Not willing to let Amazon ascend the digital marketing hierarchy on its own, Adweek reports that e-commerce competitor eBay has entered the ad targeting game. eBay Marketplace sellers have long been able to promote their products to potential customers based on past purchase patterns, but eBay is now opening that capability up to other marketers as well. Brands need to go through eBay to buy the ad spots, meaning this is yet another platform marketers can add to their digital advertising palettes.

As with Amazon's platform, the ability for marketers to target customers based on actual purchase history, rather than just search and traffic patterns, is an exciting option. Advertisers can promote accessories for products users have recently purchased or target buyers for new products when their previous version is past its warranty. The entrance of eBay into the ad targeting marketplace also provides competition that may help bring prices down or improve options for marketers.

Read the full article at Adweek.com.