Baton Rouge entrepreneurs still have time to apply for eBay Retail Revival program

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - City leaders are making a final push to encourage local entrepreneurs to apply for eBay’s retail revival program.

As U.S. retailers announced the closure of thousands of stores, eBay hopes the program will encourage small business owners to “stay local, sell global.” The program aims to get sellers to contribute to their local economy by using eBay’s platform to globally sell their products.

The program provides resources and training to the Baton Rouge small business community, such as ongoing tech support, a free store subscription for a year as well as training and education. eBay is taking applications until Wednesday, August 21. Click here to apply.

William Davidson, CEO of Baton Rouge based Hybrid Racing, said he believes being a part of the program will be beneficial for his business. Founded in 2001 while Davidson was still in college, Hybrid Racing produces performance automotive parts for Honda and Acura vehicle models.

He said selling his products through an e-commerce platform is a first for his company, and believes eBay could help his products get more exposure on a global scale. The e-commerce company has a platform called eBay Motor, which focuses on selling auto parts and vehicles, another aspect that was appealing to Davidson.

Davidson said he is also working to sell products on Amazon.

He first heard about the program while he toured with eBay officials when the company was considering whether to establish the partnership with Baton Rouge.

eBay selected Baton Rouge as its sixth city and launched its partnership in May 2018.

As consumers increasingly rely on online shopping, it is estimated that 95 percent of purchases will be made online by 2040. While it may seem like e-commerce is overshadowing brick-and-mortar sales, just over 10 percent of all retail sales are done through e-commerce. Sales are projected to reach $4.5 trillion in 2020. This might seem like a small fraction of overall retail sales, but the numbers are growing.