Honest John Insights Q1 2015

7/17/2019 Honest John Insights Q1 2015

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GIRL POWERFind out why our female audience has almost doubled

10M MONTHLY PAGEVIEWSHonestJohn.co.uk continues supersonic growth

DESKTOP, MOBILE OR TABLET?Discover which platform our users prefer

BUILDING NEW PARTNERSHIPSHonestJohn Vans teams up with Hamerville Media

HONEST JOHNAWARDS 2015Whos been shortlisted for thisyears Honest John Awards?

H O N E S TINSIGHTS


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The last two years has

seen signicant growth on

HonestJohn.co.uk, with female

car buyers driving much of that

demand. We have seen a 75

per cent increase in female users across all

devices, but its mobile which has been most

impressive with more than 250,000 women

over 25 years old visiting the site via a phone

or tablet. And the vast majority of these usersare coming to us for buying advice via our in

depth reviews.

As a brand, HonestJohn.co.uk has

focussed on making reviews easy to

understand and accessible for all. That

means cutting out the jargon and keeping

things simple - in other words giving users

the important information they need. So

as well as those in the know, we hope

that our reviews are still useful for the non

car-enthusiast or those that just want some

straightforward car buying advice.Women now account for about 4 in 10

registered keepers of private cars, according

to the DVLA and that number has increased

by 72 per cent since 1994.

Latest market research shows that women

are increasingly dominating the car buying

process, with 80 per cent of car buying

decisions inuenced by women. And while

UK driving licence applications by men are

declining, those by women have grown by

2.5 per cent over the past three years.

But perhaps more interesting is

that the same market research

shows that half of women

globally are not happy

with their vehicles while

three quarters feel theyare misunderstood by

car manufacturers.

We nd that

status and associated

values such as brand,

colour and comfort plays

a greater part in the car

buying process for women than

it does for men, says Dan Harrison,

editor of HonestJohn.co.uk.

Female buyers are more inclined to

consider a premium manufacturer over avolume one and branding is key, which is

why fashion associations such as Citroen

DS3 with Orla Kiely and Benet and SEAT

Mii with Mango will be a growing trend in the

coming year.

The feedback weve received from female

users about the site has been very positive,

as reected in the trafc gures. Desktop still

reigns supreme and its the 25-34 year-old

demographic which accounts for the biggest

majority of these users.

So the big question is what are

these users looking at? Well its

no surprise to nd that within

reviews, its the compact

crossover which seems to

be nding favour. Theresbeen a huge increase in

this market over the past

few years and our female

users have obviously

been impressed.

Its easy to see the

appeal. With dimensions

similar to a standard small

hatchback, they are easy to drive and

park, yet have a raised driving position and

more practicality than a hatch. The most

popular among our female audience is thedesign driven Nissan Juke, closely followed

by the Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008,

while we have had lots of interest around the

soon to be launched Honda HR-V. With more

new small crossovers due this year the

Mazda CX-3 among them were expecting

these gures to grow even more.

The Nissan Juke:

Most popular car amongst

our female audience

TOP 5 CROSSOVERS/COMPACT SUVS FOR Q1 2015

Nissan Qashqai Honda HR-V Skoda Yeti Jeep Renegade Ford Kuga

The compact SUV sector is booming but which models are our readers most interested in?

1 2 3 4 5

Girl Power 02

HonestJohn.co.uk: female users up 75%

Half of

women arenot happy

with their

vehicles


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THE SITE INNUMBERS Q1

28,323,822PAGEVIEWS

5,235,796USERS

8,052,349SESSIONS

7,306,050CAR REVIEWS VIEWS

14,242VISITS VIA SOCIAL

2,659,415MOBILE USAGE

710,400SITE SEARCHES

USERSTATISTICS

96,820FORUM THREADS

115,699REGISTERED USERS

59,948QUESTIONS ASKED

27,442NEWSLETTER

SUBSCRIPTIONS

4811GOOD GARAGE REVIEWS

3885OWNERS REVIEWS

DESKTOP VSMOBILE VSTABLET

Q1 2013 Q1 2014 Q1 2015

TABLETMOBILE DESKTOP

SECTION GROWTH (USERS)

