ZPG, owner of Zoopla and PrimeLocation, has reported that the total number of estate agency branches that have left OnTheMarket to rejoin ZPG over the past two years has now reached more than 800.
Last week alone saw a further 16 agency branches return to ZPG, it claimed, taking the total number of rejoiners to 808.
The number includes Jeanes Holland Burnell, a multi-branch agency based in Somerset, whose director Ian Odam said: “In January 2015 we decided to join OTM.
“After two years of supporting the OTM project, we felt unable to sustain our membership with them any longer as we believed we were missing out by not listing our stock with ZPG.
“In December 2016 we relisted with ZPG and such has been the response that our offices received as many leads in the first few weeks as we received in the previous six months with OTM and is on par with the number we receive from Rightmove.”
Mark Goddard, managing director of ZPG Property Services, said: “We will welcome any agent back who is not currently on ZPG and wishes to enjoy the benefits that most of their competitors do.
“Our agent partners benefit from the most cost-effective brand exposure and lead generation as well as a wide range of tools that allow them to understand their market and customers better and generate additional revenues.”
Ian Springett, chief executive of Agents’ Mutual, which operates property portal OnTheMarket, said: “We do not comment on individual agent relationships but the facts remain the same as they did last week when Zoopla gave a similar update.
“OnTheMarket.com continues to have a positive material impact on the property portals landscape.
“Many thousands of agents switched from Zoopla / Primelocation to join us. Many thousands of agents continue to support the objectives of the business by creating a genuine alternative portal for consumers and agents alike.
“Many thousands of agents have not returned to ZPG portals with their advertising budgets and their data.
“Meanwhile, OnTheMarket.com ha
“We are concentrating on long-term growth strategy, and with regard to the legal proceedings between Gascoigne Halman and Agents’ Mutual, we shall continue to respect the Tribunal by not commenting on or around it as it completes its deliberations and prepares its judgment.”
Comments (38)
As a agency owner with 2 branches, I would just like to put my simple perspective across.
I was all for OTM when it launched in 2015, as like many other agents I wanted to support a marketing network that had all of our best interests at heart as opposed to the share holders of the other two. I was sick and tired of Rightmove & Zoopla costing us a small fortune and deciding to put up their prices whenever they felt like it.
Two years on – We have never had a rep from OTM contact or visit us to see how things are going, with this business model, imagine how many listings they would lose if we were their vendors!! The advertising is now virtually non existent, we have had 3 valuation leads so far this year and to make sure that I wasn`t going totally mad, I asked the last 100 valuations that we went to `Which property portals had they heard of?` out of 100, only 4 people mentioned OTM and 3 out of the 4 said Rightmove and Zoopla first anyway.
I do believe that AM could make a difference if it was managed properly but it just isn`t. Also, if they don`t change their 2 portal rule then they will lose more and more agents and will have less & less money to spend on what they should be spending it on – Marketing OTM to the general public.
Unfortunately I can see what`s coming if nothing changes – OTM will disappear, then Zoopla & Rightmove will have the duopoly once again and hike up the fees, then we will all be back to moaning about how much we pay. Groundhog day!!
Starkey1
Your ‘simple perspective’ is welcome.
With respect to the Rep contact – this is indeed a common complaint.
Far from me to even try to address this very justifiable concern – but someone from OTM bl00dy well should come on here and do so – or at very least if they don’t want to air their washing in ‘public’ (which very much seems to be the case) then an email from AM Towers giving people answers to observed comments and concerns instead of/in addition to the usual monthly self back-slapping ‘Newsletter’ that I would suggest many condemn to the Trash without reading.
In a market that has seen a 25% drop in transaction levels this year, just this week we’ve had a 25% increase in fees from Rightmove. I’m still feeling pretty compelled to stick with an agent owned portal.
If your conviction is that strong, why did you stay with RM instead of missing the opportunity to hit them and put yourself in a better negotiating position?
Dear Mr Digital Expert.
It appears that you are very clued up with Z strategy.
Therefore, I have one question for you.
The best way for RM and Z to grow income in the future is to gain ownership of agents seller info for cross selling purposes?
RM appears to have brilliantly initiated a vessel to achieve this via mandatory use of their own real time data feed and its own user licence?
This appears to have caught Z on the hop as their response to this exceptionally well executed strategy appears to be purchasing agents upload providers and Uswitch?
Somewhat more expensive to date as the PSG and Uswitch purchase was rather more expensive than the cost of RM’s ‘free’ real time data feed?
My one question to you is… if you were such a digital expert, why did Z not foresee RM’s blizkrieg and offer their own ‘free’ real time feed way before RM cut their own data protected overnight data feed on 4th JULY 2016. Independence Day?
I am not a digital expert but did I see that one coming way before you did?
If you can disprove this personal opinion I look forward to that discussion in the future.
You are unlikely to get a reply Thomas; it’s the weekend so DE won’t be working and a reply at that level is above their pay scale.
