Bikes selling faster than ever

From the latest data, it is clear to see that demand is still extraordinarily strong in the bike market. It is getting even faster to sell a bike on Auto Trader, as the median selling duration is now only 24 days, down from 73 days last year and 34 days in 2019 during May. The boom in scooter and commuter bikes is still apparent as 125s and scooters are still popular but we are also seeing more sport tourers and sports bikes climb the list as the sun is out and we’re now fully in-season. 

Here are the fastest selling vans on Auto Trader in for the period 1st May to 18th July: 

This speed of sale might not be surprising as visits to Auto Trader Bikes continue to perform well and the number of unique visitors to the platform over the last quarter is significantly up (by 39%) vs 2019, showing the market has got bigger. From a recent survey, we discovered that out of those that are in the market to buy, 52% are looking for their first bike, showing lots of opportunity. 

Our data shows the audience is also converting, with lead volumes being maintained and email, text and chat leads this quarter being up 67% versus the same period in 2019. From other on-site research, we found that 71% of those in market to buy, were also looking to purchase in the next 3 months.  

In terms of pricing, there does appear to be some stability in the volumes of used bikes available in the marketplace with a 2% increase on June 2020 which has in turn slowed down rising prices. The average used bike listed during June 2021 on Auto Trader is being priced 1% higher than 12 months ago, whereas the figure is 9% v June 2019 after months of huge demand and rising prices since the first lockdown last year. 

Despite this flattening off of retail prices, the fast speed of sale and therefore increased stock turn means that incredibly healthy margins can be made for bike retailers.