OnTheMarket announces 2m unique visitors – and growth in members

| Rosalind Renshaw

OnTheMarket has passed the mark for 2m unique visitors.

It reached the number at the weekend.

The portal has also continued to grow numbers, with 4,800 contracted offices, up from 4,600 at launch on January 26, and up from the 4,700 announced on February 18.

Chief executive Ian Springett said: “It can no longer be questioned that we are now a major property portal as our traffic levels continue to show impressive growth and reflect very strong levels of interest and satisfaction among new and returning users.

“What’s more, we are providing high-quality leads for our member agents day in, day out.

“We state again that we are confident in becoming the number two portal within a year to replace Zoopla/PrimeLocation, and even after just a few weeks we are now stronger in certain areas of the country with our numbers of property listings.

“We have more than 4,800 contracted offices – 90% of which have chosen to leave Zoopla – and are growing in size as the impact of our multi-million pound advertising campaign hits home and our reputation as a cleaner, fresher and faster property website becomes firmly established.”

The statement, released early this morning, drew immediate attention from City analysts.

William Packer, of Exane BNP Paribas, said: “We see this as negative for Zoopla.”

Reiterating an “underperform” rating for Zoopla and “outperform” for Rightmove, he warned that there would be “further downgrades” by analysts if Zoopla “cannot start to regain members”.

 

 

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83 Comments

  1. IndAgent
    March 11, 2015 at 08:25

    ‘stronger in certain areas of the country with our numbers of property listings’

    – this may be correct but the visitor numbers are still showing that the public don’t really know who you are.

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    1. Herb
      March 11, 2015 at 09:04

      How many visitors did rightmove or zoopla have in its first month?

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      1. truthbetold
        March 11, 2015 at 10:06

        Different scenario in an immature market at that time IMO. Also the founders of the then start up portals weren’t paying themselves £600k per year with agents money. They’ll definitley be one winner – Springett Plc!!

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      2. danny
        March 11, 2015 at 17:46

        Herb, Rightmove and Zoopla didn’t ask me for contract length at the same cost as my existing supplier for less exposure and tell me where I van/can’t advertise …

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    2. Woodentop
      March 11, 2015 at 13:43

      If agents promote as much as they did for RM they will, its called communication by your company and not waiting for someone to do it for you. As it happens I only see the OTM advertising on the TV every week. can’t remember when I last saw a RM advert.

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  2. MarkShields
    March 11, 2015 at 08:31

    Yet I guess Zoopla who everybody must have heard of, they are losing market share

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    1. 1stTimeBuyer
      March 11, 2015 at 10:39

      But site visitors up? Why do so many agents make marketing SOMEONE ELSES PROPERTY so personal.

      Do you not give a dam about the person paying your bills and wages, THE CLIENTS.  You people disgust me… and are doing nothing more than encouraging me personally to go with an on-line agent in future.  Your attitudes are disgusting, you should be ashamed and are an embarrassment to your profession.

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      1. Paul H
        March 11, 2015 at 10:44

        Blimey, you’ve really lost it there 1st time, perhaps the first acknowledgement that Zoopla are going the way of the dodo and you and your compatriots are wrong!

         

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        1. 1stTimeBuyer
          March 11, 2015 at 11:14

          and breath…. all calm now :-).

          I would like to know, why do I always read about getting one over on one portal or the other, not about, x being positive or negative for my client.  Isn’t it clients who actually matter?

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          1. Paul H
            March 11, 2015 at 11:25

            “not about, x being positive or negative for my client.”…I can assure you that my clients have not been affected by me not advertising on Zoopla. It has been business as usual and I have not lost out on instruction and my clients have not lost out on “exposure” as claimed by those with a vested interest. what I have learnt from coming off Zoopla is that I only ever needed to be on either RM or Z, it is the same people looking at both sites. Perhaps this is what Romans realised many years ago!

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            1. LocalLens
              March 11, 2015 at 13:11

              Yes, agreed with that Paul H.  We have only been on Zoopla briefly twice since they started and never had good enough quantity or more importantly quality of enquiries to keep going after introductory rate was over.  With OnTheMarket, much better already and we have already had offers accepted from enquiries.  So far, much better than Zoopla.

