New Autotrader.co.uk will enhance user engagement and strengthen brand experience
Auto Trader, the UK’s no 1 motoring website and magazine, has appointed Sapient and ThoughtWorks to help design and deliver a new website and Web 2.0 platform in the first half of 2009. For consumers, the site further streamlines finding relevant motoring information through significantly improved search solution, improved dealer and private interfaces and a brand new home-page – some of the key things planned for the first launch in Q2 of 2009.
By providing a variety of interactive and consulting services, Sapient will broaden the user engagement for the new Auto Trader site based on a Web 2.0 platform. This will be achieved through a number of initiatives notably around SEO and CMS that will not only drive more traffic to the website, but also enable users to interact more with ‘The World of Motoring’ proposition. Other services provided by Sapient include digital strategy, creative vision and user experience.
Auto Trader has also appointed ThoughtWorks to work with its internal team and Sapient to build the new site using Agile methodologies. Focusing on releasing business and User value, ThoughtWorks will deliver functionality early and often, as well as helping to seed Agile best practice into Auto Trader’s internal development teams. ThoughtWorks is providing expertise in analysis and project management through to development and testing.
Dominic Collins, Group Director of New Media at Trader Media Group comments: “We are delighted to be working with Sapient and ThoughtWorks to achieve our Web 2.0 objectives, as they both have a great deal of expertise in this area and are a valuable asset in helping us to create an engaging and interactive site for our customers with the latest innovative technology.
“Our approach has been to create a single blended team using expertise from Sapient, ThoughtWorks and Auto Trader. This allows us to leverage the unique strengths of both these organisations to not only deliver the new site, but also to develop our own in house capability.
“We are working hard on the new website to ensure that it continues to deliver the excellent service that Auto Trader offers and is combined with the latest technology and usability features to make searching for a vehicle on AutoTrader.co.uk easier and quicker than ever before.“
Nigel Vaz, Vice President responsible for Sapient Interactive Europe, commented: “Our expertise combines strategy, creative and technology and has allowed us to work with one of the largest online properties to help it connect with its customers in a more meaningful way. Auto Trader 2.0 will be the next generation motoring portal , where the experience is the brand and the combined proposition of search and content provides a compelling reason for users to return every day. ”
Nick Hines, UK Managing Director of ThoughtWorks, commented: “We love tackling complex technical challenges, and helping clients innovate with technology – so we’re very excited to be the technology partner for Auto Trader in this critical project.
“Auto Trader is a leading brand on the web and we’re delighted to be working with them as they define what the world of motoring will look like online.”
Auto Trader is the world of cars made easy – from new and used cars to insurance and finance, along with advice and solutions to help reduce the cost of motoring.
- Ends -
Notes to Editor:
Auto Trader:
• Auto Trader is the UK’s no 1 motoring website and magazine, with over 10.3 million monthly unique users, who carry out over 93 million searches on new and used vehicles*. Auto Trader also publishes 13 regional magazines across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The brand is building a competitive position across all effective channels including the online, magazine and mobile. (*Source: Auto Trader Audit, March 2008).
• Auto Trader is owned by Trader Media Group, one of Europe’s largest specialist multi-media groups and provider of market leading websites and their associated magazines, including Top Marques, Bike Trader, Truck & Plant Trader, Ad Trader, Motorhome and Caravan Trader, Farmers Trader – all with the largest reach in their sectors, through web visitors and magazine readership.
• Trader Media Group operates in the UK, Ireland, Italy and South Africa. The Group is looking to expand on its winning formula: giving trade customers the opportunity to choose all effective channels to market; building the service and relationship with dealers and manufacturers; and strengthening its portfolio of automotive and specialist classified titles.
• Trader Media Group is jointly owned by Guardian Media Group and Apax Partners
Sapient:
• Sapient, a global services firm, operates two groups–Sapient Interactive and Sapient Consulting–that help clients compete, evolve and grow in an increasingly complex marketplace.
• Sapient Interactive provides brand and marketing strategy, award-winning creative work, web design and development and emerging media expertise. Sapient Consulting provides business and IT strategy, process and systems design, package implementation and custom development, as well as outsourcing services such as testing, maintenance and support.
• Sapient’s passion for client success–evidenced by its ability to foster collaboration, drive innovation and solve challenging problems–is the subject of case studies on leadership and organizational behaviour used by MBA students at both Harvard and Yale.
• Leading clients, including BP, Essent Energie, Hilton International, Janus, Sony Electronics and Verizon, rely on the company’s unique approach to drive growth and market momentum. Headquartered in Boston, Sapient operates across North America, Europe and India. For more information, please visit www.sapient.com.
ThoughtWorks:
• ThoughtWorks, Inc. (www.thoughtworks.com) is a global IT consultancy providing systems development, consulting, and transformation services to Global 1000 companies.
• The company’s pioneering approach, which includes industry-acclaimed Agile and Lean best practices, helps CIOs maximise investment performance across a portfolio of complex, business critical applications, while reducing time and risk.
• ThoughtWorks’ 1,000 professionals serve clients from offices in Australia, Canada, China, India, the United Kingdom and the United States.
• ThoughtWorks Studios is the company’s specialist product division, which develops the next generation of tools for custom software development.
For further information, please contact:
Karen Hughes/Caroline Burnell
The Drum Consultancy
Tel: 020 7025 8044
Fax: 020 7025 8100
Email: karenh@thedrumconsultancy.co.uk
