OnTheMarket has announced that it achieved 10m visits to the site with 90m page views in its first full three months of operation – February, March and April.
It also said that over 27% of its members are now uploading their new listings to it, ahead of any other portal.
In April, its third full month of operation, the site received 3.5m visits, with an average of 9.31 pages viewed and an average of 6.5 minutes spent on site.
The source used by OTM for its traffic information is Google Analytics. Zoopla also uses Google Analytics.
While Zoopla – which has just launched a new Zoopla-Size Me’ campaign – poured scorn on the figures, city analysts Exane BNP Paribas this morning said OTM’s growth was “impressive”.
Zoopla spokesperson Lawrence Hall said: “OTM claims to have achieved a total audience in three months equal to what ZPG averages every six days and is broadly charging the same advertising rates as ZPG.
“This means that its members are and have been paying at least 15 times the market rate for their digital marketing for the past three months.
“This is not sustainable for those businesses to remain competitive.
“Given that their audience figures were flat from March to April and that they would need to grow by at least 15 times over the next 6-8 months to meet their own bold prediction of catching ZPG, perhaps they should look at charging their members a fairer monthly rate of around £10 per month based on their current figures whilst they are still building their audience.”
However, William Packer of Exane BNP Paribas described the OTM membership base as “much more durable than expected”.
He said that while OTM traffic remains small compared with Rightmove and Zoopla, it is “growing rapidly”, up 12% month on month, with “membership momentum also healthy”.
In the ongoing war with Zoopla, OTM also said it has recruited over 800 branches since the start of this year, boosting its membership to above 5,000, representing more than 2,500 businesses. OTM says approximately 70% of its member firms are located outside London and that 90% of its members have between one and three offices.
In the first 100 days or so since it launched, OTM said its TV advert has been aired more than 5,000 times and watched by 44.8m. Across print media, more than 100 press adverts have run, and online adverts have generated around 155m impressions, while its pay-per-click campaign has delivered some 55m more.
It intends to keep up its marketing campaign over the coming months.
Chief executive Ian Springett said: “We are confident in becoming the number two property portal by the end of January, 2016, on our way to achieving our medium term objective of becoming the market leader.
“We are experiencing impressive levels of returning visitors as well as a high percentage of new ones, while consumers and agents tell us the website is clean and fresh and they are impressed by its lightning speed and by its responsive design (unique among the major portals). This allows it to adapt to the screen size of whatever device is being used to view it.
“We have achieved a huge amount in a very short space of time, and with so many of our offices uploading their properties to OnTheMarket.com ahead of any other portal, it is essential that anyone seriously searching for property visits OnTheMarket.com and sets up a free property alert.”
Board member Paul Masters, group marketing and operations director at London agents Kinleigh Folkard Hayward, said: “There is no doubt that OTM is having a great impact on the industry and it is moving into second place rapidly.”
OTM is continuing to brief journalists about the property portal market, underlining its mutual status and that it is not driven by shareholder value motives.
In a footnote to the latest announcement, it said: “In their most recent end of year reports, Rightmove income was £167m and profits were £124.6M (74% profit margin). Zoopla’s income was £80.2m and profits were £39m (49% profit margin).”
It also said of its restriction rule that less than 10% of OTM members are using Zoopla as their ‘one other portal’.
In Zoopla’s new Zoopla-Size Me’ campaign, nominated listings are given extra national publicity. The first property to feature in the campaign is a home in Norfolk marketed by Sowerbys.
Comments (34)
I have found a new game to play. ‘I eye’ essentially it is a bit like Cluedo/ Guess who ( the flip and find face game by MB games)
All you have to do is whack in a moniker into an internet search engine ( site specific search) thumb through 27 entries (mostly poking sticks at OTM) and suggest a name for 10 points, a role for 8 and the employer for 2 points.
You’re bound to be about Peebee have a go! See how many points you can get on Mx Rhetorical question.
Chuckle, how funny is that?
Theres alot of talk about the benefits of OTM being the Mutual element. Can someone outline what has been realised mutually since it went live, or is it expectation?
Agents working together to create a product and assert control over service suppliers is the Mutual bit- OTM is the product.
