RedBook ditches print, goes fully digital

RedBook has published its last hard-copy guide book.

The company, which has been owned by carsales since 2007, commenced publishing price guides back in 1949, pre-dating its oldest direct competitor in the market by at least six years.

Printed guide books were once an invaluable tool of trade for sales people, valuers, insurance assessors and dismantlers (AKA wreckers) – and they would fit easily in the back pocket or shirt pocket for easy reference. Like most things in the modern era though, they’ve been made redundant by mobile apps on smartphones, which also fit in pockets.

RedBook customers are now supplied the data they need online, and the company was one of the pioneers compiling vehicle pricing and identification data in electronic form, having pioneered the use of punch cards as long ago as the 1940s and mainframe computers since the early 1960s. While recognising the important role played by the print publications in the past, RedBook General Manager Ross Booth also observes that digital is very much the way of the future.

“RedBook’s data is trusted and relied upon by the industry and the general public. While we are closing one chapter in RedBook’s history, our digital offering is continuing to evolve,” Booth says.

“Our online presence provides information quickly and efficiently, and needs to keep up with the ever-growing demands of the automotive industry.

“As a 100 per cent digital business we have even more flexibility, which is a plus for all of our customers.”