Buoyant traffic, increased mobile bidding boost
LiveAuctioneers’ Q3 results
NEW YORK – An aggressive European campaign and continued
growth in bidding through mobile devices set the stage for impressive
3rd-quarter results from LiveAuctioneers LLC (www.LiveAuctioneers.com).
Soon to conclude its 10th year of operations,
LiveAuctioneers is widely regarded as the leading provider of Internet
live-bidding services to antiques and fine art auction houses worldwide. The
Manhattan-based company has developed a sector-specific model that is based on
the simple premise of “more traffic, more bidders, more profits,” said CEO
Julian R. Ellison.
During the 3rd quarter of 2102, there were 8.5 million
visits to the LiveAuctioneers site, reflecting an increase of 21.29% over the
comparable quarter of last year. The number of absolute unique visitors – 4,
765,689 – was up 12.75% over Q3 2011.
“What was most satisfying was the 1.4 million visits
recorded through mobile devices,” said Ellison. “This showed a 161.94 percent
jump over last year’s third-quarter figure. We were among the early believers
in mobile bidding and developed an app when it was still a curiosity in the
marketplace. It’s now very much a part of our core business.”
Statistics also verify that during the last quarter, mobile
users stayed on the LiveAuctioneers site longer and viewed more pages than
mobile users of Q3 2011.
From all sources, there were more than 72 million page views
on LiveAuctioneers.com during the months of July, August and September.
Compared to the same quarter of last year, this indicates an increase of 30.6%.
Additionally, more than 289,000 absentee bids were lodged online through
LiveAuctioneers.
During the third quarter, the company achieved a milestone
by signing its 1,400th auction-house client. Many of the new customers were
American auction houses, but Europe also proved to be a hotbed of new business.
By the close of September, LiveAuctioneers’ clientele included 26 auction
houses in the UK, 23 in Germany and 7 in Italy.
“There are few corners of the world that are not represented
in our client base, now,” said Ellison. “Auctioneers consider LiveAuctioneers
an indispensable part of their marketing plan and realize that exposure on our
site and the ability to offer their customers absentee and live online bidding
is the most effective way to attract quality bidders worldwide.”
Fine paintings are consistently amongst the top-selling
items on LiveAuctioneers. That trend continued in the third quarter with the
sale of a signed Carl C.M. Rungius (German/American, 1869-1959) oil-on-canvas
landscape titled “Moose on a Ridge.” Descended through a Virginia family, the
artwork had been exhibited in 1908 at the prestigious Salmagundi Club in New
York. It was purchased through LiveAuctioneers for $188,800 (inclusive of 18%
buyer’s premium) in Copley Fine Art Auctions’ July 12 sale.
“As we enter our second decade, LiveAuctioneers is making a
significant investment in new technology, marketing and website design,”
Ellison noted. “We believe that these improvements will result in many
new-bidder signups, which, in turn, will benefit our auction-house clients. Our
goal is to make the LiveAuctioneers experience – from catalog browsing to
bidding and buying – an enjoyable one for all who collect, invest in art or
simply want to acquire unusual pieces for their homes or offices.”
Click to view a video that shows an auction in progress
through the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform:
Carl C.M. Rungius (German/American, 1869-1959),‘Moose on a
Ridge,’ oil on canvas, sold by Copley Fine Art Auctions to a
LiveAuctioneers.com bidder for $188,800. Image courtesy of Copley Fine Art
Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.com Archive.
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