Customer numbers up 2% as agents choose Zoopla following £30 million investment
2nd September 2020
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Zoopla’s combined agent branch numbers and new homes sites currently stand at 16,545, with 84% of agents now in long term contracts compared to 23% at the start of the year
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This represents a 2% yoy growth in Zoopla’s customer base, following an overwhelming response to the company’s £30 million free portal usage plans during lockdown
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Zoopla continues to invite agents to enjoy free portal usage until January, in exchange for making Zoopla their primary portal
Wednesday 2 September, 2020: Zoopla has revealed that despite the challenges posed to the industry by COVID, the number of agent branches and new homes sites currently subscribed to the portal is up 2% year on year. The annual growth follows an overwhelming response from customers following the £30m investment that Zoopla made in the industry at the start of lockdown, waiving fees to agents for between five and nine months to help them weather the COVID storm.
Always delivering value
As well as a boost in customer numbers, Zoopla agents are reaping the rewards of a rebounding market and notably:
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Sales agreed on Zoopla are up 76% on the five year average
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Leads delivered by Zoopla per agent branch are up 38% since pre-Covid
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Demand is up 34% in July 2020 compared to 12 months prior
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Listings are making a marked recovery, up 27% since the start of March
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Time to sell has reduced by almost two weeks, averaging just 27 days in the period since lockdown, compared to 39 days over the same period in 2019
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Time to rent is averaging 18 days, with rents up 1.1% year on year
Free portal usage
The update has been issued as Zoopla reiterates its invitation to agent partners to continue enjoying free portal usage until January, in exchange for committing to a 12 month contract, as part of the nine month payment plan announced in March. Extended access at no cost is available to those agents keen to make Zoopla their primary portal.
Commenting on the latest branch performance numbers, Andy Marshall, Chief Commercial Officer at Zoopla, said: “Delivering tangible value and exceptional service to our agent and developer partners has always been our priority, and this is clearly resonating. Our growth in customer numbers is outperforming the broader market considerably, despite the 50 day market closure, and we hope this is testament to us doing the right thing by our customers. This increase is in marked contrast to one competitor which recently reported declines in agency branches of 3.5%.
“Our £30m investment in the agent and house builder communities back in March, which afforded five to nine months of free portal usage at a time when agents most needed our support, has strengthened our relationships and opened more doors to us than we could have anticipated. Now that the market is rebounding with a genuine underlying strength, free portal usage has helped agents to rebuild their business pipelines, without any costs payable to us.
“Our nine months of free portal usage is live until January and available to those keen to make Zoopla their primary portal. We are still welcoming new customers on board, and are able to extend free use of Zoopla until January to existing customers if they’d like to make us their primary portal partner.”
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For further information, please contact PR Team on pr@zoopla.co.uk or +44 (0)20 3873 8770.
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Hello. We're Zoopla. A property website and app.
We know you're not just looking for a place to live. You're looking for a home.
Yeah, we've got over a million properties for you to browse.
Tools that let you filter them in all kinds of clever ways.
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But we know you're looking for more than that.
Because that first flat won't just be a 'great investment opportunity'.
It'll be the feeling of starting out on your own.
That extra bedroom won't just mean another £20K on the re-sale price, it'll mean having your sister over to stay.
And that bungalow won't just be a way to release some equity, it will be a chance to spend more time with the grandkids.
We know that searching for a home is about more than just checking its price, location and features (important as all those things are).
What really matters is how it makes you feel.
We know what a home is really worth.
So let us help you find yours.
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