NEW YORK & BUENOS AIRES, Argentina--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OLX, among the most used online platforms in the world, recently released a faster, streamlined app for Android devices. The update optimizes the app’s performance to cope with slow mobile Internet connections that many of OLX’s hundreds of millions users experience in emerging markets.
OLX is the most popular online classifieds platform in emerging markets like India and Brazil, where many users connect via low-end smartphone models. The hyper-local, consumer-to-consumer marketplace allows users to easily buy and sell goods and services such as electronics, furniture, household goods, cars and bikes.
“OLX saw an opportunity as our users across the globe leapfrog the PC and increasingly connect to the internet from the palm of their hand. We are laser focused on offering a simple and fast mobile experience that lets consumers buy and sell with ease, regardless of what phone or wireless carrier they use,” said Alec Oxenford, OLX co-founder and Americas CEO.
OLX saw the potential in mobile early and invested heavily, building both a highly rated app for all operating systems and a mobile web app. As a result, mobile has provided enormous growth for OLX, particularly in emerging markets. In most countries in Africa and in India, for example, mobile accounts for 70% of OLX traffic. In many developing economies, a large percentage of consumers have bypassed PCs entirely as mobile devices have emerged as the primary avenue for Internet access.
OLX’s new Android app, currently available in the Google Play store around the world, boasts a 4.2 star user rating. To post an item for sale, users simply take a photo of their merchandise, select the relevant category and add a description. Improved location capabilities within the app make it even easier to identify items for sale near a user. The app is designed for a wide range of mobile devices and has been tested in most of OLX’s dozens of markets to ensure consistent performance.
In a late 2013 report, Morgan Stanley called OLX the “undisputed leader in India” and “market leader in Brazil,” adding that the company is “rapidly pulling away from the intense competition.” In addition to its strong focus on mobile, OLX has distinguished itself by offering the most robust global network of buyers and sellers, fast transaction times and free postings without seller’s fees.
About OLX
OLX is one of the world’s top online classifieds platforms and is available in more than 40 countries and over 50 languages. The site offers a free, fast and hyper-local way for people to buy, sell or exchange used goods and services simply by posting an ad. Every month, hundreds of millions of people around the world visit OLX to find and sell a wide range of products, from furniture, musical instruments, cars and motorcycles to electronics, mobile phones, property and local services.
The platform is particularly popular in fast-growing, emerging markets around the globe, where OLX creates new income opportunities for sellers with limited environmental impact. OLX’s more than 1,200 employees located in offices around the world, including Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Delhi, Jakarta, Lagos, Lisbon, Manila, Nairobi, Poznań, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
