A Zoopla spokesman says that we have now seen dozens of members who left us to trial OnTheMarket return.
The claim came during the release of new traffic figures which show that traffic to Zoopla websites and mobile apps reached 50 million visits in March, with mobile access accounting for a record 62.6 per cent of all visits.
It says its audience on the Zoopla and PrimeLocation websites and mobile apps has been largely unaffected by the launch of OnTheMarket in January and according to its own internal data - confirmed by independent research firm Hitwise, - its traffic has been on average more than 25 times greater than OTM's.
It says the gap between the two portals widened during the three weeks up to Easter.
We are delighted with our continued strong audience levels and the value we are delivering to our members. It is a tough market and attracting a significant audience and delivering high levels of appraisal and applicant leads along with brand awareness for our members is what we are focused on says Lawrence Hall, head of communcations at Zoopla Property Group.
OnTheMarket's chief executive Ian Springett is not commenting on the claim of agents returning to Zoopla but insists that we continue to grow our membership on a daily basis.
He says that as a new portal OTM does not have the casual browser traffic enjoyed by Zoopla and Rightmove which means his focus is on attracting the much smaller number of active property-seekers in the market and generating good quality leads for our member agents.
He addss: Members tell us that leaving Zoopla has made no difference to their instruction-winning capability and that they are receiving at least as many good quality leads from their overall online presence as before.
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Comments
No, self interest only I'm afraid and the occasional attempt at alturism (something many believe foes not really exist for humans). Anyway, I don't usually find schmoozing necessary where I'm the customer. All the things I said hold true with or without my commercial relationship with Zoopla or Rightmove for that matter. A motor trader once told me you can't win em all and your first loss is your best loss, my advice to you would be cut your losses with OTM now, it's the wrong wrong road. It takes guts to admit when you are wrong, I know, I have faced that challenge more times than most.
" You joined them though and I think that is at least in part because you were influenced by others..."
That would be [b]exactly the same [/b]"influence" by "others" that "at least in part" promoted YOU to join (and now shamelessly schmooze up to...) Z, I take it...
Sorry PeeBee, I was in a bit of a hurry, however it is a little known fact that Cronwell was an actual historical character :) I am not trying to claim first dibs on the OTM objections award, although I do feel entitled to be considered. You joined them though and I think that is at least in part because you were influenced by others, others who have trouble in the think box dept. We are in changing times, OTM is a reaction to those times, just the wrong reaction.
Tell me about it, Ray!
It's times like this that make me realise [b]why[/b] slip-on shoes were invented... ;o)
What a nonsense all of this is!
Nobody is forced to use a particular agent and any agent is free to use whatever marketing they wish. The public can CHOOSE.
"...its the general public who are forced to use OTM..."
FORCED Sorry - you need to talk me through that wildly ridiculous statement, please...
OTM market a website created by estate agents for the benefit of estate agents...who buy houses None of the above its the general public who are forced to use OTM but do they...clearly not given the figures.
Less haste Mr Shinerock - your rushed post is full of careless mistakes that only serve to weaken your argument.
"I think you will find that the correct strategy for OTM would have been the one I suggested from the start, no exclusivity rule"
YOU first suggested from the start Tell you what - you hunt out the date of your first post with that in it - I'll hunt out mine - and we'll compare notes shall we Not to mention the warnings about the other portals going on the offensive; the NAEA's tenuous position... go on - [b]you[/b] pick an objection and let's see who posted it first.
Pee Bee if you are out there, I just read your defence of OTM on the other side, I try not to post there anymore but you never know when I may return. Anyway, I thought I would say your mammoth argument lacked meat on the bone. I think you will find that the correct strategy for OTM would have been the one I suggested from the start, no exclusivity rule, it was a dumb error. The error was compounded by attacking Z double dumb, almost indescribably so. What you now have is an angry Z a strengthened RM and a pointless AM/OTM. Soon the core members will turn in the ruling elite and we will have the EA equivalent of the French Rvolution, my money is on you for the role of Cronwell
Interesting choice of words from Mr Springett at the very end of this piece. 'Just as many leads from their online presence overall' suggests he is not able (yet) to quote an impressive lead generation from OTM
Press that panic button!!!
We didn't go with OTM for a variety of reasons. Z would have been the one to drop for us as their leads are of poorer quality, however their leads still result in just under 12% of our sales, which is not to be sniffed at. RM provides nearly double that, so between them the portals generate about a third of our sales. When we look at the time taken between applicants registering and agreeing an offer it's an average of nearly 6 months. If our model is also true for other agencies then the effects of a switch to OTM have yet to really bite as they will still be working off their pre-OTM applicant lists. If agencies are already moving back to Z after only 2 months, then that is likely just the tip of the iceberg and over the coming months, if OTM is not providing sufficient new enquiries, then agents depleted applicant levels may well drive them back to the tried and tested Z/RM combo to survive. Lots of if's there!
Another observation is that one of our competitors, who has gone to OTM, has reduced 30% of their stock in the last 3 months. That could well be because of initial over pricing, which they tend towards, but we have not noticed that level of reductions before and whilst we used to list twice the number of properties they did we are currently listing triple.
Too early to say whether this is all, or in any way, related to their move to OTM, but can't help but think that they know the same stats and if we were in their shoes we would be nervous. Meantime - we hope they stay with OTM as long as possible!