Cars up by 18%Vans up by 43%Classics up by 41%

Read more on page 7Read more on page 6

Q1: 01/01/15 - 31/03/15

Totals to Date

YEAR-BY-YEAR COMPARISON

Our recently re-launched industry-leading

mobile platform will further help ouraudience who want to view the site on the

move. Its now easier to navigate than ever

and presents our content in a way which

is more appropriate for mobile browsing.

Plus it gives us the exibility to develop

more mobile-friendly features, which will

come in 2015

HonestJohn.co.uk continues to grow with the rst quarter of 2015 showing

increases across the board. Weve seen a big rise in our total number of users

driven in part by our unique used car pricing section, the ever expanding vans

site, owners reviews and Ask HJ.

New sections like product reviews are showing huge increases in trafc. With

even more coming from us in the next three months were expecting to see this

growth continue to increase.

One of our most exciting new features will be a car choosing tool, which will

help our users narrow down their choice of car by selecting different tags so

whether theyre after a family friendly car with a ve star Euro NCAP rating and

room for a buggy, or a comfortable motorway cruiser with plenty of rear legroom

and an economical engine, the choosing tool will help.

Jan - Mar 2015 Jan - Mar 2014

Site Statistics03


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Honest John Awards 2015 04

The Honest John Awards are back, to honour the manufacturers of the

most popular cars of 2015.

This year, the overall winners of 17 categories will be announced in

Bedford, at Honest Johns for-one-night-only pop-up pub The Hat &

Horn where we will celebrate with a good old-fashioned knees-up and

plenty of local ale!

Were delighted to see HonestJohn.co.uk continue to grow and grow.

Were now approaching two million users a month, so our Awards have

never been so exciting and important.

Read on to discover which models have made the shortlist, based on

the most-viewed reviews from 1st April 2014 to 1st April 2015...

JOIN US!

Invites have gone out, but if you would like to join us at the 2015 Honest John

Awards, email [email protected] with your name, company and job

title and we will get back to you.

CitroenDS3

DaciaSandero

FordFiesta

ToyotaYaris

VolkswagenPolo

BMW2SeriesActiveTourerCitroenGrandC4Picasso

FordB-MAXFordC-MAX

VolkswagenGolfSV

Hyundaiix35NissanQashqaiNissanX-Trail

RenaultCaptur

SkodaYeti

FordMondeo

Peugot508

SkodaOctavia

VauxhallInsignia

VolkswagenPassat

SHORTLIST

HonestJohnAwards2014

:wehadawholelotoffun

...


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Shortlist05

Hyundaii10SEATMii

SkodaCitigoToyotaAygo

VolkswagenUp

AudiA3Sportback

CitroenC4Cactus

Mazda3

SEATLeon

VolkswagenGolf

AudiA4

BMW3SeriesBMW4SeriesGranCoupe

LexusISMercedes-BenzC-Class

AudiA6

BMW5Series

JaguarXFLexusGS

Mercedes-BenzE-Class

BMWX5HyundaiSantaFe

LandRoverDiscoveryLexusRX450h

VolkswagenTouareg

AudiA3Cabriolet

BMWZ4

MazdaMX-5RC

Mercedes-BenzSLK

VolkswagenGolfCabriolet

AlfaRomeo4C

AudiR8

BMWi8

PorscheCayman

ToyotaGT86

AudiA7SportbackBMW6SeriesGranCoupeLandRoverRange

RoverMercedes-BenzCLSMercedes-BenzS-Class

FordTransitCustom

FordTransitConnect

IsuzuD-Max

VolkswagenCaddy

VolkswagenTransporter

BMW3SeriesE36Mercedes-BenzW124

Mercedes-BenzSLR107Porsche944TriumphStag


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Classic Cars Star at Geneva Show

Among all the shiny new metal at this years Geneva motor show was some shiny old metal. And thats because car makers know that

for a new vehicle to be successful, its important to remind potential buyers how good the old ones were, too.

