The market is back. IPOs are back! And Vroom ($PRIVATE:VROOM) has seen its car inventory surge back, just in time for its mega-IPO that appears to signal that the market has regained its appetite for new offerings.
Shares of Vroom soared more than 110% in its first day of trading June 9, as investors signaled the green light to other potential initial public offerings in the pipeline.
When we last checked in on Vroom's IPO plans, its car inventory had shriveled up, amid the global pandemic. Now, economies are reopening, Vroom's inventory is really reopening - and has recovered all but 27% of the listings lost when sellers decided to rethink plans during the pandemic.
Some sellers are increasingly offering better discounts (charts not shown). Toyota prices on Vroom have fallen nearly 40% year-over-year; Hyundais are selling for nearly 33% less on Vroom's site; the average Honda is being sold for 24% less over the same timeframe. That said, it could also be a reflection that sellers are putting a different model on Vroom's site that is cheaper - or, ones that are older.
Nevermind the drop in inventory, the rise in inventory, or the discounts: consumers are increasingly engaging with the brand as of late as Vroom lunges to take market share from other publicly listed car dealers that have also seen a precipitous drop in auto inventory as of late. Ever since May, Vroom has been seeing better engagement on Facebook, tracked in our chart above.
Vroom's S-1 showcased impressive growth, and our LinkedIn Headcount chart above can track its historical growth, right up to the IPO date. That tracks growth of nearly 30% year-over-year in terms of employees that list Vroom as their current job - and, at less than 450 staffers, Vroom is still plenty stealthier than a lot of recent consumer-focused app IPOs.
An uptick in social media attention and a rebound in its inventory is a boon for Vroom and for its shareholders - but it will have to sell, and not just list, inventory to overtake competitors that already established a reputation with investors. And as more economies reopen across the US, that could put Vroom in high gear.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales, and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue, and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