Yes
"... it was always the plan, Ian Springett told me..."
"...recently he denied orchestrating the anti Zoopla movement but that is just being silly"
No more silly I would respectfully suggest, Mr Shinerock, than making such a statement as the first quoted without any form of substantiation.
It's all just words. Blah...blah...blah.
Jeff - you can only post direct replies if you sign up, like me!
@Simon Shinerock - Can't seem to reply to you Hope you see this.
So they planned to knock out Zoopla over Rightmove
They aren't though Jeff, OTM has chosen to go head to head with Zoopla, it was always the plan, Ian Springett told me, recently he denied orchestrating the anti Zoopla movement but that is just being silly
CJ its an understandable reaction on your part to feel threatened but try and see it from a different point of view, Zoopla are threatening the members of a business that has threatened them. Of course they could have remained aloof and waited on the touch lines hoping OTM would fail on its own accord, instead they have gone on the offensive which to me somehow feels more honest
Rob, I agree they aren't socialists, I just wanted to point out that this kind of cartel like behaviour is bad for business like socialism is bad for society
The Spin and Counter-Spin is very interesting. Its rather like Adsa, Tesco and Sainsbury. They all say they are the best. They all say they are different. They all say they are cheapest. Portals are no different except now they are head to head. About time.
We came off Zoopla in favour of OTM and zoopla subsequently wrote to all of our vendors suggesting they disinstruct us and use a 'zoopla' agent. They followed this up with a gimic incentive to be entered into a 500 prize draw if the vendor switched to a zoopla agent.
None of our vendors left us but even if we decided to terminate the contract with OTM I would never go back to Zoopla for that reason. Shame they didn't put that much effort in when we were with them.
Spot on. Let's all put our feet up and get the popcorn out - I predict this is going to get very messy as OTM get more and more desperate to prove their "success".
Zoopla share prices have risen substantially over the last few weeks, from 1.70 to almost 2.00. This would tend to show that people behind the scenes with access to the figures, are not worried about the long term threat of OTM. Maybe only a 100 agents have come back over. So what What if that continued over the next 12 months Rather than OTM gathering more as they claim they will, slowly but surely more and more drop off and return to that safe place they knew before.
There is something very wrong with telling your clients what they can and can't do. Limiting YOUR market for THEIR gain. This was never going to last long term, agents supporting it are only shooting themselves in the foot.
I don't think AM/OTM are doing all this because their socialists, quite the opposite. It's been clear from day one that self-interest has played a big part in the OTM "juggernaut" (too kind). They're looking out for themselves, not their customers, because they got jealous that RM and Zoopla came up with an innovative idea that took away some of their precious profit.
But what about OTM It's all very well saying that you no longer have to answer pointless enquiries from Zoopla, but have OTM been any better.
Yeah, but maybe bit by bit those who left are realising that OTM isn't working and are slowly migrating back to Zoopla. As the traffic figures above suggest, OTM's initial impact on Zoopla seems to be fading away.
Well said.
Communism didn't work, co-operatives don't work, unions don't work, professional bodies don't work, political systems don't work. The only thing that works is the free market which has to be moderated by competition law and some reasonable protection for consumers. OTM is another useless attempt to gain popular support by preaching a negative message, it says 'we would rather be worse off and see you fall than be better off and see you prosper' in other words, the main impetus behind socialism. In reality of course there will be massive winners if the OTM jugganult stays on the rails, they just won't be most of the poor misguided agents who supported it. RM and Zoopla aside the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to this industry is if OTM does establish as a market leader. If it does it will quash innovation, it will attempt to block new entrants to the business and it will become everything it was set up to destroy, read Animal Farm, it's all in there.
When we dropped RM for OTM, our leads from Z also dropped, overnight our leads dropped by 100%, we are in a secondary position without much walk in trade, we rely on leads, After 6 weeks with OTM and ONE lead, yes ONE, we dropped it and returned to RM, our leads were back within 48 hours of re-marketing with RM, I think OTM will work in the long term, but smaller independents like myself need to stick with what works for our businesses.
All this 'chit-chat' about OTM, RM and Z is entertaining but only in its banality.
However, most OTM members are doing themselves no favours by NOT advertising their membership very prominently in all of their own offices and advertising. They seem to be lazy and relying on others. For goodness sake if you believe in OTM get a grip and shout it from the rooftops or you are asking for it to fail.
At very least 'dozens' could mean 24. At best it could mean 192 (otherwise he would be saying hundreds). of the 4500 odd offices that have left Zoopla (around 90% of the 5000 who joined OTM), neither of these are an impressive number and it just goes to show how little Zoopla really means to the agents who use(d) it.
Well seeing as [i]thousands[/i] left, a few dozen returning is nothing to shout about.
Personally I have seen a massive benefit in our office time management since leaving Zoopla. I no longer have to waste time answering their pointless waste of time esquires!!
"Members tell us that leaving Zoopla has made no difference to their instruction-winning capability and that they are receiving at least as many good quality leads from their overall online presence as before".
The key word here is "overall".
OTM members who left Zoopla are, most likely, still on Rightmove. Do we presume it is this that is keeping up agents "overall online presence", rather than anything to do with OTM or Z
"Dozens" as in 12
Is this some sort of a joke from Zoopla.