eBay scores new cooperation with Notable Live

Sports fans have a new reason to be happy:e-Commerce giant eBay has announced a new strategic partnership with Notable Live, a digital startup bringing sport legends and fans closer together.

But how does it work, and does it have any impact on your brand?

eBay needs no introduction: the e-Commerce giant is present in millions of online shoppers’ lives worldwide. Notable Live, however, is slightly less known across the globe - at least among those of us not majorly invested in the world of sports.

Operated by sports fans and iconic players (a.k.a “notables”), Notable Live “is a live interactive platform where fans and notables (Athletes, Teams, Leagues) can create authentic connections through interactive commerce experiences.” By the way, eBay Ventures, eBay’s capital venture fund, is one of the investors backing Notable Live.

The platform is quite easy to use. Sports fans have to create a free account and download the Notable App. They can then purchase tickets for various live events and record their questions before the start to allow for smooth interactions. Once it’s time for the chosen event, sports fans can connect via their app and enjoy the experience - or access on demand content at any time.

Screenshot of notable.live/live-events depicting a sample event on a smartphone

Notable Live immersive experiences include live events, where players interact with sports fans via the platform, and also live auctions where legendary items are up for grabs.

And this is where eBay comes in.

eBay is not new to trading memorabilia. In fact, the e-Commerce giant has been operating a Collectibles section for some time now, where collectors of items ranging from autographs to vintage travel souvenirs can connect and exchange items with each other.

Screenshot of the Collectible Sports Autographs section on ebay.com

Now, thanks to the cooperation with Notable Live, eBay can ramp up its offering in sports collectibles. According to the multi-year agreement between the two platforms, Notable Live will bring collectible sports items, exclusive player merchandise, NFTs and immersive live shopping experiences to eBay.

Find out if NFTs are beneficial for your brand’s IP rights - and what dangers they may pose!

To foster this exciting cooperation, eBay has already opened a Notable Live subsection on its platform.

Screenshot of https://www.ebay.com/str/notablelive

“From a notable's perspective, I am thrilled that this partnership enables us players to combine eBay's substantial commerce reach with live experiences to bridge the gap and more closely connect with our fans," said Emmit Smith, co-founder of Notable Live and NFL Hall of Fame player.

Although both eBay Collectibles and Notable Live are available in multiple regions of the world, including North America and Europe, Notable Live is primarily focused on US-based sports, especially American football. Which means that fans of Bayern München or Arsenal may have to wait a bit longer for their merchandise to be included on the platform.

Live shopping events, like those offered by Notable Live and eBay are not new in the world of online shopping. In fact, live shopping is already a major hit in Asia. In China, the value of this market segment has reached $695 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $819 billion in 2024.

Live shopping is less popular but definitely gaining momentum in other parts of the world. In the US, the market is currently valued at $32 billion and is expected to reach $68 billion by 2026. Amazon, YouTube, TikTok and Meta are at the forefront of the effort to bring live shopping to success in the country.

In Europe, although 70% of consumers seem to be open to the idea, live shopping has not become a major phenomenon yet. Pioneers like the German Ritzi app pave the way for this new segment of e-Commerce that may bring good old teleshopping into the 21st century.

The most recent cooperation with Notable Live is not eBay’s first venture into live shopping. The e-Commerce giant has already dabbled in this market when it launched Live by eBay in 2022.

Live by eBay offers live auctions to customers where interested parties can bid on high-value collector items in real time via the platform - quite like a traditional in-person auction in the strictest sense of the word.

A person holding a live streaming event

It seems that the newest cooperation with Notable Live fits perfectly into this line of events.

Live shopping certainly seems like an interesting opportunity for brands who want to branch out and try their hands at the newest and trendiest type of e-Commerce. However, as opportunities seldom come without threats, it’s best to take a look at how live shopping may affect your IP rights.

Currently, live shopping content in Asia is often generated by brands and sellers, or influencers working with the former to promote a product. Content like that may be hard to control for brands, especially if the sellers and/or influencers are not authorised by the brand to represent its products. Unfortunately, this is the exact scenario that arises out of counterfeit or grey market sellers trying to make some money by abusing your brand’s IP rights.

However, you don’t have to accept this loss. A comprehensive online brand protection programme, like the one offered by globaleyez, is geared towards detecting and removing IP infringing content from the internet.

Our services are perfectly scalable and adjustable to your brand’s exact needs. We find infringing product listings, ads, pictures, social media posts, domain names, meta descriptions, apps, and much more to protect your brand’s revenue and reputation online.

Contact us if you have any concerns about the protection of your IP rights in live shopping and any other scenario both on- and offline.