eBay Interactive Store Fronts Trigger Mobile Donations for Toys for Tots

Posted on by Chief Marketer Staff

Tis’ the season for giving and eBay has dreamed up an innovative way for people in New York City and San Francisco to make donations to Toys for Tots.

Two store fronts popped up Nov. 11 in those cities that display popular children’s toys like Teddy bears and trains that themselves cannot be purchased, but rather represent dollar amounts that can be donated to Toys for Tots.

To make a donation, window shoppers download theBay mobile app and then scan QR codes that appear on virtual price tags triggering donations from $2 to $25. Once the donation has been made, the toys spring to life celebrating the charitable gift and express their thanks.

“We know that consumers are more inclined to give to charity during the holidays, and eBay is gearing up for what we believe will be our biggest mobile shopping season ever,” eBay spokesperson Amanda Christine Miller said. “The Give-A-Toy Store offers a differentiated experience for those who wish to give using their mobile phone, and 100% of the proceeds will benefit Toys for Tots.”

To kick off the promotion, actress Debra Messing was on hand at The Give-A-Toy Store in New York City, located at 35th Street and Broadway, near Herald Square. The San Francisco store is located at 117 Post Street near the busy Union Square shopping district.

The stores, designed by ad agency Venables Bell & Partners, will be open through Dec. 9. A how-to-video explains how to make a donation.

EBay is also using a dedicated website and Facebook page to encourage donations. On Facebook, fans can customize their own virtual toy through the “Build a Toy” campaign. For each toy designed, eBay will donate $1 to Toys for Tots up to $50,000. And eBay registrants can also save Toys for Tots as their favorite nonprofit and give $1
whenever they make a purchase on eBay with PayPal.

“Give-A-Toy store is part of the eBay Giving Works program and shares the core values of pairing commerce with philanthropy to create a shopping experience unlike any other,” Miller said. “EBay is now leveraging these unique assets to create an opportunity to give and make it more relevant to consumers.”

Mobile is a growing commerce platform for eBay. Its mobile suite of applications has been downloaded more than 58 million times. Additionally, more than 600,000 new eBay shoppers made their first eBay purchase through the company’s mobile apps so far this year, she said.

On Oct. 20, eBay and designer Jonathan Adler unveiled The eBay Inspiration Shop—a 24/7 “shoppable” storefront in New York City showcasing a collection of new, must-have merchandise for the fall season. Nearly 30 trendsetters selected the items featured in the Adler-designed windows by sharing their shopping wish lists for fall. Shoppers were invited to download the eBay mobile app to scan custom QR codes and shop similar items.

Contributors include Molly Sims, Lake Bell, Betsey Johnson, Charlotte Ronson, Coco Rocha, Justin Bell, Liz Lange, Simon Doonan and more.

More

Related Posts

Chief Marketer Videos

by Chief Marketer Staff

In our latest Marketers on Fire LinkedIn Live, Anywhere Real Estate CMO Esther-Mireya Tejeda discusses consumer targeting strategies, the evolution of the CMO role and advice for aspiring C-suite marketers.

	
        

Call for entries now open

Pro
Awards 2023

Click here to view the 2023 Winners
	
        

2023 LIST ANNOUNCED

CM 200

 

Click here to view the 2023 winners!