ATLANTA -
Thanks to healthier auto market and a strong marketing push by the site, AutoTrader.com said Thursday that January was its best-ever month in terms of website traffic.
There were 17.4 million unique visitors to AutoTrader.com, besting the total from May of last year (16.8 million) when the prior all-time high was achieved.
Moreover, January’s total was 9 percent stronger than the traffic from the year-ago period (15.98 million).
“Auto shoppers are coming back into the market in force,” stated Chip Perry, the president and chief executive officer of AutoTrader.com.
“Our marketing efforts have let the public know that AutoTrader.com is the place to visit for their car shopping needs and they’re responding to our messages in record numbers,” he added.
Continuing on, AutoTrader.com delved into some of the marketing strategies it rolled out in 2010 and January 2011, campaigns the company believes pushed the record traffic.
For example, the site argued that its “Heart & Mind” generated a strong response from consumers. What AutoTrader.com called the “centerpiece” of the campaign were two 30-second commercials emphasizing the site as a resource for consumers to conduct side-by-side comparisons of vehicles and determine which best suit them.
These TV ads aired during 2010 and in January via several cable networks and programs. AutoTrader.com delivered its “Heart & Mind” message through such avenues as digital/social media outlets and sports sponsorships, as well.
AutoTrader also showcased its brand through a slew of auto shows from November through January. It was estimated that AutoTrader reached more than 6 million shoppers and enthusiasts during its auto-show travels, which consisted of stops in Seattle; San Francisco; Los Angeles; San Diego; Detroit; St. Louis; Washington, D.C.; and Philadelphia.
“We’re thrilled to be able to attract this record audience of car shoppers, creating real value for the auto dealers and manufacturers who advertise cars on our site,” Perry noted.
“With this record site traffic of 17.4 million and the millions of new, used and certified pre-owned cars listed for sale on our site, AutoTrader.com is truly the ultimate automotive marketplace,” he added.
Last month’s site traffic is composed of 16.2 unique site visitors and 1.2 million mobile platform visitors. The site emphasized that the traffic figures were “scrubbed to remove visitors who accessed the AutoTrader.com core site and the mobile platform for a true view of unique visitors," officials indicated.