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LiveAuctioneers, the Manhattan-based Internet company that provides an online live-bidding platform and related support services to more than 960 auction houses worldwide, has released second-quarter statistics revealing a marked increase in sign-ups, site visits and page views.
“What our second-quarter results have shown us is that fine art, antiques and high-quality memorabilia seem to be performing as an independent microeconomy,” said LiveAuctioneers’ CEO Julian R. Ellison. “Globally, the economy is struggling, but at the same time, interest in collecting the best examples from any given category has never been higher. Fine art, in particular, has been surging, as we’ve witnessed lately in one record-setting auction after another.”
During the second quarter of 2010, there were more than 2.6 million unique visitors to LiveAuctioneers website, where both current and archived auction catalogs are readily available to view. This figure reflects a 31.04% increase over the comparable quarter of 2009.
There was also a sizable jump in the number of visits to the LiveAuctioneers site, soaring from 3.2 million in Q2 2009 to 4.1 million in Q2 2010. Statistically, this result equates to a 31.99% increase in site visits.
“Visitors are sticking to the site and viewing more catalog pages than before,” Ellison observed. “During April, May and June, there were 33.7 million page views, as compared to 25.5 million in the corresponding quarter of 2009.”
Ellison added that a sizable flow of traffic is being redirected to LiveAuctioneers on a regular basis through search engines. “Last quarter there were 2.3 million search-engine referrals to LiveAuctioneers – a 16.98% increase over the second quarter of 2009. The user base just keeps on growing,” Ellison said.
Technology continues to be the drawcard for new visitors from non-English-speaking countries. “LiveAuctioneers’ bidding platform can translate nine major languages and automatically convert bids into any of 14 currencies,” said Ellison. “Add to that our online bidding apps for iPhone, BlackBerry and Google’s Android phone, and it’s a package that’s totally up to the minute, offering every possible convenience to enrich the online-bidding experience.”
Ellison noted that auction houses have responded enthusiastically to the company’s White Label platform service, which allows an auction house to customize the online bidding environment for those who participate in their sales. The benefits include being able to brand the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform with the auction house’s own name, linking the platform directly to the auction house’s Web site and allowing bidders to register directly with auction house staff.
“We’ve known from the beginning that in order to stay ahead of the pack we would have to keep the emphasis on new technology. We’re constantly refining, inventing and evolving. That’s where our focus will remain throughout 2010 and beyond,” Ellison said.
About LiveAuctioneers
Founded in November 2002, LiveAuctioneers (liveauctioneers.com) provides real-time Internet bidding capability to more than 960 auction houses worldwide. LiveAuctioneers has opened up once-exclusive antiques and fine art sales to the cyber community through online publication of auction catalogs, and Internet live bidding.
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pr[.]liveauctioneers.com 