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      2. Paul
        March 11, 2015 at 10:59

        So we disgust you by running OUR businesses the way we want to?  What do you do, shall I come down to your place and tell you how to run yours? I guess you will welcome me with open arms!  Of course we care, that’s what our businesses are built on, offering a personal service and giving a damm.  Some don’t I amit, but the majority do, some only look like they don’t because they are not that good at the job, but the core of our industry work hard and care about our clients and OUR business.  Referral and standing in the community is vital for a good agent to thrive.  How about all those on-liners, game changers and crowdfunders wishing our industry dead and wanting us all out of jobs and shouting how they can’t wait for the day the high street agent is gone.  In that scenario, Livelihood’s will be gone, do you champion that?  Maybe you should vent your frustrations on them.  If you agree, then shame on you. Without our clients we are nothing and we know that, something RM and Zoopla seem to have forgotten!!

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        1. danny
          March 11, 2015 at 17:50

          If OTM do get to number 2 they would be forced to let them advertise , I’ve heard all the “it’s a mutual b@lls ” but being a mutual doesn’t exclude you from uK competition law . You can’t enforce a term that says “you must have a high street presence ” to advertise as it’s anti competitive , you can lay down terms like must visit the property etc but many of the new breed agents do, it will be intersting to see how Springett deals with it

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      3. Property Pundit
        March 11, 2015 at 12:04

        I think it’s time you left this site, it’s clearly not doing your health any good. Have you sold your zoopla shares yet? Tick tock……

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      4. Woodentop
        March 11, 2015 at 13:48

        1sttimebuyer, you need to take a long hard look in the mirror.

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  3. IndAgent
    March 11, 2015 at 08:34

    Yes I agree in some areas, but I have not yet met one client/potential client who has asked about OTM since it launched (and we have 40% OTM agents in our area). I wonder if Mr Springett would put his money where his mouth was and place a bet on his wild claim of being number two within a year?

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    1. Paul H
      March 11, 2015 at 08:41

      “I have not had one client/potential client ask me about OTM”…And I’ve not had one client ever ask me if I’m on zoopla/prime and how many years have they been going for?

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      1. Ric
        March 11, 2015 at 09:26

        Good point! I must admit I have been asked about OTM – but I suspect only because the slightly dopey CW agent close to us keeps trying to sell against it and is actually doing all the OTM agents a favour…….

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        1. 1stTimeBuyer
          March 11, 2015 at 10:40

          lol, plonker. All pr is good pr I suppose.

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          1. IndAgent
            March 11, 2015 at 11:51

            I actually agree with all of the above in some sort of way. You have all highlighted that its actually Rightmove that the clients want. And that’s going be the problem.

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            1. Woodentop
              March 11, 2015 at 13:51

              Not for long, wait and see.

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      2. livingproperty
        March 12, 2015 at 09:14

        We’re asked all the time if we’re on Zoopla or Prime Location – I guess it depends where you are in the country to what is most effective, and how many people actually take note of the OTM marketing.

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  4. hardly impartial
    March 11, 2015 at 08:35

    It’s a good start and a very sensible metric to report…..let’s see if the growth curve continues.

    well done Agents Mutual- it is no mean feat to enter into this market with such a quality website and immediately make some others look inferior.

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    1. EHenderson
      March 11, 2015 at 08:54

      Which one? The email I received said they’d had 2 million visits (believable) and this article says 2 million unique visitors (not believable).

      Do these people know what they are talking about?

       

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      1. interestedobserver
        March 11, 2015 at 09:12

        I agree. Springett plays the hype game very well. Unsubstantiated (as far as I can see) numbers for the acolytes to worship whilst the Dawkins of the Property world insist on boring details like evidence.

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        1. wilko
          March 11, 2015 at 09:31

          “boring details like evidence”…….you carry on wasting time looking for your evidence whilst my branches enjoy some quality, decent leads from onthemarket …..that is all that matters to me at the end of the day….. it is not as many as Rightmove but OTM enquiries are increasing week on week for us.

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          1. EHenderson
            March 11, 2015 at 11:18

            Utter rubbish.

            I have sat with 2 OTM members this week – one of which is in the process of returning to Zoopla with their tails between their legs). They’re getting 1-5% of the leads they are getting from Z/RM and there is no indication of whether they are quality or not.

            Fair enough that you’ve made your choice but don’t lie about the amount of response you’re getting when OTM traffic is a tiny % of Zoopla’s and an even smaller % of Rightmove’s…

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            1. Property Pundit
              March 11, 2015 at 12:07

              Like most of your posts, I do not believe a single word here.

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              1. Harree
                March 11, 2015 at 13:24

                Property Pundit – “Like most of your posts, I do not believe a single word here.” The ostrich of PIE sticks his head in the sand yet again with his standard response to any pro-Z post. Everybody is a liar or fantasist.

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                1. Property Pundit
                  March 11, 2015 at 17:49

                  If the cap fits Harree. Nice of you to pop up today, what took you so long?

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            2. wilko
              March 11, 2015 at 13:43

              EHenderson….”Utter Rubbish”….I hope that wasn’t aimed at my comment……I was careful in my wording and kept well away from the “traffic” argument. My point is that my branches HAVE been receiving quality, decent leads and that is THE TRUTH. In all honesty (pre launch) I didn’t think that we would get many, if any, only 6 weeks after launch. Anyone who joined OTM and thought that OTM would match Zoopla traffic  in 6 weeks frankly hasn’t got a clue about the aims of OTM and is welcome to crawl back to Zoopla where Zoopla will continue to advertise other agents and f.s companies next to the full page views of their properties with a view to diverting THEIR customers AWAY from their adverts.

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  5. Harvey23
    March 11, 2015 at 08:35

    Great to hear that so many people are looking at the website more BUT IT’S MOST LIKELY PEOPLE GOING ONCE AND FINDING NOTHING. I AM NOT GETTING ANY LEADS??? What happens when you run out of money as well to spend on advertising. I’m not giving you all my money. Help! I need to get out of this contract.

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    1. hardly impartial
      March 11, 2015 at 08:43

      Yea right…..am sure that this is the comment from a hitherto loyal member of OTM……because that’s exactly how someone who has signed up for a project based on a deep principle would behave after 1 month as opposed to contacting their local rep to communicate concerns privately…….

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      1. Property Pundit
        March 11, 2015 at 09:04

        Anyone ever seen Harvey23 on here before? He writes like an attention-seeking child.

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    2. Herb
      March 11, 2015 at 09:05

      Great comment Harvey23  (Alex Chesterman)

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      1. smile please
        March 11, 2015 at 10:23

        Herb,

        Strange request but how do you take a phrase or word and turn it into a website page as you did above?

        Been trying to do this to help increase my twitter updates!

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    3. Ric
      March 11, 2015 at 09:31

      IF you were a real agent dare I suggest you get your staff on the phone talking to applicants about your stock and stop waiting for the website to do it all for you! ppfffttt you sound like the kind of agent I want in my village.

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    4. wilko
      March 11, 2015 at 09:46

      @ Harvey23…..”what contract did you take out with OTM?”

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    5. Woodentop
      March 11, 2015 at 13:58

      I have to ask the question  … if your properties are on OTM and people are viewing the site, why are you not getting leads.? Why do people say they have never heard of OTM and yet it is being marketed all over the country high street, agents literature and all over the TV. Sounds to me more like the negative views are made up .. we all know who you are and if you want to stay out in the cold, better news for those that are in.

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  6. Yorkshire Agent
    March 11, 2015 at 08:36

    One thing for sure the growth in unique visitor numbers to OTM is increasing faster than RM and OTM fees!  Which must give all who have joined OTM a  great deal of satisfaction and will encourage others to follow.  Not long now for those who lag behind, losing business I suspect.

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    1. Woodentop
      March 11, 2015 at 14:15

      In may area many agents stayed with RM and all dropped Z (except  corporates) as they have never had a presence or worth, so no loss to our business’s. Now that we can all see OTM presence is good, advertising is sound, leads are coming through, we are all having a meeting to consider the next stage of ditching RM as everyone have agreed that the need for TWO portals is unnecessary duplication and RM is so expensive amongst other things no longer cost effective. It is what all the agents I have spoken to have been waiting for, getting over the uncertainty of OTM start up. The ones that are now in panic mode are the corporates (a minority in all UK high streets?) as they are not on the OTM and are having great difficulty in explaining why they are the only agents not on OTM and unsold vendors who have been on RM are fed up hype offered. We are so busy at this time and OTM has without a shadow of doubt been instrumental. I’m not bothered if some don’t want to join OTM, your loss, certainly not mine.

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  7. Eamonn
    March 11, 2015 at 08:42

    I hope it succeeds but was put off by the rep who said that if we didnt join now our membership would increase by the time we could be realised from our contracts.  Bad taste.

    Sounded just like the other too,   So we have taken the decison not to join.  I dont think the public really care anyway as long as your on Rightmove.

    Please someone convince me otherwise.  Need a better arguement to join.

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    1. Paul
      March 11, 2015 at 09:29

      Agree reps should not lower themselves to RM standards. All the public care about is selling their property, dealing with a trustworthy agent, not having a nightmare sale and getting the best price.  You don’t need RM for that.  Maybe the argument for you to join will be when RM turns into a direct sales site and bans traditional agents?  One thing is for sure RM will take all of this seriously and I suspect their plans are well advanced.  Don’t be fooled that RM will only change their model based on the success of OTM.   Maybe Zoopla do the same when OTM fails and then you will have nowhere to go?  But there is a chance to change that course of events by joining now and taking charge of your own destiny and not running for the hills went it all goes sideways.  If you believed all the rubbish people come out with about needing both portals so much and OTM not working, should we not all be bust by now?  Funny everyone seems to be ticking along nicely. That’s because you don’t need both, drop Zoopla, make OTM number 2, then, flick the switch on RM.  It’s not rocket science.

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      1. Eamonn
        March 11, 2015 at 13:53

        Thanks Paul, very insightful.

        But just imagine running that scenario of flicking the switch on RM.  Their brand is so strong becoming a direct sales portal (or site) would be a disaster for agents.   Also don’t forget many of the biggest corporate agents have just signed up 5 years deals with them last Nov.  How does that play  out?

        I agree I don’t need Zoopla but do I need OTM?

        Their Rep left such a negative impression.  she was essentially saying “its our way or the highway, and stooped to the other level”  its no different from the nonsense we have from RM & Z.     When she left I thought better the devil I know.

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        1. Woodentop
          March 11, 2015 at 14:34

          How often is it people that put people off? We are a people industry and never ceases to amaze me how thoughtless reps can be of “going through the motions”, have you ever met a RM rep? If you met the ones I have, you had it easy so far! May I suggest you do the time honoured check list on paper. One column for OTM and another column for any other property portal of your choosing. As you go down the list of what they offer you will see not much different but when you start to list what you do not like about the other portal, you may find your answer with OTM. The key is what are the questions you need to be asking yourself, not forgetting ones like web only portals using the other site to take your business, valuation modules, selling your and your customer data to competitors, cross selling and not forgetting fees and your ability to have  a say in how OTM is run!

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        2. Paul
          March 11, 2015 at 22:04

          Hi Eamonn, as I said no place for reps acting like RM ones,  my point is that whatever happens, it’s likely at some point RM go direct, so rather than wait for that day, let us be prepared.   Not be on the back foot when they do.  Yes they will have the brand, but so will OTM if it’s supported.  So much has already been done in such a short space of time.  Regardless of their brand, it’s still going to be a big leap for the public to choose the direct route and yes they will take some market share.  The choice is do something or wait until someone else does.

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      2. danny
        March 12, 2015 at 07:24

        It’s stuff like like” take charge of your own destiny that amuses me”.. It’s a property portal decision not a Hollywood blockbuster fighting darth vader . Believe me I know Ian Springett as I was an original investor in Prime Location , what is on offer here is the veil of choice , one member one vote . As far as I’m aware there’s only been one vote so far . Any of the members selling 3 bed family houses vote to spend most of the advertising budget in high end publications and tv slots for the AB populous , thought not … Did the 6 founders ever do me any business favours before OTM … Hmmm….no ,weird they want to to help me out now

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        1. Ric
          March 12, 2015 at 08:02

          So danny – Is it; you don’t like the people behind it? or the concept? Your last couple of posts sound like your jealous of an old school pal who has made a bit more cash than you.

