eBay Motors Group launching in the business sector

Motors.co.uk, Gumtree and eBay Motors have come together under one brand, the eBay Motors Group, which will create one of the UK’s biggest vehicle advertising services when it comes to market in January 2020.

Phill Jones, Head of eBay Motors Group UK, said: “Consumer demands are changing, with nearly all (89%) used car buyers visiting multiple online marketplaces to help make their purchasing decisions. In today’s digitally-first world of car buying, the biggest challenge dealers face is being visible.

“Our research shows that the average car buying process is 41 days long and spans a number of websites. It is crucial for dealers to be able to reach these consumers at these varying stages. The more touchpoints a dealer has with a buyer, the greater the chance of a sale. eBay Motors Group now represents a larger share of touchpoints across the buying and selling customer journey, with 92% of buyers willing to use at least one site across the Group.”

The announcement follows eBay's acquisition of Motors.co.uk earlier this year from Cox Automotive, which in turn acquired the site in 2012, during which time it doubled its audience and the number of vehicles it advertised.

Speaking at the time of the acquisition of Motors.co.uk be eBay, Martin Forbes, CEO of Cox Automotive, said: “The whole team at Motors.co.uk has done an incredible job growing the business, and it isn’t surprising that it has attracted the attention of eBay, one of the world’s most well-known e-commerce companies. The deal with eBay is great news for Motors.co.uk and would enable the business, the brand and the team to grow under new ownership where the focus is more consumer-led. For Cox Automotive, it would enable us to focus on building upon our strengths in the wholesale market and in supporting dealers, OEMs, Fleet and Leasing customers with a “connected retail” proposition.”