iTWire

The eBay-owned marketplace that has no auctions is called Gumtree, and it has turned 10.

AdNews notes the re-brand gives us the same look and feel as the US and UK versions of Gumtree, which previously looked more Australian. Now the green and gold-style logo is no more, and the minimalism that is the design craze of the modern era has taken hold.

However, it’s not just a fresh coat of paint that has been applied, but various improvements underneath.

Peer-to-peer payments via Paypal are now part of the app, presumably if you’ve a Paypal account. There’s improved search functionality and speed, more selection to search for make, colour and model elements for cars. There’s a dedicated jobs app which sees Gumtree trying to broaden its appeal. You can attach photos to My Messages, and you can even save drafts of ads you’re in the process of posting, with a more streamlined flow to the whole experience.

Gumtree is very popular in Australia, enjoying seven million visitors per month, with more than 2.5 million listings across hundreds of categories, and has helped obliterate the classified ads sections in newspapers over the years, although the Internet and eBay did much of that work too.

Another major change is 24/7 customer support with a live chat option and more obvious customer community support.

Gumtree Australia’s general manager and former Paypal man, Martin Herbst, said: “This is the most significant step in Gumtree’s 10 years in Australia. As with all changes we make at Gumtree, the rebrand has been driven by user feedback.

“While we knew our users were ready for a sleeker and more contemporary design, a rebrand has to be more than a new lick of paint. We wanted to ensure we addressed some of the areas our users, and non-users, said could improve their experience on our site and in our community.

“The customer sits at the heart of everything we do, they asked for increased ease and speed of use and that’s what we’re continually delivering on. Whether it’s marketing their business, selling their car or browsing for a great deal, Australians want the buying and selling experience to be fast and easy.

“We are constantly focused on improving the Gumtree experience for the 7 million Australians, who already visit the site every month and to ultimately continue to grow a community marketplace where all Australians can prosper.”

Gumtree’s rebrand will be supported by a major multi-channel marketing campaign, so you’ll likely see ads on TV and elsewhere urging you to take a look and check out the new Gumtree for yourself.

Gumtree also has a range of new videos at its YouTube channel, which you can see here.

Here’s one of the new ads: