Property Site Zoopla Sees 3x More Conversions With TravelTime

The secret to building a high converting property website or app is to perfectly match searchers to property listings. This is easier said than done because users select a property based on a huge range of criteria.

One of the criteria Zoopla noticed was important to homeowners and renters is commute time data. As well as their traditional search, where users can enter where they’d like to live, they also offer a travel time search.

Instead of asking users to select a location they’d like to live, it asks what location they travel to frequently. This could be an office, or perhaps a child’s school location. It then asks the user about their travel preferences – what transport mode do they use, and what is their maximum travel time to this location.

It then creates a search area that fits all this criteria e.g. “find me a home within 15 minutes drive from my office” rather than tying users down to a specific neighbourhood.

The results

Just 10 months after launching TravelTime, Zoopla reported 3x more conversions - users who had booked viewing appointments – vs. those searching for properties by distance.

By delivering more relevant results more often, Zoopla has given its customers the tools they need to make well-informed decisions and feel more confident about where they should and shouldn’t buy.

See it in action:

How it works

TravelTime filters out misleading results and only delivers those relevant to the users. For example, a mile in the suburbs may only take 5 minutes by car, but in the city, it could be up to an hour - something that searching by distance doesn’t take into account.

It also neglects locations that are further away but have fast transport links, potentially overlooking areas that could be of interest to the prospective buyer.

By excluding results that take too long and including those from further afield, TravelTime offers the most relevant results to both house hunters and agents alike.

See how TravelTime Search works below:

Matt Cohan, Chief Product Officer at ZPG, says:

"We’re pleased to announce that our travel time tool has achieved an impressive 300% increase in conversions. We believe that because the results are more relevant to the quality of leads we pass to our members is higher. We’re delighted that the tools and services we provide our consumers can deliver such commercial benefits to our members."