Stories BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

Nigeria, Indonesia, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, and Mexico  have emerged the fastest growing online vehicle marketplace in emerging market, according to 2015 half year report released by online vehicle marketplace, Carmudi.com.

According to the report, which covers the twenty countries in the Middle East and Africa where the company operates,  within the past eight months, the number of uploaded listings on the site (in these regions) have increased by up to 116.6 per cent.

This is even as the vehicle marketplace said it has  attracted 6.4 million monthly visitors during the second quarter of 2015, a 17.6 per cent increase over Q1.

In the report, Carmudi said the number of monthly visits grew in all twenty countries where it operates, but exceptional growth in traffic was seen in Sri Lanka, Ivory Coast and Vietnam, where monthly visits grew up to 68 per cent.

In Nigeria, Carmudi said: “Between Q1 and Q2, Carmudi Nigeria recorded a 30 per cent increase in total visits, particularly in iOS visits where we saw over 700 per cent growth since it was launched in February, 2015.”

The report further noted that mobile growth has continued to flourish as Carmudi hit over three million mobile visits in May, up 35 per cent from January, 2015.

The report said: “Since the February release of the Carmudi iOS app, Carmudi has seen more than 150,000 app visits per month. The highest numbers of iOS app visits can be seen in Vietnam, Nigeria and Bangladesh. Part of the reason for the app’s success stems from the fact that Carmudi specifically designed the app to work even with the slowest Internet connection as it only loads what is absolutely necessary.”

Speaking on the growth, Carmudi’s Managing Director for Nigeria, Amy Muoneke said: “So far, 2015 has been a stellar year for Carmudi and we will continue to provide our users with the best car shopping experience and to be number one in the industry. We want Carmudi to be a household name, a one-stop-shop for all car related subjects.”

Meanwhile, Muoneke who was named Managing Director for Carmudi Nigeria in June following the exit of former Managing Director, Christian Keller told journalists at her unveiling to the media in Lagos that the company will continue to leverage technology to drive access to convenience and information to boost the consumer segment of the auto industry in Nigeria.

Munoeke, whose foray into e-commerce started with a stint at an online bus ticketing start-up, Bus.com.ng, holds a Bachelors degree in Biology with a minor in Economics  from  California State University-Dominguez Hills  and a Master’s degree in Business Finance,  Brunel University, London  with a diploma in psychology from  Kean University.