WEBSITE METRICS INDICATE RECORD YEAR FOR CAR SALES, SAYS WHATCAR.COM

March 3, 2015 by What Car?

◾Mobile traffic up 23% year-on-year; tablet visits increase by 3%

◾Buyer intent remains high

◾March expected to be record month for buyer activity

Online activity at whatcar.com is indicating another potentially record-breaking year for car sales.

Visits to the UK's biggest car-buying brand's website topped 3.9 million in January, with mobile traffic up 23% compared with the same month last year.

The metrics indicate a high degree of buyer intent and could signal another record year for car sales, after a standout year in 2014, when sales reached 2.48 million.

With the arrival of the new '15' registration plate in March, which usually prompts an increase in activity, next month could be the busiest ever in terms of visits to whatcar.com.

Traffic to whatcar.com via mobile and tablet devices now represent 54% of website visits, the greatest proportion to date – and rising. Mobile traffic has grown by a quarter year-on-year, whereas tablet visits rose by 3%.

Whatcar.com editor, Jim Holder, said: 'Car sales reached a 10-year high in 2014, but our figures suggest 2015 could be stronger still.

'There's no doubt a more stable economy and low interest rates are driving sales, but manufacturers are building vehicles that are better than ever in terms of quality, safety and practicality. Add some very tempting Target Price deals to the mix and it is clear why sales are so strong.

'For dealers, we are now delivering more leasing leads than ever, with conversion rates up 8% year-on-year. What Car? also continues to funnel large numbers of test drive and valuation leads, helping to boost dealer revenues.'

The famously thorough What Car? reviews continue to pull in the most readers across all mobile devices and desktop computers, achieving 44% and 50% of total visits respectively.

Please visit www.whatcar.com for more information.

Photo credit: What Car?
posted on conceptcarz.com