Carsales.com.au launches classified video ads
Carsales.com.au has launched a video classified advertising service.
The announcement:
carsales.com Ltd (ASX: CRZ) has announced the release of a new video classified advertising service. The new classified advertising medium went live on carsales.com.au in early October. It will be rolled out to other sites across the Carsales Network in the coming months.
The innovation is the result of a collaborative development project involving carsales.com Ltd’s business-to-business arm DataMotive and the USA’s largest online automotive advertising solution provider, Dealer.com. It allows advertisers to upload still images and information, and produce and publish high-quality video classified advertisements.
The video ads bring a new dimension to Australia’s number one automotive website, carsales.com.au. Though the new advertising medium only went live on carsales.com.au less than two weeks ago, and initially is only available to car dealers, there are already over 4000 new and used car video ads live and available for view carsales.com Ltd will soon offer the service as an option for private advertisers as well.
Produced using Dealer.com’s CarFlix™ stitched image and ‘real human voice’ technology, the videos are automatically generated using an individual car’s still images and details.
Consumers do not have to film or edit video, or record voiceovers to produce the video ads. Professional quality, Australian-voiced vehicle descriptions are produced automatically. The system leverages carsales’ affiliate Redbook data and assets plus those of DataMotive’s in-house dealer photography team.
The video ads can also be viewed via carsales’ mobile platform. DataMotive’s General Manager, Damian Hardy, stated the launch of the new video service was further proof of carsales.com Ltd’s commitment to innovation in the classified space.
“We are pleased to be able to introduce this technology to Australian dealers and consumers and are excited about the relationship with Dealer.com,” Mr Hardy said. “The new video advertising system was developed in conjunction with Dealer.com specifically to suit the Australian marketplace.
It is fully integrated into carsales’ business-to-business platforms. Rolling it out to our private consumers is also a priority,” he explained.
“Research in the USA shows# close to 90 per cent of potential car buyers found video descriptions of vehicles helpful in selecting the right car to buy.
“US experience also indicates that dealers and sites which feature video classifieds may be more effective in terms of converting inquiry into sales. We believe that will hold true for the Australian marketplace as well,” Mr Hardy stated.
Mr Hardy said dealer uptake of the new DataMotive video service had been strong. “News of our video advertising solution was only rolled out to the marketplace in the last few weeks and the first ads went live last week. We’ve already seen a strong acceptance of the product from dealers and we believe strongly that consumers will appreciate the option of shopping for cars in this format.”
carsales.com Ltd Strategy Director Paul Barlow said the DataMotive video development was a logical evolution of carsales’ wider classified offering.
“carsales is the innovator in the online classified space. This latest product is just one of a suite of products we’ll roll out in the coming months,” he said.
The video advertisements are now live across selected listings on carsales.com.au. Video ads will be rolled out to other sites within the Carsales Network progressively.
Source: Carsales.com.au press release
