GenAI description is eBay's first consumer-facing AI that helps sellers draft item descriptions for their listings. Through our feature, we achieved an impressive 90% acceptance rate of AI-generated descriptions and an 80% customer satisfaction rate.
Client
eBay
Timeline
Q2 - Q3 2023
Role
Lead designer
Background
Writing descriptions can be time-consuming, especially for C2C sellers who may struggle to create detailed, compelling content. As a result, buyers often encounter descriptions that lack information, which can hurt the listing’s sell-through rate and overall conversion.
With our CoreAI technology, we hypothesized that offering sellers an AI-assisted tool to draft item descriptions during the listing process could save time and improve description quality, making them more informative for potential buyers.
Given that a large portion of C2C sellers list products on native platforms, we prioritized developing this feature for native in the initial release. We rolled it out in two phases: first as a BETA for our employees, and once we felt confident, we gradually released it to the public.
Competitive analysis
We surveyed competitive and comparative experiences to identify common themes across visual and UX patterns. Key findings included single-CTAs for content generation, options to customize content style or tone, the ability to rewrite or choose from multiple content options, and a recurring visual trend of purple hues and star motifs associated with AI. These insights helped us understand both current industry trends and the experiences sellers may already be familiar with.
Design, build, learn
Working closely with our engineers, our strategy involved simultaneous designing and building. This approach allowed us to identify limitations of our AI technology and launch within a one-month timeline.
Throughout the iterations, we considered several key factors: how sellers would discover the new feature, how they would interact with it, what the MVP for launch should be, legal disclaimer placements, and opportunities for sellers to provide direct feedback.
Impact
22%
U.S. sellers engaged with the GenAI item description feature at launch.
97%
Sellers used AI-generated descriptions, including those with edits.
83%
Customer satisfaction (CSAT); one of the highest ratings among new feature launches.
“So far this is a game changer when it comes to easily listing cards makes the whole process faster…"
“Great FEATURE!! Round of Applause on this one Ebay!”
“This is the most AMAZING and productive enhancement ebay has Ever made!! thank you so much - love it!!!!”
“Oh my god I feel so articulate. I am in love with this feature. Saves me hours!“
Next, we launched GenAI descriptions on web platforms and in eBay's new native listing flow as part of a broader initiative to use AI for populating listings from photos.
In collaboration with our design systems and brand teams, we introduced visual enhancements in these subsequent launches, aligning with our broader effort to make the listing tools feel more delightful and magical.
GenAI description in production
Reflection and future considerations
In an August 2023 study, sellers expressed overall enjoyment of the feature, but noted the 'fluff' or 'flowery' tone of the AI-generated content indicating a need for improvement.
The study also revealed that sellers may not fully understand the importance of having a detailed description. Beyond refining the generated content, I suggest for the team to take a step back to define what constitutes a quality description, how it contributes to a high-quality listing, and how it influences buyer perceptions. The initiative for AI-generated descriptions was launched under an extremely tight timeline, which limited the discovery phase and the exploration of the role of item descriptions within listings.
I also recommend considering future enhancements to empower sellers with greater control over their descriptions. This could involve allowing sellers to integrate AI-generated content into existing descriptions (currently, tapping on the CTA removes existing copy), experimenting with tonal customizations, and introducing visual enhancements with motion to create a more engaging experience.
Awards & News articles
AI Breakthrough Award: eBay’s Magical Listing Tool wins for ‘Best Overall Generative AI Solution’
TechCrunch: eBay rolls out a tool that generates product listings from photos
eBay News: ‘Magical’ Listing Tool Harnesses the Power of AI to Make Selling on eBay Faster, Easier, and More Accurate