Real Estate Sites and Differentiation
Consumers have overwhelmingly adopted online resources for apartment and new home hunting. A recent survey conducted by Apartments.com of 1,500 consumers nationwide found that more than 80 percent of renters said they will use an online apartment search site when looking for their next place to live. The results are similar to those from a National Association of Realtors study released late last year showing that 90 percent of those in the market use the Internet when searching for a new home.
Although design differs, many real estate and rental sites are strikingly similar in terms of functionality and usability.
Real-time collaboration technologies like ShopTogether can provide an immediate point of differentiation for real estate sites. It’s a technology that has already seen success among early adopters in the retail segment; however, we think it could help connect agents, spouses and roommates online for a more productive home “search.”
For leaders in online real estate, early adoption of these collaboration tools can help further outpace competitors. For companies jockeying for the number 2, 3 or 4 positions in a crowded market, collaboration technologies like ShopTogether can be just the thing to help spread the word, build brand and catapult a company to No. 1.