My blog post was written as part of my collaboration with eBay.
You may find this hard to believe, but for me, shopping isn't always so easy. You see a piece you love and for some reason it feels like it's impossible to find- especially if it's a coveted piece for the season. I know we've all been there and it's frustrating. Thankfully eBay's new virtual shopping assistant, ShopBot is here to help. It's basically your own personal shopping assistant without the fuss of having to pay them or interact more than you have to. It's free, easy to maneuver and works like a charm.
Oh, and you don't have to download another app to your phone to take up space. If you have the Facebook Messenger app, which I'm sure you already do, you just search eBay ShopBot in the search bar and voila it's there to help you find whatever you need. Two in one, win. Also, free shipping is involved, which makes me more likely to use it on regular basis. Like just about everyone else, I hate finding something I love only to find that I'm being charged $11 for shipping, for a shirt or something. Pass. Free shipping is always a win.
There are three ways to use ShopBot. First, you can chat, which you type what you're looking for and ShopBot gives you a bunch of examples to choose from. For instance, say you're looking for a pair of pom sandals for the spring season. You can type in off-the-shoulder dress and search or you can narrow it down with your specific price range, like dresses under $50. It will ask about specifics, like color and size before giving you a handful of options.
Second, there is image search: you snap a picture of the item you want and it gives you buying options. Flipping through a magazine and spot something you love? Just snap a picture. For best results, the app suggests you avoid busy backgrounds and show the whole item. Sometimes it can't find the exact item but it finds the next best thing. Which sometimes is even better and cheaper.
Finally, and third, there's browsing. You can browse collections from eBay curators. For instance my matches came up as vintage moroccan rugs, women's style, home essentials and healthy & beauty. Click *shop* and then browse until your little heart is content.
Want to make shopping the app easier? You can set up your size profile for better matches, just in case you find that dress you've been looking for only to find it only comes in large. It basically takes all of your sizes from tops to pants to dresses and shoes. The sizing guide also has plus and petite sizing to help narrow down the search. Need to update your sizes after submitting? Just type "my sizes" to update.
Find something you love but you're not ready to buy? Favorite it by clicking the heart or simply type "favorites" and it will be saved to your list for later shopping.4 steps to using ShopBot from your phone:
(it's best used from your mobile device)
1. Get the Facebook Messenger app for iOS or Android
2. Add "eBay Shop Bot" as a Friend
3. Click "Start Shopping" above to get a message from ShopBot
4. In Facebook Messenger, take a picture of a fashion item or type in a word to get started.
Happy shopping!