There are two determined, separate but linked, attempts to disrupt the traditional property industry, it is important to leave Rightmove out of that discussion, Rightmove is a dominant service supplier that sticks to what it does and gets away with charging well for the service it offers. That is a different issue to the disruption of agency through data harvesting and data supply.
ICO and protection of data held within agent’s CRM systems is a matter that should be reviewed as a matter of urgency. Many agents and once CMA decide on allowing Expert Agent to be taken into ZPG a heap more agents are warranting that they have sought and gained the express permission of every vendor, landlord, vendor, tenant and applicant to have their data used and shared by a service provider. I suspect even those who have read and agreed to service agreement terms and conditions are oblivious to the detrimental effects of harvesting and sharing on their businesses.
I estimate, and I am quite good at numbers, data and property trivia that last year about £0.5billion wasn’t paid to agents that should have been because of fee erosion caused by data harvesting and sharing, with another £100 million as lost opportunity income. Quite easily over £2200 average per month is being not earned by every agency branch in the country because of the disruption being deliberately and determinedly caused by a single service supplier.
Peebee, my unofficial archivist will be able to remember /look up the EAT stories from 5 or 6 years ago where I highlighted the likely effects of data sharing, more recently on Eye discussion about fee erosion was simply dismissed. When the market is buoyant no-one misses the money but I would guess there are many agents out there, independent and corporate, wishing they had access to the 60 lots of £2.2k they’ve missed out on, per branch, over the past 5 years. There is very good reason why every business owner, partner and director ought to make it their business to understand what disruption is and what it is costing them.
‘The number includes Jeanes Holland Burnell, a multi-branch agency based in Somerset, whose director Ian Odam said: “In January 2015 we decided to join OTM… In December 2016 we relisted with ZPG…” ‘.
Well – that being the case, how’s about you change your chuffing website – which, seven months later, still shows the OTM logo and NOT that of Zoopla.
You can’t be too keen to publicise your defection, then.
Or – is it a case of fear that if your clients see you walking away from a Contract you freely entered into then maybe they’ll do the same…?
Question I have is, why should your cleints be using RM & Z instead of OTM? OTM is no different!
Yes, it’s exactly the same – excpet with no visitors, no marketing, barely any leads, not being embroiled in a suffocating court case and no public awareness whatever.
Yes that suffocating court case
Just in case anyone missed it
Still, it’s OTM, their practice, reputation, a large percentage of their annual running cost, and the question of their long term existence that’s in court, not Zoopla.
Even if (if is too small a word) they come out of this unscathed (lol) there is a large action group ready to haul them back over the legal coals. Not a happy camp.
Of course, in the medium term this means no more marketing, no more advertising and plenty of bored, unsatisfied agents leaving and rejoining a portal (RM OR Z) that actually works – for the agents & the public.
So, there’s that.
Is Zoopla funding that case too?
No, 100’s of unhappy agents are. Does that make you feel better?
Even more unhappy agents are with RM. As to no customers or public awareness …. give it a rest, your views are unfounded and false. Try opening your eyes when you drive down the High Street and read the data of the hits the web site gets each month. But then we all supspect you work for Z, so no suprise.
Yes, the paid for traffic that hits the site, bounces right off and doesn’t return due to low levels of stock and consumer tools – you know, the stuff the public like when searching for houses. I know exactly the kind of traffic that OTM has.
Here’s a simple test – go and ask 100 members of the public what On the Market is.
Are those unhappy Rightmove agents the same agents that left Zoopla for OTM and stayed with Rightmove? Have their RM fees gone up in that time? In terms of percentage, unhappy OTM agents far outweigh unhappy RM ones.
Where I work has no relevence to the facts – and most of them are in the public domain. But, by all means, try again.
If your not an agent … whats the big deal!
Who can remember when I used to cop all the flack for being critical of the way AM and OTM was being set up and organised? My predictions and comments encountered an understandable but fairly strident reception. It seems I wasn’t too wide of the mark.
Agents mutual remains a viable solution to the pressures the industry faces particularly the pressures of Trojan Horse partners who are helping to undermine fees and earning opportunities. It is down to the wider membership of Agents Mutual to take an active role in changing strategies that, 30 months into a 60 month project, aren’t panning out as they intended.
No doubt it will appear that I am now supporting AM where once I was critical, that i am the one who has changed their position, that isn’t the case I simply believe with a relatively cost effective tweak the project could be given new impetus and credibility.
OTM can work but it is down to the agents to support it and then for AM to pull their fingers out and to be seen being more pro-active supporting its members. RM & Z only got to where they are from members supporting them and then being supported in return with national media marketing to the public. The latter appears lacking with AM? Whichever way the court case goes, it proves that their is a manopoly by the current players and the commission should step in with regulation to prevent it and that I believe is the dilema for the court to make a ruling, OTM need to be in the market place.
Sorry Woodentop its not just down to agents to support it.
circa 7000 branches DID support it. They have been let down by lack of leadership and management.
Apart from you calling up your rep to moan, when did you last hear from them?
