‘Dual screening’ drives online shopping says Ebay

Internet Retailing

26th Jun 2017

Ebay Australia has reported a big sales spike in Heston Blumenthal and Hailee Steinfeld-related products after they appeared last week on Masterchef and The Voice, respectively.

The online marketplace attributes this to ‘dual screening’, the growing consumer habit of using mobile devices and laptops while watching television.

According to Nielsen data, the average Australian household spreads their viewing time across 6.4 screens, and almost half of Australians make a shopping purchase based on what they watch on screen, according to research by eBay.com.au.

The trend has grown in tandem with the rise of multi-screening.

“Interestingly, reality shows are not only dominating our TV screens but our shopping carts too with one quarter of Aussies admitting to purchasing an item after seeing it in action on TV, streaming services or online catch up,” said Megan English, Ebay’s trendwatcher.

“This number rises to 40 per cent amongst 25-34 year olds. Cooking shows such as Masterchef and My Kitchen Rules inspire the most purchases, followed by home improvement shows such The Block, and fashion series like Next Top Model.”

Last Thursday, Ebay observed a 400 per cent increase in sales of Heston Blumenthal products, compared to the six previous Thursday evenings, following the celebrity chef’s appearance as a guest judge on Masterchef.

And sales of Hailee Steinfeld products spiked 200 per cent last Sunday evening, compared to the six previous Sunday evenings, following the actress’s guest performance on The Voice.

“[The] best way for retailers to take advantage of dual screening on Ebay is by offering products and sales in line with popular shows,” said English.

“Whether that’s the form of timely flash sales or bundling trending items featured on a show – our data shows that Aussies are interested in what’s hot on the small screen.”