Let’s imagine a pair of service suppliers were working together, seemingly legitimately but Agents Mutual decide “Ummmm don’t like this! let’s not play that game” instantly 1/4 of the industry acts in unison and puts pay to the shenanigans. When 25% of anything speaks as one it is likely others will take note of what their competition have spotted and don’t like.
Agents mutual is effectively self restricting it membership with the one other portal rule, which agents on here have stated as their reason not to join; they don’t want their marketing wings clipped by agents who are their competition. However if qualifying, non members see something that obviously isn’t healthy for an AM agent, it is likely not to be healthy for them either.
Agents Mutual have got eyes and ears looking at what is going on, through EYE that either becomes a story or contents of a post, so as well as working together on a product and common goal, Agents mutual have created an early warning system for no good goings on.
In anyone’s book that is good going. How long has it taken Countrywide to get to 40% of the total of AM offices achieved in 12 sales team months of selling?
So nothing yet then, just hope and expectation that it will work?
We could put it to the test, if you were not hiding behind a moniker would all of your posts make the same meaning and have the same impact afforded to you posting anonymously? Would you be happy for the membership of Agent Mutual to know who you are, who you work for etc. I am. That honesty and integrity certainly means I have to respect the whole audience. You don’t and that is the first and most long running clue as to your identity.
I really doubt you would be asking rhetorical vexatious questions if you were posting with an anti Agents mutual stance and knew the likely backlash of agents knowing who you are. How about re-registering with your proper name and let’s see if AM has no power or influence.
If you consider that having effectively turned off any meaningful use of Zoopla in some areas is a nothing you obviously don’t understand the power of a common cause.
Well it looks as if it was only a rhetorical question as I suspected it was and that The Outsider was hoping to incite a reaction. Add to that the very weak one line response attempting to reinforce the initial point and a back history of only, on all but two occasions, posting negatively against Agents Mutual or On the Market and so I am happy to think The Outsider is here only to troll not debate or discuss.
Sorry Robert. I completely missed this comment. I have no fear about an agent backlash, but there’s no need to reveal myself as they wouldn’t know who I was anyway!
Just had a call from the Zoopla rep who are doing some offers apparently!
I said no.
” I used to be in a galactic alliance but since leaving it’s made no difference to my business “
I can hear that muffled noise again?….. over there…. that door marked Zoopla…. open it and there is a high chair, rattle, tape recorder and pocket watch….
….and there it goes that Zoopla Tape Recorder playing the same old message, sitting in its High Chair, throwing its Rattle on the floor…. and trying to learn how to work that Pocket Watch so it can try and hypnotise anyone opening the door and walking into that cold, dim, lonely room.
Time to close that door…. leave that No2 Portal gazing in the darkness…. listening to its sad message….
Zoopla?…. shuffle off…. you failed your fee paying members and with each comment you drive another nail in your portal coffin. By all means reinvent yourself however don’t call yourself a Property Portal.
At least with Rightmove’s Death Star Portal we know what we are dealing with. Zoopla? I never got it…. however that new range of flat pack furniture that you will be launching might give ikea something to think about…. for 2 minutes.
A Long Time Ago…. in a Galaxy Far, Far Away…..
Jesus wept GPL….you need re-wiring.
Bless You Disallu…
re-wiring I can’t do however I took today off to start building my wood store… for storing my split firewood… buy an axe and start splitting logs by hand Disallu… truly relaxing!
i’ve built the base for my wood store today… having counted my near £900 worth of wood delivered (there’s a business!)… squared the angles, bench saw firing away, hammer/nails, power drill/driver… and then the rain arrived!… so, back indoors, fire up the log burner, cuppa tea, await my good lady arriving home and telling me about her day (working as an estate agent too!) …and then I can look forward to progress on my wood store tomorrow.
when you spend circa £900 of your own hard earned money on wood!… you take the time and effort to build it right, no rush, no tradesman cutting corners… just me working away building my wood store.
monday?…. back to the day job… the life of an estate agent…. nowt to be disallusioned about and the election result ensures we will have a busy future… although Nicola Sturgeon will bore us to death riding up n’ down on her horse, blue stripes on her face… shouting freedom!?… if someone can give her a job in their Timbucktoo Office, please do!
