Welcome Back eBay & Best Wishes

eCommerce
Written By Rick Watson

In a huge signal that calm could be coming to the eBay storm, it was recently reported that activist investor Starboard has slashed its stake in eBay, having achieved its two goals:

  • sell off non-marketplace assets like classifieds, and

  • pick an outsider for the new eBay CEO position

In the last few months, Starboard has cut its share 75%.

Ultimately, this is good for eBay. Fewer headaches and distraction for the Board and the incoming CEO, Jamie Iannone.

Jamie recently outlined a vision for the company highlighting the overlap between non-Amazon market whitespace as well as traditional eBay strengths that have been left to rot.

The execution remains to be seen, (and if eBay will be acquisitive - my biggest question) but likely this means that eBay will not be sold off soon, as has been rumored, and the CEO will be given some space to execute an improvement strategy.

Welcome back eBay, and best wishes. Hopefully eBay can put its recent (mainly self-inflicted) troubles behind it - at least for a time.

Rick Watson

Rick Watson founded RMW Commerce Consulting after spending 20+ years as a technology entrepreneur and operator exclusively in the eCommerce industry with companies like ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, Merchantry, and Pitney Bowes.

Watson’s work today is centered on supporting investors and management teams incubating and growing direct-to-consumer businesses. Most recently, in partnership with WHP Global, Rick was a critical resource in architecting the WHP+ platform, a new turnkey direct to consumer digital e-commerce platform that powers AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com.

Watson also hosts a weekly podcast, Watson Weekly, where he shares an unbiased, unfiltered expert take on the retail sector’s biggest players.

In the past year alone, Rick has spoken at many in-person and virtual events as well as podcasts on topics ranging from retail/ecom to supply chain/logistics and even digital grocery including CommerceNext IRL, ASCM Connect, and Retail Innovation Conference.

https://www.rmwcommerce.com/
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