Dive Brief:
- Continuing its content creation for sneakerheads, eBay has tapped La La Anthony, DJ Skee and Jacques Slade to host The Sleigh Drop, its new sales event that showcases sneaker collections, the company announced on Nov. 5.
- To start, sneaker seller SoleStage will list more than 700 pairs of shoes from DJ Skee's closet. Skee will unveil more shoes from the collection every Friday of this month, the company said.
- EBay will share Slade's shoe collection on Dec. 3, and Anthony will feature hers on Dec. 17, according to the announcement.
Dive Insight:
EBay's sneaker category is experiencing double-digit growth. Pre-owned sneakers are selling 15% faster month over month on the marketplace, according to Ebay's sales data.
Before kicking off this holiday sneaker series, the e-commerce platform has paid particular attention to its blossoming sneaker category. In 2019, the site got rid of listing fees for shoes valued at $100 or more. The company began authenticating shoes sold for more than $100 in the U.S. with the help of expert authenticators last year. Using augmented reality technology, it also hosted a Santa Sneaker Drop sweepstakes last year to give sneaker fanatics a chance to win highly desirable shoes.
Besides sneakers, eBay has also made an effort to authenticate other collectibles sold on its platform. In the spring, eBay announced the launch of an event series in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Nashville and other cities where shoppers could authenticate collectibles such as shoes, trading cards and luxury timepieces.
"This holiday looks really different, and these drops give sneakerheads access to highly coveted pairs that you can't get anywhere else," Garry Thaniel, general manager of sneakers at eBay, said in a statement. "Supply chain challenges have reshaped the season, and shoppers are craving the rare, the unique and the hard-to-find, especially when it comes to enthusiast categories like sneakers."
