Zoopla doubles down on market recovery to maximise return on investment for agents
6th October 2020
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Buyer leads boom as Zoopla reports a 38% increase in leads delivered per agent branch, while Zoopla web sessions soar +31% year on year
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89% of UK homeowners reached by Zoopla’s biggest marketing campaign, which went live in August
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Branch numbers increase again - now up 3% on 2019, with recent wins including Charters and The Acorn Group
Zoopla, the UK’s leading property destination, has revealed a stand out third quarter of 2020, with agent deliverables at an annual high. The news was released today as part of a business update which shows the company’s progress over the past quarter, and as the industry recovers from the unprecedented impact of COVID on the property sector and the wider economy.
Agent-led measures of success
As Zoopla channelled homemover appetite, agent leads per branch were up 38% in September compared to pre-Covid levels and, in particular, there was a 35% increase in applicant leads on property for sale, helping agents to grow their business and take best advantage of the market recovery.
Zoopla also worked to bring vendors back to the market, resulting in a 23% increase in vendor leads year on year, and a 21% increase in listings for sales and rental properties compared to the start of the year.
Commenting on Zoopla’s latest business update, Charlie Bryant, CEO, said: “At Zoopla, we are known for delivering high quality leads across the sales and rental sectors, and over this last quarter we have doubled down on the market rebound and harnessed increased consumer demand, directing it straight to our agent partners.
“With branch numbers up 3% year on year and some notable customer wins over the past quarter, our effectiveness is clearly resonating with agents across the industry. We want to assure all partners and prospective partners that the successes we report today are only just the start of what we have in store for the rest of this year and for 2021. We’ve been laying the foundations for an exciting period of rapid innovation and look forward to sharing more information over the winter months.”
Results-driven marketing
Zoopla’s record performance over the last quarter has been shaped in part by the launch of its biggest ever, multi-million pound marketing campaign, designed to galvanise buyers and vendors into action, funnelling demand direct to agents.
Comprising a new television advert, out of home advertising, and widespread activity through digital channels including social media, the ten week campaign has generated over 110 million impressions and reached 89% of UK homemovers so far, driving visibility and keeping Zoopla front-of-mind.
With Zoopla web sessions up 31% year on year over the past quarter, the campaign is maximising the recovery in demand and contributing to the upsurge in web traffic. App engagement has also skyrocketed since May, with app sessions up 60% on the same period last year, and leads to agents generated by the app up 94% year on year.
Complementing the campaign, Zoopla also launched a new Homemover Zooploma to support buyers on their path to purchase, encouraging them to ‘master your move’. Providing a further channel through which to promote engagement between agents and consumers, the latest Zooploma has generated 380,000 enrollments in the last four weeks alone.
Kiersty Sims, group marketing director at Leaders Romans Group, said: “Zoopla is highly valued by Leaders Romans Group. Its data-led approach makes it a great resource for our agents to tap into and utilise. And because it personalises this data with human interest angles, it’s also a valuable asset for tenants and home buyers, who can digest the information and insights easily. Zoopla’s ‘Zooploma’ is just one example of this – it helps customers who are new to the buying or renting process, making the customer journey far less daunting and complicated.”
Growth in the customer base
Customer success is a driving principle for Zoopla - reflected in the £30million+ investment made into its agent partners in March, and evident in the 3% year on year branch growth recorded on 1st October, bucking the trend of declining branch numbers reported by one competitor. Additionally, 89% of customers have signed up to Zoopla for a long term contract of at least 17 months.
Customer wins include Charters, and industry figurehead and thought-leader, The Acorn Group, who were drawn to Zoopla after the company demonstrated continued improvements to the number and quality of agent leads.
As Zoopla announced news of the new partnership, Acorn Group CEO Robert Sargent commented: “The key behind the decision to return to Zoopla revolved around a desire to build a genuine working partnership with the business’s portal suppliers and Zoopla appears to be demonstrating a clear understanding of the challenges facing the UK estate Agency industry.”
Founded in 2007, Zoopla is a successful property marketplace offering services to renters, buyers, sellers and landlords. The company returned to private ownership in July 2018 after a purchase by a group led by global private equity firm Silver Lake. Since the purchase a new leadership team has been implementing a focused strategy investing substantially in talent, technology, marketing and sales to help Zoopla enhance the service it offers consumers and to meet its ambitious growth plans.
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For further information, please contact PR Team on pr@zoopla.co.uk or +44 (0)20 3873 8770.
About Zoopla
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.
And reliable house price estimates, so you can be sure you aren't paying over the odds.
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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