Nothing personal GPL, but are you really of sane enough mind to be with wandering round with an axe??
several axes…
including a handforged Gransfors Bruks… a Lanchester of an Axe that justs slices silkily thru timber.
happy chopping Disallu…. if you get a chance
To be fair, you do always come across as a guy who has an axe to grind!
zzzZZZZZZZZ
So internal figures via GA, which can record how you want it to. Not using any world wide recognised companies who specialise in these figures tells a very big story. Blagging will only last so long.
That is exactly right. 93,000,000 people did not visit Zoopla in 12 weeks. 114,000,000 people don’t visit RM each month. 90% of applicants do not start their search for property on line. Blagging and shillbutting will only last so long and then agency will get down to selling property in a space it understands and controls.
3,2,1, whack the dislike button NOW!
Only 4? Disappointing! if you clear down the ul_post_cnt cookies you can have another go FOC
Great Vince cable and danny Alexander ousted out. But OTM sure looks like Libs
You haven’t got the bit quite right Trevor and to say so somewhat contradicts the philosophy of Agents working together; the very foundation of ML.
The power of AM isn’t OTM, it is AM itself. OTM is a catalyst that allows agents to finally understand digital for themselves rather than rely on what Digital are saying or claiming.
Robert your WRONG as AM contradicts as it doesnt actually get agents working TOGETHER my friend. It creates a place for them to copete AGAINST each other
I wasn’t referring to Multi listing type working together as I said in the second paragraph. It is the prinicle of tolerating your competition enough to have a common goal.
Where INEA’s common goal is Multi listing, AM’s goal is OTM anf beating Zoopla into 3rd place, same principle, different goals.
‘Interesting’ comment, Mr Mealham – but I wonder why you didn’t simply copy and paste the one you left on ‘the other’ news site as it states your opinion in a far clearer manner.
Allow me to do the honours for you – open up the debate a little, shall we…:
“OTM is a cartel. Its old technology. It doesn’t make 2 years.”
There you go. ;o)
Well done OTM! As I’ve said before, give it time!
I hope now that Zoopla has announced a 100m plus debt structure over the coming years with it move in to the utility comparison industry, that there are no aggressive moves from RM or some clever tactics employed by OTM to see the end of Zzzzzzz!
MORE AGENTS NEED TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT AND TAKE BACK THE CONTROL OF OUR INDUSTRY!
Lawrence Hall states…”perhaps they should look at charging their members a fairer monthly rate of around £10 per month based on their current figures whilst they are still building their audience.”
This is quite possibly the most ludicrous & foolish comment i’ve heard in this whole debate and demonstrates perfectly why Zoopla still do not understand what Agents Mutual is all about.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……
Zoopla think they remain in touch with their agents and are delivering what they want……….They will ultimately end up like the Labour Party this morning when they say “we just can’t reconcile the result with what we were being told on the doorstep”
It isn’t quantity that matters though is it Mr Hall? There is no getting away from the fact that Zoopla can not get a hit, a page view or a unique visitor to switch utilities companies. What you need is what AM have got, real live people. Dear Mr, Mrs, Miss Ms or the new one Mx Whoever has so much impact than Dear unknown entity don’t you think?
This is a red herring, missing the whole point of everything bit of nonsense.
Thank you for the dislike and so early in the morning too! I posted earlier that the electorate aren’t stupid- neither are agents, don’t treat them as such!!!
I tell you, you digital folk are smart as hell, confident too! the trouble is you think consumers pay your wages and have little respect or regard for those that actually do. Keep whacking the dislike button on that particular post it makes my point better and louder than I ever could.
Its a bit weird to say that, of your 300m page impressions, 200m come from pay-per-click advertising. By the time you add in the millions of impressions they’ll be getting from their customers, how much of their traffic actually comes from people who are actively choosing to use it?
By the way, well done Cameron & Co – the property industry survives for another 5 years!
Good morning E, just removing Vince Cable from having any influence over anything was the result of the night as far as I can see.
Ed Balls out another win for agency in general the only trouble is Yvette Cooper could end up leader of the opposition! 😥