Auto Trader has reported record new car audience levels and lead volumes on its platform ahead of the September plate change.
The consumer demand seen in July – a record 64.4m across platform visits – continued into August, with 28.6% more visits to Auto Trader platforms than at the same time last year. A similar picture can be seen in new car activity, with a record circa 1.5m unique users viewing one of the 53,000 brand new vehicles advertised on its marketplace in July, marking a 43% increase on the same period last year.
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The increased traffic resulted in a record number of new car leads being sent to the circa 2,000 franchise retailers advertising new car stock on Auto Trader in a single month, increasing 173% year-on-year.
Tuesday 18 August marked the highest ever number of new car leads sent to retailers in one day: 69% more than the daily average recorded during the last week of February, ahead of the March number plate change.
Ian Plummer, Auto Trader’s commercial director, said: “Whilst our metrics offer a very promising outlook, in the very specific context of 2020 a profitable September is more important than ever to all our retailer and manufacturer partners. From the beginning of the crisis, we have done all we can to support our customers, and the plate change, which represents a vital step in restoring the health of the new car market, is no exception.
“Building on the pick-up of consumer interest and lead volumes through May and June, last month saw the very welcome news of a growing new car market for the first time in many months. And there are significant reasons to believe more growth can be found in September. Along with the reluctance of using public transport, increased savings from lockdown, attractive finance deals, PCP renewals, pent up demand and anticipation for the new 70s number plate, we believe this campaign will help deliver a strong September for our partners.”
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By GlobalDataLast month, Auto Trader confirmed the acquisition of finance, insurance and compliance software platform AutoConvert. The acquisition is expected to contribute circa £1m to the Group’s total revenue and, prior to any amortisation of acquired intangible assets, is expected to make an operating loss of circa £0.5m for the remainder of the year ended 31 March 2021.
