Online marketing platform Carousell has been a long-running consumer-to-consumer platform for hawking new and pre-owned goods since 2012, and it’s Singapore’s answer to other e-commerce sites such as Ebay and Taobao.
Founded by Quek Siu Rui, Lucas Ngoo and Marcus Tan, Carousell has since expanded across Southeast Asia (Malaysia and Indonesia), Taiwan and the United States, and it’s the go-to place for Singaporeans to buy (local) items of anything within Singapore’s – and the company’s – legal limits. (We remember a time when e-cigarettes used to be sold there before they got clamped down.)
Just last October, Carousell acquired Caarly, a Singaporean start-up mobile platform for buying and selling used cars within our little red dot. It’s since been rechristened by the founders as Carousell Motors.
So why the move to make Carousell Motors a reality?
In the words of Carousell’s CEO and co-founder Quek Siu Rui:
“Carousell Motors is our response to the frustration faced by car buyers today. Many feel that current sites are cumbersome to navigate, without sufficient information and choices to make good decisions, and the industry is fraught with distrust. The spike in growth of Carousell’s Cars category over the last few months is a signal to us that people are looking for more quality choices, and credible information from trustworthy sellers. We believe a dedicated app for serious car buyers will give them a more personalised and breezier car shopping experience, and bring greater value to our community.”
Things that one can do with Carousell Motors:
- Search for cars by make, model or dealer. Otherwise, use quick filters to narrow down choices with financing options and car depreciation.
- Bookmark favourites and compare various car options without much hassle, and if required, chat up the verified dealers to gain more information.
- Basic functions from Carousell are also included, with the trademark “snap, list and sell” methods from the site.
While Caarly’s platform still exists for users, a 1-tap post allows users to cross over to Carousell’s cars category. Currently Carousell Motors is available on App Store for iOS, Google Play Store on Android, or you can check it out on the website.
