The evolution of classifieds and how sites can resonate with Millennials

Classified advertising has evolved from paid-for print ads being visible in one edition to connecting a mass audience of buyers and sellers online, in an instant and at no cost.

New technologies have been disrupting the traditional business model of classified advertising companies for the last twenty years and industry players have had to adapt their platforms to remain relevant and competitive.

Mobile is undoubtedly the current key driver of the classified business, especially if companies are looking at expanding into Africa and attracting new users from across the continent.

The unique mobile subscriber base in Sub-Saharan Africa is set to reach approximately half a billion subscribers by 2020 with 3G predicted to account for more than half of the total number of mobile connections by the same year.

Local classified businesses that were early adopters to the internet multiplied their users by ten due to their digital presence and today, the industry is led by mobile with more customers accessing classified portals from their mobile phones than their desktops.

Do classified businesses have to adapt their sites to resonate with Millennials? Does this generation’s familiarity with digital technology mean that it needs to be treated differently? Perhaps not. Millennials, whose use of technology is at a higher rate than any other generation before them are after the same experience as customers from other generations. Offer them a streamlined digital process and they’ll return with repeat business.

This always-connected, hyper-stimulated generation is looking for convenience and ease of use when it comes to digital platforms. The second screen phenomenon is second nature to them therefore classified sites have to offer them the same exceptional experience no matter the screen and device they’re engaging from.

This generation has grown up with e-commerce. Its members are purchasing from multiple platforms. If they have the right information at their fingertips they can empower themselves. Their technology needs are the same as other customers’ needs. They’re after quick and easy transactions and interactions.

Technology has enabled classified businesses to make it more convenient for buyers and sellers to engage online, but technology will not solve everything.

The functionality of the platform, whether it’s a website, mobile site or an application coupled with the user experience, remain key components to succeed in the classifieds business.

The landing page plays a crucial role and has to be clean with as few distractions as possible to make it simple for customers to engage with the site. It’s the most critical page and also needs to be the easiest page to navigate. The free ad offering needs to be communicated as users land on the page. A well-designed site enables customers to spend less than two minutes on it to place an ad.

Businesses playing in this space have to constantly look at improving their sites and the user experience. Changes to the site, whether aesthetic or involving code will have consequences to the user experience and therefore it’s important to determine whether there’s a need to develop the platform.

Changes to a site need to be economically viable and it’s critical that they make sense and, once developed that they work.

Although mobile sites account for a large chunk of traffic, SMS (Short Message Service) functionality through which users can place an ad continues its popularity. SMS remains the most universally accessible feature on every handset and is a simple and convenient platform to use.

Simplicity of technology will win in the end. An analysis of the best classified sites in the world reveals that these sites are economically designed and offer the best possible user experience for their customers.

The main objective of a classified business is to bring buyers and sellers together and technology makes it easier to achieve this. Although technology is disruptive, industry players have to constantly keep their goal in mind and apply technology to enable them to achieve their objective.