Ford boasted the biggest heritage

collection on its stand as the

company outlined its ambitions

to launch 12 new performance

models over the next ve years. Its

stand featured a classic GT40, Escort Mexico

and Sierra RS Cosworth.

Land Rover also drew deeply on its

heritage. As it prepared to wave goodbye

to the long-serving Defender, it unveiled the

retro-styled Heritage 90. A pleasant mix of old

and new, it was great to see the old badge

back on the grille this is a sure re classic in

the making.

Over on the DS stand was a stunning DS

21 Pallas. There to help reinforce the creation

of DS as a brand in its own right, the ground-

breaking French car was also celebrating its

60th birthday. Legend has it that Citroen took

743 orders for the DS in the rst 15 minutes

after it was unveiled at the Paris motor

show in 1955.

Alfa Romeo used a stunning

1900 Spider to support the

launch of its new 4C Spider.

The 1900 was one of just

two cars made and boasted

Bertone styling and a

1997cc 138bhp four-cylinder

doesnt sound like much, but

its plenty in a body that weighs

just 900kg.

Meanwhile Brabus, a company perhaps

best known for tuning Mercedes-Benz and

Smart cars, was also keen to show off the

skills and craftsmanship of its workforce.

Thats because, like Jaguar, Brabus has

turned its hand to restoring older cars for its

clients.

Finally, long-dead German

carmaker Borgward announced

its return to car making at the

show. How? By reminding

us exactly what weve

been missing out on with a

gorgeous Isabella coupe on

its stand.

As the new car market

becomes increasingly competitive,

and the competition ever keener,

manufacturers know that the battle for sales

is as much a battle for the heart as for the

wallet. And car makers with plenty of history

know one very simple fact: heritage sells.

CLASSICS INNUMBERS Q1

MOST-WANTED CLASSICS

Fords once again proved to be the most wanted

motors on HonestJohn Classics, with the Escort

and Capri taking the top spots in our list of the

most searched for classics.

Classics from the late-1970s and 1980s are still

the most popular cars on the site, but there was

also plenty of space for more traditional

classics.

The Citroen DS, Triumph TR6 and Spitre,

plus the Ford Cortina and Austin Seven all

featured in our top ten proving what a

wide audience HonestJohn Classics has.

06

HonestJohn Classics

2,131,605PAGEVIEWS

352,094USERS

25%/52%/23%MOBILE VS DESKTOP VS

TABLETS

Q1: 01/01/15 - 31/03/15

367CLASSIC GOOD GARAGE

REVIEWS

531,976SESSIONS


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MOST POPULAR VAN REVIEWS

Ford Transit Custom Ford Transit Connect Volkswagen Caddy Mercedes-Benz Vito Vauxhall Vivaro2

HonestJohn Vans07

1 3 4 5

Editorial Partnership with Hamerville MediaHonestJohn Vans has teamed up with Hamerville Media to produce editorial content for Britains biggest publication for tradespeople.

As a result, content from HonestJohn Vans will now appear in Professional Builder Magazine, helping tradesmen and tradeswomen

make the most informed decision on buying their next van or pick-up.

Professional Builder has been a

regular on the trade counters of the

UKs leading builders merchants

for over 35 years and has an

ABC audition circulation

of more than 120,000, which

means it reaches more

tradespeople than all

of its rival publications

combined.

The editorial partnership

heralds an exciting time

for HonestJohn Vans,

which is an important part

of HonestJohn.co.uk. For

the rst quarter of 2015, users

are up 43% year-on year, while

pageviews have increased by 17% year-

on-year. HonestJohn Vans has also expanded its

editorial mandate in 2015, with used van buying

guides and rst model drives added to its content

lists.

