LiveAuctioneers Reports 50% Jump in Q3 Mobile Visitors, with Average Time Spent on Site Increasing by 40.8% over Comp Quarter 2012

NEW YORK, Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile was the big story during Q3 for Manhattan-based LiveAuctioneers, the world's leading marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of antiques, fine art and collectibles. The company reported a substantial increase in mobile visitors during the third quarter and a notable spike in tablet use via LiveAuctioneers' mobile app.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131125/PH22831-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131125/PH22831-b )

"Browsing and bidding via mobile devices is fast becoming a preferred method for people on the go who can't always access their desktops or laptops but don't want to miss out on bidding in a sale," said LiveAuctioneers CEO Julian R. Ellison. "In particular, the popularity of tablets, with their larger screens, has been a key contributing factor to the increase in mobile bidding on LiveAuctioneers."

During the third quarter of 2013, visits to LiveAuctioneers from all mobile devices was up 49.63% over the comparable quarter of 2012, while visits from tablets, alone, rose by 48.26%. The average amount of time mobile visitors spent on the site was 42.5% higher than in Q3 2012. Also, more than 44,000 bids were placed via mobile devices during the quarter. The average time spent on the site through any and all methods, including mobile devices, was up 40.80% over the comparable quarter of 2012.

The number of auctions listed in Q3 increased significantly to 1,729. During the quarter, those sales attracted 358,561 auction signups and 335,013 absentee bids.

"No one should underestimate the significance of absentee bids," said Ellison. "Last quarter, absentee bids lodged on LiveAuctioneers totaled over one hundred and sixteen million dollars. Those bids had an enormous impact on the final selling prices of goods auctioned by our clients, whether the winning bids were received in a saleroom, over the phone or online." On average, absentee bids totaled $127,587 per third-quarter auction.

Ellison said the number of sellers on LiveAuctioneers is growing rapidly. "We now have well over 2,000 sellers on the site from 47 countries on five continents. Our team is busier now than at any other time I can remember in our ten-year history."

On the buying side, LiveAuctioneers has the largest audience of bidders of all online-auction sites catering specifically to the fine art, antiques and collectibles sector. Presently, LiveAuctioneers' bidder database includes users in 181 countries and 60 territories.

Online-buying trends during the months of July, August and September reflected a continued global preference for Asian art in its many forms, as well as a strong interest in contemporary art and fine jewelry.

A 25¼-inch Chinese Qing Dynasty carved rhinoceros horn was purchased by a LiveAuctioneers bidder for $211,900 in California Asian Art Auction Gallery's September 14 sale. Also, a Chinese moon flask with Qianlong mark, estimated at a relatively modest $8,000-$10,000, surprised bidders at Marchant Auction & Estate Sales' August 31 event when it was bid to $76,700 through LiveAuctioneers.

Other headline-making Q3 online results included the $80,500 price paid for a pair of 5.40-dwts platinum and diamond dangle earrings in Leslie Hindman's September 8 auction, and the $75,000 winning bid on a suite of three circa-1949 Alexander Calder wall sculptures offered by Neal Auction Company on September 14. An identical price was achieved online in the same Neal sale by a Louisiana landscape painted by New Orleans artist Marshall Joseph Smith Jr.

LiveAuctioneers made a number of visual and practical changes to its website and user dashboard in the third quarter. Most of those changes came about as a result of suggestions from LiveAuctioneers users.

"Our focus is on aggregating activity on the individual's dashboard so it's a time-saving, one-stop experience," said Ellison. "LiveAuctioneers' dashboard tools enable our users to communicate with sellers, set alerts, monitor upcoming-auction approvals, view saved items, manage their profiles, and more. The list of functions and new features is quite impressive, and the feedback from users has been overwhelmingly positive."

Click to view a video that shows an auction in progress through the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD7aSvcHjxw

To contact LiveAuctioneers, email [email protected].
Online: www.LiveAuctioneers.com  

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SOURCE LiveAuctioneers