Reston, VA, September 5, 2006--ComScore Media Metrix today released an analysis of consumer activity at the top online classified sites.
Traffic to the Online Classifieds category has grown 47 percent in the past year to 37.4 million Internet users, reaching about 22 percent of the total Internet population.
Category leader Craigslist.org attracted 13.8 million visitors in July 2006, up an impressive 99 percent during the past year. Trader Publishing Company ranked second with 10.2 million visitors (up 15 percent), while AutoTrader ranked third with 6.4 million visitors (up 14 percent).
“While online classifieds are not new, it appears that Internet users are really beginning to catch on to this phenomenon,” commented Andrew Lipsman, senior analyst of comScore Networks. “With nearly fifty percent growth in the past year, Online Classifieds are growing at a rate that surpasses most other categories. As the category leader, Craigslist has clearly impacted the way in which new and traditional media companies approach the classifieds business.”
A demographic analysis of the online classifieds category revealed a distinct user profile with higher than expected proportions of visitors originating among younger professionals, and individuals residing on the West coast. People between the ages of 25-34, and those in households making at least $100,000 annually were each 23 percent more likely than average to visit the category. Users from the Pacific region were 29 percent more likely than average to visit classified sites.