Yet, despite the strong growth, HonestJohn

Vans is not resting on its laurels and the new

Hamerville Media partnership will see the

HonestJohn brand reaching out and engaging

with new readers.

The editorial partnership has

already produced results, with

Professional Builder publicising

a number of key HonestJohn

campaigns, including Real

MPG, the MoT Files and the

Vehicle Crime Census. This

means HonestJohn Vans has

helped Hamerville Media satisfy

its readers needs by providing

real life comparative data that allow

van owners to see how much on-the-

road fuel their commercial vehicle really uses.

Likewise, the inclusion of the MoT Files and the

Crime Census has helped readers ensure their

vans are safe and secure when on the road or

parked up for the night.

Helping

traders make

informed

decisions

NEW SECTION: PRODUCTS

February saw the launch of a brilliant new section of our website HonestJohn.co.uk/products.

This expands the appeal of the website, offering product news, advice, reviews and Top 10s,

and gives our users even more reason to visit HonestJohn.co.uk on a regular basis. It has

proved rather popular so far too, with over 42,000 pageviews so far!

VANS INNUMBERS Q1

921,586PAGEVIEWS

151,069USERS

30%/46%/24%MOBILE VS DESKTOP VS

TABLETS

Q1: 01/01/15 - 31/03/15

248REAL MPG SUBMISSIONS

234,795SESSIONS


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Trending

MOST POPULAR CARREVIEWS

2. Nissan Qashqai (2014)

3. Skoda Fabia (2015)

4. Suzuki Celerio (2015)

5. Ford Fiesta (2013)

TOP REAL MPGPERFORMERS OF CARSCURRENTLY ON SALE

2. Suzuki Swift: 94%

3. Volkswagen Scirocco: 93%

4. Hyundai ix35: 92%

5. Dacia Sandero: 90%

MOST VIEWED SECTIONSOF HONESTJOHN.CO.UK

2. Real MPG

3. Forum

4. Ask HJ

5. Top Tens

MOST WATCHED VIDEOS

Honest Johns Ford S-MAXreview

Practical Guides: Topping upcooland

Volkswagen Up road test

Kia Sorento road test

1. Ford Mondeo (2015)

1. Honda Accord: 101%

1. Car by Car Reviews

Used car buying: BMW3 series

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.

MOST POPULAR NEWS STORIES

1. Geneva Motor Show: Honda HR-V

The most popular story from our Geneva coverage was details of Hondas new compact SUV. Arriving

this summer, the Nissan Juke rival caused a stir amongst Honest John visitors.

2. Budget 2015

George Osborne delivered his nal Budget of the current Parliament on 18th March and as usual

HonestJohn.co.uk was there to cover the key points for motorists.

3. 15-Plate Money Saving Special

We searched the market to nd the best 15-plate deals and discounts for our

users. The news story generated thousands of impressions as car buyers

used our insight to make savings on their next new car.

Honest John@_HonestJohn Mar 11

@SKODAUKannounce prices & specs for new Superb, on sale Sept - and its a bit

of a bargain: t.co/dmFgjUEA1W

POPULAR TWEETS

Honest John@_HonestJohn Feb 26

From today you can ll up for less than 1 per litre at Sainsburys:

t.co/f2ZY0egh9u

Honest John@_HonestJohn Feb 16

ASK HJ: In-car cameras: Having witnessed a hit and run incident, I wish to t

dashcams to my Polo and Golf... t.co/cQd9ylsU8Y

Jan-Mar 2015 NewForumPosts: 7958 NewQuestionsAsked: 2121 NewOwnersReviews: 187

Stay up to date with Honest Insights and follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. If youd like to see something covered in our next issue, please contact [email protected]

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Honest John Insights Q1 2015

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