With Amazon’s Prime being all the rage these days, eBay’s Daily Deals has been severely overlooked.
Not this week though. The eBay Hot Deals for Hot Days Pop Up Store in the Flatiron Plaza served the perfect solution to the rising temperatures: identical rising discounts. For two days only, July 7th and 8th, eBay gave discounts on designer frames such as Michael Kors and Ray-Bans. On Wednesday, July 8, when the Knockturnal visited, sunglasses were 87% off, based off of the 87 ºF high for the day. Within the first hour alone, the line snaked around the corner and those who were late to join the line were warned that they might not receive a pair as most pairs were selling fast. The Ray-Bans Club Masters, which were among the first style to sell out, were being offered between $19.50 to $ 26, down from the original prices of $150 to $200. No wonder everything sold out within under two hours on the first day. For those who missed out on the amazing deals, be sure to sign up for the Daily Deals Newsletter at ebay.com.
The Knockturnal also got a chance to speak to Brenda Halkias, Head of Consumer Communications of North America at eBay.
What was the inspiration behind the pop-up?
Brenda Halkias:
We have on our site, everyday, incredible deals across all categories: apparel, electronics, home, and collectibles. We just feel like it’s really important to bring that awareness to the broader community. This is an opportunity to actually do it in a really creative way with picking an air stream and bringing it into New York City, the capital of all things consumer, and highlighting our number one summer essential, the sunglasses. Today we have styles across a couple of different designers and what we’re doing is matching the discount to the temperature. So we were in Montauk over the weekend and the first day we were there it was 73 ºF, so it was 73% off the sunglasses. Today is our high day with 87% off. Yesterday we had quite a few people, we sold out in under two hours and today the line is already snaking (Editor’s note: It was a little after 10:30 A.M., only a half hour since the pop up store opened for the day.)
Emilie Furda:
We found that that the number one app people use on their smart phones is the weather app. People check it the second they wake up and we all check our daily deals emails every morning when we wake up. eBay offers amazing deals through their daily deals program across fashion and home, and its upwards to 90% off of different new and in season items. So that’s where we got the inspiration to map the weather to the discount off.
What brands are discounted today?
BH: Today we have Michael Kors and Ray-Bans, although we are running out quickly of the Ray Bans. We sold out of two styles of the Ray-Bans, the Club Masters and the Aviators. We just have the Classic Wayfarers left.
How long will the pop-up shop stay in New York for?
BH: That’s it, today’s the last day!
Will you be visiting other locations/cities?
BH: Right now, just in New York City. We wanted to continue awareness about our deals program and will continue to look at innovating ways to tell that story.
