Haymarket acquired PistonHeads in 2007 and the site, which encompasses news, a vibrant forum and tens of thousands of cars for sale, has seen considerable growth over the past 18 months. PistonHeads is now the UK’s second-largest motoring website (source: Hitwise), delivering more than 4 million unique users and 200 million page impressions per month. Much of this growth is driven by PistonHeads’ cars for sale section, with more than 50,000 cars for sale from private sellers, specialist performance car dealers and, increasingly, mainstream dealer groups.
With this launch, PistonHeads introduces a cutting-edge technical platform to help users searching for cars to do so more easily, and advertisers to sell cars more effectively than ever. Reader feedback has been a key part of development and PistonHeads works to a rule that of ‘if a development offers no benefit to the user, it isn’t worth doing’. User-centric design was a key part of the approach, and the beta site has been under test with a dedicated user group over the past few weeks, ahead of this public launch.
The result is a site which retains the ease of browsing - an uncluttered experience for which PistonHeads is known - but introduces a number of useful new search tools designed specifically in response to buyer’s needs, say the publishers. These include:
• The unique ability to search and compare multiple makes and models in one search.
• Fast and efficient geographical search using the latest mapping technology.
• Easy to use search filters offering unique criteria such as MPG, BHP, number of previous owners, drive-train layout, engine configuration and colour...plus numerous others.
• Intuitive keyword-based search to satisfy the most exactingly specific search.
• Easy sharing of searches between friends.
• The ability to set up an email alert service for that elusive car; as soon as one is advertised on PistonHeads, we’ll tell you via email.
• A bookmark facility for users to save regularly repeated searches.
• Clear and easy-to-read advert layout.
• Enhanced management system for advertisers (trade and private).
“PistonHeads is famous for two things: a highly engaged audience, and the hundreds of thousands of great cars for sale in our classifieds. In rebuilding our cars for sale platform to create what we believe is a market leading set of tools to enable buyers to find cars, we’ve placed our users right at the heart of the design process.” commented PistonHeads Publishing Director Stuart Forrest.
“User workshops were a key part of the process for us and a great way of understanding exactly what buyers wanted from a classifieds site. We’ve also involved users in testing the finished product, and as a result we’ve created what we hope users will find to be an intuitive and easy way of searching for used cars for sale.”
“Ultimately, we’re in the business of uniting buyers and sellers of used cars, and with our new classifieds site we believe we’ve created market leading tools to do just that.”
