AUTO TRADER OFFICIALLY HELPS DEALERS TO SELL MORE CARS MORE PROFITABLY
February 19th, 2008Auto Trader, the UK’s no 1 motoring website and magazine, reaching nearly 10 million motorists, has been independently measured* against eBay Motors and was found to officially help dealers to sell more cars more profitably. (*Source: HPI Research, 2007)
The independent research looked at the use of AutoTrader.co.uk and eBay Motors by both independent and franchised motor dealers and found that trial and continued use of Auto Trader is around four times higher than that of eBay Motors. In addition to this, AutoTrader.co.uk was deemed ‘excellent’ value for money by nearly 7 in 10 trade advertisers*, but for eBay, nearly 1 in 5 motor dealers** rate the brand ‘poor’ value for money. (*Source HPI: of those currently using AT.co.uk) (**Source HPI: of those currently using eBay).
Further research indicated that consumers spend four times* longer on AutoTrader.co.uk per visit than eBay Motors and vehicles which are advertised on both Auto Trader website and magazine sell for on average 127% of the CAP clean figure. eBay Motors sells at 115%. Therefore by advertising with Auto Trader, dealers achieve an extra £720 profit per vehicle**. In fact, Auto Trader generated an average of 86 phone calls per dealer over one month whereas eBay Motors generated just 21 phone calls***. (*Source: Comscore December 2007) (**Source: HPI CAP: Based on a car with a CAP Clean value of £6000.) (***Source: Calls2Account statistics average, September 2007)
Geoff Burke, Sales Manager Wokingham Motors, explains why he is very happy with advertising his stock through Auto Trader: “The reason we use Auto Trader and rate it so highly is simple - we get real results from it and feel it is the first place anyone goes to when looking for a used car.
“We also like the fact that Auto Trader is so easy to use and requires no additional effort from ourselves to upload and advertise our stock.
“We have also recently signed up to some of Auto Trader’s additional products and services including Calls 2 Account, which will track our telephone leads, and are currently looking at investing in SPi, which will allow us to keep an eye on the market and our competitors to ensure that our stock is competitively priced.”
Commenting on the findings, Ben Potts at HPI Research comments: “Our independent research highlights the level of success that trade advertisers are experiencing when using Auto Trader. We will continue to monitor all of the major car classified websites and magazines, measuring dealer’s levels of satisfaction with the brands and hope to see continued positive results throughout the year.”
Craig Stevens, Group Sales Director at Trader Media Group comments: “We are very pleased with the results of this independent research and are delighted with our success both on and offline. This year we are looking to significantly grow our audience of motorists throughout 2008, which will be achieved by continuing to innovate and invest in the brand. To do this, we have to attract more motorists to Auto Trader through whichever channel they choose and thereby generate more leads for our advertisers.
“Our massive £15 million investment in a marketing campaign to support the brand is testament to our commitment to further build our market-leading position and help dealers sell more cars more profitably.”
Now in the top 50 most visited sites in the UK, Auto Trader is a route to market for one quarter of the UK online adult population, with over 8.5 million users*, who each spends an average of 15 minutes on the site per visit**. Auto Trader attracts a massive audience of car buyers looking to purchase cars across all segments and serves 525 million page impressions per month, with 77 million searches for cars. (*Source: Auto Trader Internal Audit, January 2008) (**Source: Comscore November 2007).
Auto Trader is the UK’s 40th most actively purchased magazine*, putting it ahead of magazines such as Zoo, BBC Top Gear and Grazia. Currently the readership of Auto Trader, which has 13 regional editions, reaches a readership of over 1.4 million motorists** and over 13 million copies*** of Auto Trader are sold every year in the UK. (*Source: ABC Jan-Dec 2006) (** Source: NRS, Feb 2007) (***Source: ABC Jan-Dec 2007)
- Ends -
Notes to Editor:
• With 13 regional Auto Trader magazines across the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and an expanding online presence through AutoTrader.co.uk, the brand is building a competitive position across all effective channels including print, the web and WAP.
• Auto Trader is owned by Trader Media Group, which also publishes market-leading niche titles such as Top Marques, Bike Trader, Truck & Plant Trader, Ad Trader, Motorhome and Caravan Trader, Farmers Trader, Auto Freeway, TNT magazine – all with the largest reach in their sectors, through magazine readership and web visitors.
• Trader Media Group publishes almost 70 titles every week with a combined circulation of 1.5 million and has leading websites for its top titles.
• Trader Media Group, a division of Guardian Media Group, employs over 3,900 people across 40 locations in the UK, Ireland, Holland, Italy and South Africa. The Group is looking to expand on its winning formula: developing a one-stop-shop for motorists; 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, with GMG as the majority shareholder.
For further information, please contact:
Karen Hughes/Caroline Burnell
The Drum Consultancy
Tel: 020 7025 8044
Fax: 020 7025 8100
Email: karenh@drumbeat.co.uk
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