Gumtree grows into Asian markets

by Hayley Pinkerfield, Revolution UK 31-May-07, 15:56

Gumtree, the online classified site, is to expand into Asian markets, insisting its focus will remain local.

The business has boosted its UK listings to a record 10 million, and grown to the 22nd largest British web site, overtaking Amazon and MSN.

The recent growth spurt is due to successfully integrating new tools and technology.

Gumtree has launched integrated map technology to help users locate services and items for sale ‘at a glance’. The integrated map software covers ten of Gumtree’s key UK cities, including London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Cardiff, to help users locate the most relevant posts. London users have most keenly embraced this feature. Some 111,000 London listings already use map functionality and 180,000 across the UK.

Gumtree also launched a YouTube service in March, letting users personalise their ads by embedding short films. This is proving popular with property and job postings, to entice new tenants and employees. These Web 2.0 features have been built with global communities in mind, to boost interactivity and social networking.

Gumtree's last major expansion was into Berlin, Rome and Milan in 2005, giving the service a reach of 31 countries.

Speaking on the Asian expansion, Gumtree.com’s GM, Doug Monro, said: ““A vibrant community is already emerging on Gumtree.com.hk in Hong Kong, the city widely recognised as the gateway to the worlds largest cyber market in Asia.”