Daype Classifieds

TORONTO (CNW) — According to the most recent data from comScore, Kijiji.ca Cars & Vehicles is the No. 1 automotive website amongst its  competitors(*),  making it the country’s top online resource for buying and selling used vehicles.

In February 2009, 2.6 million unique visitors, or more than one-in-10 online Canadians, turned to the Cars & Vehicles category on Kijiji.ca – a lead of 27 per cent (or a half-million visitors) over the second-largest online destination amongst its competitors(*) in Canada. In the first two months of the year, Kijiji’s auto category has grown 11 per cent.

Why are Canadians shopping on Kijiji.ca? Currently, the online classifieds site’s Cars & Vehicles category includes more than 500,000 individual free classified postings from across Canada. These include free advertisements for everything from cars and classic cars, SUVs, trucks, and vans, to motorcycles, boats, ATVs and RVs.

“Kijiji has positively changed the way Canadian consumers buy and sell used vehicles by helping to connect car buyers with local, individual sellers,” said Andrew Sloss, Country Manager, Kijiji Canada. “Unlike other websites, Kijiji.ca has local sites for 63 cities across the country, making it easy for buyers to find sellers in their own neighbourhoods.”

The number of page-views recorded for Kijiji Canada’s cars and vehicles listings is growing rapidly. In the first two months of the year, the number of page views has increased by 16 million. The number of overall visits (new and returning users) to the category has grown to over 13.2 million, more than two times that of the distant second competitor(*) online.

What’s causing the shift from dealer to driveway? The majority of Canadians are buying used, according to additional research from a comScore survey commissioned by Kijiji. Likely a result of a tighter economy and heightened environmental awareness, 68 per cent of recent car purchases were of pre-owned vehicles. Almost half of Canadians who purchased a used car bought it directly from the previous owner.

“When it comes to individuals buying or selling a vehicle, the Internet has become a powerful tool and Kijiji is the most popular classifieds website with both car buyers and sellers,” said Sloss. “Kijiji’s easy-to-use interface, and no listing fees, attracts a large volume of sellers, and this in turn benefits buyers. Consumers who recently purchased a vehicle online were likely to find it on Kijiji.”

The comScore data also shows that consumers are doing their homework. Those looking for used cars are spending more time than ever on Kijiji.ca. By February 2009, the total minutes count for Kijiji’s auto category surpassed 90 million.

(*) Based on comScore data, Kijiji Cars & Vehicles’ competitors include these leading online auto sites: Autotrader.ca, Autos 123, eBay Motors US, eBay Motors Canada.

About Kijiji

Kijiji, which means “village” in Swahili, is a group of classifieds-style web sites that offer a convenient, fun, and easy way for people in the same city to meet, trade, share ideas, and help each other out in areas such as housing, jobs, goods, services, cars, and personals. The entire Kijiji family includes the Kijiji, Gumtree, LoQUo, Intoko, and Marktplaats brands. Kijiji sites are currently available in over 1500 cities in more than 20 markets around the world; it is the most visited classified site in Canada with more than 7 million unique visitors per month.

April 10, 2009
source: newswire.ca