Scaling ebay live

Context

eBay Live is eBay's livestream shopping platform, where sellers host live events to auction products, build community, and connect directly with buyers in real time. When I joined the team, eBay Live was still in beta and operating in a highly competitive market with significant opportunities to improve both the buyer and seller experience.

As the Senior UX Researcher supporting eBay Live, I led research across both the Buyer and Seller pillars, partnering with the four Product Manager Leads responsible for Seller Experiences, Buyer Experiences, Platform Foundations, and Growth & Expansion.

Problem

As eBay Live scaled, the organization lacked a foundational understanding of the needs, motivations, and pain points driving buyer and seller behavior. At the same time, engineering resources were limited, creating a need for clear prioritization around which customer problems would have the greatest impact on growth, adoption, and retention.

Process

  • Foundational Research: I led foundational research with buyers and sellers to understand why customers participate in livestream shopping, the role of trust and community in the experience, and the biggest barriers to adoption and growth. Across seven months, I conducted and synthesized insights from 60+ buyer and seller interviews.

  • Strategic Roadmapping: I partnered with Product leadership to identify and prioritize research opportunities across eight Product Managers spanning Buyer Experiences, Seller Experiences, Platform Experience, and Growth & Expansion. I also managed a full-time contract User Researcher to scale rapid research in support of the roadmap.

  • Concept Testing: I led recurring seller panels and evaluative studies to inform key platform investments, including automatic payments, combined shipping, seller analytics, quick listing, engagement features, and host console improvements.

Impact

Buyer Understanding: My foundational buyer research established a shared understanding of how trust, entertainment, and community influence livestream shopping behavior. Insights informed eBay Live's 2025 Demand Generation Strategy and broader consumer growth initiatives.

Seller Experience: Research identified combined shipping and automatic payments as critical barriers to seller growth and platform adoption. My findings directly informed the design and rollout of combined shipping, automatic payments, quick listing, seller analytics, engagement features, and host console improvements.

Marketplace Growth: My research helped the product team prioritize the roadmap investments that supported eBay Live's rapid expansion. During a 12-month period, the platform grew from approximately $20 million to $2 billion in Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV), scaled from 75 to more than 1,000 active sellers, and launched across all seven eBay markets.

Reflections

eBay Live was one of the most strategically complex products I've supported because every decision required balancing the needs of both buyers and sellers within a rapidly evolving marketplace. I loved partnering closely with Product leaders to transform broad organizational questions into focused research investments that could guide roadmap decisions. This experience strengthened my ability to prioritize research at scale, align cross-functional stakeholders around customer needs, and help teams make confident decisions in a fast-moving, zero-to-one environment. Beyond that, I really enjoyed my time getting to know eBay Buyers and Sellers—they’re some of the most passionate users I’ve ever met!

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