AutoTrader is SA's leading auto marketplace

Sending almost 300,000 in-market car shoppers to the site’s dealer clients - the highest number reported in the last 12 months.

AutoTrader recorded over 80 million page views across its websites and applications for the month of January. That’s 20 million more than the closest competitor.

The auto classifieds site, which is also South Africa’s oldest online vehicle marketplace and brand, measures its progress by audience quality, focusing on the number of site visits that can be converted to actual car shoppers that contact sellers.

With this in mind, the site is focusing on delivering even more quality audience and leads to car sellers across the country in 2018.

“During a period when global players boasting high-reach audiences enter the market, results around the quality of audience attained are important to note. Marketplaces that deliver in-market buyers to advertisers are not only more lucrative for dealers but more time efficient for their sales teams,” AutoTrader CEO George Mienie explains.

Recent research by United States automotive publishers Cox Automotive shows that 83% of car buyers want to start their purchase journey online, but 89% want to sign documents and finalise the sale in a physical dealership. Auto websites that drive buyers to a dealership are meeting the needs of both buyers and dealers, who say walk-ins are the most valuable type of lead.

It’s here that AutoTrader SA especially excels. Local independent research by TNS Global Market Research Company shows that AutoTrader SA delivers the highest rate of walk-ins in the country. Thanks to the fact that users can easily locate dealerships’ contact information and addresses on the website, a whopping 62% of in-market car shoppers will visit a brick-and-mortar car dealer without any prior contact.

Mienie attributes AutoTrader’s success to its commitment to service and transparency, as well as its ongoing investment in innovation and technology. This 26-year-old South African brand was the first of its kind to offer a fully mobile responsive website, driving a seamless experience across devices. The site never forces users to fill out tedious forms in order to prove response, instead it allows the buyer to choose the method of contact. This means sellers never have to worry about missing a lead as their Call Tracker system helps car dealers remain in touch with their customers.