Empowering Women Report

Equitable Entrepreneurship: Empowering Women Through eCommerce Report

While the pandemic impacted people across the US from every walk of life and segment of society, from early on it became clear that women were disproportionately impacted economically and socially. This report explores how selling on eBay, whether to run or build a small business, or just as an individual to earn extra income, proved helpful to women during the pandemic. It allowed women to earn income, support their family or small businesses, and work flexibly and safely from home at a time when many were burdened by increased household and childcare responsibilities.

Notable findings include 69 percent of women surveyed for this report said that the ability to sell on eBay was a benefit during the pandemic; 73 percent cited the need to earn income for themselves or revenue for their businesses as top motivating factors for selling on eBay; and 74 percent reported the ability to work from home is a benefit to selling on eBay that is important to them. For women who indicated that they were new to selling on eBay or who increased their selling as a result of the pandemic, 82 percent said that they did so because of job loss, reduction in income, illness, loss of childcare, or some other hardship.

The ability for sellers to use ecommerce to reach beyond their local markets also took on special importance during the pandemic, and the report examines trade data for US women-owned eBay-enabled small businesses to illustrate how connecting with global shoppers has consistently been an important part of the eBay marketplace. For example, 97 percent of US women-owned eBay-enabled small businesses exported in 2019 – a far higher rate than businesses that have not embraced online tools – and reached on average 16 different countries, again dwarfing traditional export reach.

Supporting our vibrant, creative and compassionate community of sellers during difficult times has always been a top eBay priority. We remain committed to tirelessly using technology to empower women and foster equitable entrepreneurship across America and around the world.

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