No Local meetings, No media advertising (even when they did it was woeful), No national Press coverage, No P.R. department drip feeding stories getting their name in the press to be seen as experts, No Back office system, They have not utilised the AM side of things.
What are the two MAJOR steps forward in over 2 years since launch?
1. Oversees section
2. Deal with Countrylife
Hardly what the average estae agents needs or wants.
I know a number of agents that have walked away from their contracts, signed up with Z. OTM not even chasing them for the broken contracts.
It is a car crash of epic proportions when you look at the money agents have invested in the last 2 and a bit years and the return they have got. There is not a single piece of ecvidence to point to this being turned around after the court case.
THE BEST OTM can hope for is they drop the 1 other portal rule and all us stupid business owners with massive egos decide we advertise on 3 bleeding portals. So instead of 1 (original consept of OTM) WE ARE PAYING FOR 3!!!!
My very basic mathmatics of 7000 x (average) £300 per branch means OTM have over TWO MILLION a month coming in, to date that is circa SIXTY MILLION, Where has it gone?
At what point do you call time on it?
– I am not having a go at Woodentop, but wish a few more agents demand a return on investment so this fantastic idea might at least stand a chance of getting off the ground.
I did say ……. “The latter appears lacking with AM?” Your points are vaild, AM are noticeable by their abscence. It has to be a two way working partnership, some agents appear to be sitting and expecting OTM to do it all for them and AM need to be more pro-active promoting OTM with the media.
OnTheMarket.com continues to have a positive material impact on the property portals landscape.
It greatly pains me to say this but if OTM believe that statement they are deluding themselves.
Lets be honest its a dog with fleas (OTM).
I have heard recently what the plans are for OTM after the court case should they win or lose all i can say is you will not be impressed.
Reps and management trying to put on a brave face but they know the writing is on the wall they are just trying to squeeze the last few quid out of it.
That is so disappointing to hear. If that is the case it will ultimately mean than OTM doesn’t succeed the way it should have, not because of lack of will on the part of many agents, but because of an unwillingness to listen…. and bad strategical decisions made by the management.
My understanding is that it is owned by the member agents, so why don’t they look to take it over and run it for success?
Agent V don’t be disappointed because it’s not true!
I too am aware of their(OTM) plans and it will be the best thing that could happen to them and for us as it will save the day from us having no choice but to continue allowing RM or Zoopla to be shaft us all!
We have either different opinons on the way forward or have been told different things 😉
We certainly haven’t and have no intention of doing so.
As said above, one does wonder how thee figures have been manipulated!
OTM will never be a “genuine alternative portal for consumers and agents alike” until it starts marketing and promoting its brand effectively and consistently.
Looks like Cluttons is one of the latest groups to quit OTM and re-join ZPG? They won’t stop the bleeding until they drop the 2 portal only rule. Silly really as they could save these members if they did so!
I hope that there is a more inspiring statement, after the judgement, of why agents should join OTM. They need to be fighting as hard as they can to increase their membership.
How about some new revolutionary products that all independent agents will want?
Isn’t the fact that there were no products, gimmicks, tools or anything useful, is what agents initially liked about OTM?
Anyone have any idea how many of those Zoopla returnees were branches acquired by companies committed to Zoopla?
“Earlier this year” implies that there has not been record breaking visits in what is construed as the busier business months since, however 11.2 is a good measure of their sustainability and can establish itself (given more growth time) to be an alternative but maybe only third choice portal.
i can’t help but think had it been cheaper and not restrictive on the amount of portals then it could really have challenged for the number two spot.
ah well, it is what it is.
Just out of interest, I wonder who you think the top two portals are?
WELL… LOOKIE WHO!
As predictable as an early morning visit to the bog after a fifteen-course gutbuster the night before – and just as full of the same.
Dig ex, Are you sure!!
I know who they are but if you don’t then give up, actually like pee bee I’m not sure what skill set you have nor what side of the fence you shout from as in the past it has been hard to tell from your posts but with posts like that, you do make it easy for pee bee to dig you out and before you ask me the question again I shall state that your question doesn’t deserve an answer because you should already know, perhaps your user name should be changed and I will give you answers on that on request.
Still nothing from Essjaydee51?
Shame, I’m genuinely interested to see the perception of who the top two portals are.
“Top two”? “Top two” in what respect?
Doesn’t that depend on the opinion of the person answering?
Isn’t there, therefore, more than one potential answer?
Or – do you just want the one that fits your agenda?
Is that the only acceptable answer, ‘Digital Expert’? The only one that will score a ‘Like’ – or a comment backing up the opinion of the poster?
Much as I dislike repeating myself, in the spirit of fairness I feel it needs re-posted that certain serial ‘Dislikers’ are giving readers with IQs of a number in excess of their shoe size the distinct impression that they don’t comprehend basic logic – that ‘thumbs-down’ votes don’t make opinions change; any less relevant – or somehow make them false.
In fact – what they actually do in the vast majority of cases is firmly reinforce the point that the poster is making.
So keep it up, trusty Plank(s) – you’re doing a fine job!