about moving image content. How can you use it? That’s definitely something. You mentioned YouTube. There are other ways to present or distribute moving image content as a content creator too. But that’s exactly it. Besides using social media channels, you also generate direct sales through a marketplace and guide people there. That will be important. Of course, moving image content, eBay Live is naturally also a topic that goes in that direction and I think it could and will become even more interesting because of that. eBay Live is exactly that in the end. It’s video commerce, it’s content creation in a certain form too, and I think that will become super important and increasingly so.
Lisa: Yes, I also think the takeaway is that YouTube, moving image content, or even Reels on Instagram rank incredibly well when it comes to discoverability too. That’s something I think we should keep in mind again. And then trends and community building don’t happen on the marketplace; trends develop in social media and then you have to move from those trends into sales on the platform. And that’s something where, I think, you have to keep your eyes open, stay on top of the latest developments, and really think of a content strategy alongside your marketplace strategy. And you already touched on my second takeaway from OMR: community. I’ve rarely heard so much at OMR about human interaction and community: from how people connect in business, to small examples like writing each other cards, remembering birthdays, or thinking about when a business partner’s child graduates and asking how that all went. What I found super interesting in times of AI is that this human touch in business is becoming more and more important, or more and more valued. And people follow people and people buy based on recommendations from people. And if you’ve had a good experience or feel comfortable, you come back there too. Which is why, and this ties back to eBay Live again, I really think it’s cool how often people talked about how community is built not only through creators or influencers or even podcasts, but also around product interest groups. And that’s something we see every day at eBay, at eBay Live, that communities form there, trading card communities or Lego communities or sneakerheads, what are they called?
Carlo: Sneakerheads, yes.
Lisa: Yes, exactly, I knew that. Sneakerheads meet in the lives, interact with each other in the chat, and not just with the person selling there on eBay Live. And when I feel I belong to something like that, I just have a different association and a totally different experience, and that ties me to the platform completely. Or in this case, on eBay Live, it ties me to the seller too. And that, I think, is the contradiction we’re living in right now. And OMR made that very clear to me: the tension between technological progress and AI on the one hand, and this need for community, human interaction, and lived experience on the other.
Carlo: Yes, I always say community, for me, if I say it in English, community is authenticity, simply being authentic. And I think that’s what a community can bring. And especially in the times we’re in right now, where everything is increasingly AI-generated too, which is good in itself, that makes the authentic, the real, even more important. And you get that through a real community. And I think that’s why it will become more and more important, too, to highlight that. And that’s a huge opportunity, a huge possibility. And right now it’s also a huge opportunity for sellers, for example, who aren’t acting against a brand or trying to find their niche. That you can do it through an authentic community — it doesn’t have to be big. It’s not always about this many followers or that many in a community.
Lisa: Yes, that’s super important.
Carlo: It just has to be real. And I think that will count for a lot. And you can also see it in terms of brand strategy. A lot of brands are also moving toward micro-influencers or people who may have fewer followers but really stand behind a brand, which mirrors exactly that too. And community is lovely when you simply have a common ground and do things with people who share the same passion. It’s just such a strong voice that you then have together. Sorry for my Denglish, but that’s the direction I mean. And I think eBay is also a driver when it comes to community. To share a bit from the inside, from the sneaker world. A good friend, Hikmet Sugoer, with whom we’ve worked together at eBay several times, is an eBay OG, and back then he already said about eBay that he built a community beyond Germany’s borders, a network, simply because they shared the same passion. And sneakers were what connected them all. And that’s why it’s so nice, I think, to see little groups form there. Simply for the passion.
Lisa: That would almost be a nice closing word now. I think we can wrap up, and then you can gladly give your final impression of OMR once more.
Carlo: May I still say something?
Lisa: Yes.
Carlo: I still have one topic I wanted to bring up if we still have those two minutes.
Lisa: So Carlo, only because you still get the newbie bonus — otherwise I really don’t like being interrupted.
Carlo: No, of course, immediately. Sorry. I apologize. The whole thing, because it’s also a very strong topic from the fashion area. The whole topic of secondhand, refurbished, recommerce was also a big topic. So this circularity, that products, if we’re talking about products now, stay in the cycle, that you say not just new products, but new with defects, used, from private sellers, but also from commercial ones. That’s something everyone is talking about, something interesting for everyone, and it’s also increasingly in demand among end consumers. And I think that’s something that has always concerned us at eBay anyway. And we also have the platform for it. But that was one key takeaway for me from OMR too: that this has reached the mainstream, so to speak, or every brand, and will become very important. Sorry.
Lisa: It’s good that you said it again. I had totally lost sight of it because it’s just so normal for me. And that just shows how deeply it’s embedded in eBay’s DNA, because for us that’s lived every day, and at OMR you actually felt a bit validated. So after OMR, I didn’t feel like, oh my God, there’s so much to do and we at eBay aren’t well positioned there, but rather that with all the tools we’re building around AI, eBay Live really hits the nerve of what’s currently in demand, and that with all our efforts toward the circular economy and pre-loved and refurbished products, we’re serving those trends really well there and giving sellers solutions that also make it possible for them to do good business with eBay. And that was great.
Carlo: I see it the same way. And from me, one final thought on OMR, coming back again to the topic of AI. That was ultimately the topic, and it also made me feel a bit confirmed in what we’re doing here at eBay, also for our sellers, that we say we also offer tools on our platform, that we use AI in the best way and tailored to buying and selling on eBay. In addition, of course, everyone can also do what they ultimately can off-platform with AI, but we also lay the groundwork for that on the platform, and it was simply good to see that we’re on the cutting edge there.
Lisa: Totally. I think my learning for all sellers is definitely this: you don’t become a successful eBay seller just by having a great offer on eBay and the input you put into the marketplace, but there has to be a shift in thinking about how content and data-driven work lead to visibility and how you build community. Because all the work you put into community building simply pays off in the loyalty of the customers you build. And maybe also, from your own buyer perspective, think about what your discovery channels are — the ones through which you come across products, where you make your purchase decision, and how you can then, with the help of AI too, create content for yourself and appear where potential buyers are learning about your products.
Carlo: Exactly. And see that as an opportunity, not a risk.
Lisa: Very good. Carlo, I’m looking forward to many great episodes with you. Thank you very much.
Carlo: Thank you from my side too. Thanks for the warm welcome, Lisa, and see you soon.
Lisa: See you soon.
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1 comment
kath_8029
·2 months agoIt's a shame that ebay has lost so much quality in recent years. Many sellers are annoyed by the service and Seller Cockpit Pro, which is very cumbersome, buggy, and confusing. By now, there isn't even the option to switch to the classic view anymore. For us, that's not a problem, as we will completely leave ebay by the end of the year and switch to other platforms.