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          1. danny
            March 12, 2015 at 17:17

            Hi Ric, I’m going to lay it for you . I was an original investor in Primelocation and have been in the industry 25+ years. I’m not an idiot , the concept is that the original founders of Primelocation , who spent all their money advertising in high end publications have gone to the whole market and said , let’s do the whole thing again .. You pay . We are all about agents helping agents… It’s utter tosh . They are building a brand that will help their top end niche brands . Tell me , Ric, where do you sell, what’s your bread and butter. If like most of these days it’s three bed semi’ show many of your vendors read country life, how many read hare and hounds . Springett has done the snakeskin oil salespman routine “roll up roll up, cures all know portal fees and online agent woes ” when actually he’s getting a whack of build an too end website for a select few … There , that’s my beef… Either alof of people don’t remember him for first time round or you haven’t been in the business long enough to have seen this all before

             

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            1. Ric
              March 13, 2015 at 09:13

              Bit rushed this, sorry danny mad day ahead.

              Similar time period to you danny and I understand the whole creating a “new monster” thing! it is the exact reason I resisted Z, NAP, etc etc…. we will bring your costs down bla bla bla……..

              Difference “potentially” is I would rather be supporting and paying a portal which I get a return from. (Gold membership from minute one) (you could argue go buy a stack of RM shares instead and better the devil you know) HOWEVER for me and I am sure you, I get pretty pi55ed off (sorry) when I get 1 call a year to say here is your 5% to 10% increase. We all know this one.

              2nd problem is when I find out a competitor is getting the products “for free” to make me feel I should buy them and then they [RM] start encouraging my vendors to “ask me for a product”

              Then I have my majority market share issue, I have more properties BY A LONG WAY than a certain CW agent yet I know they pay a fraction! “its not fair” well no its not! I give RM a better user experience locally as without my stock as Z knew, meant they were missing 30% plus of the local market. So why not say hey Ric, no rise this year fella, just as a thanks! (it is not they can’t!! It is they don’t want to)

              Then I have the DATA control police who rather than call me to ask about the sale they have just deleted, feel it is better to hide legitimate listings and I have to call them to explain and get them back on.

              Any of my conversations with them apart from one person in RM (I will name drop “Carrie” who I have found the only star in their camp! I would employ her tomorrow) are awful. bla bla…..

              On the flip side they deliver or did deliver a crisp clean portal, but lately snippets of vomit inducing Z style features are creeping in, but either way I was handed a choice in 2013 which was.

              Support an opportunity to take some control back by being a member of AM. The package was fixed for 5 years and only Z would offer this. I asked RM to fix my fee for 5 years, then 4 and managed to get all the way down to they will fix it for a year if I pay more. This shows nothing more than they will be increasing at least 5% each year over the next 5 years.

              So if OTM at the very least means my RM rate rises slow or stop I know OTM has done some good….. If OTM offers an opportunity to drop RM even better…..

              if OTM then try and become RM and I mean we create a monster as you fear……..OTM will be reminded VERY QUICKLY how easy we know it is to topple a greedy company, but I don’t think this will happen. If it does, I will still be on RM and dropping OTM in 5 years, simple really and a no risk for me.

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  8. garret
    March 11, 2015 at 08:45

    I find these numbers very hard to believe.

    I uses a tool called SEMRush to gain competitor insight, their traffic figures are often on the conservative side but when you compare OTM vs Z vs RM you can see just how far behind OTM are (in the search engines at least)…

    Zoopla traffic = 3,346,973

    Rightmove traffic = 9,641,482

    OTM traffic = 24,836

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    1. wilko
      March 11, 2015 at 09:52

      Perhaps, with your skill, you can tell me what is the likely outcome on future Zoopla and OTM traffic would be when those that are searching on Zoopla don’t find much/any property, whilst Onthemarket (where the property was switched to) continue to bombard the public with name awareness campaigns?

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      1. livingproperty
        March 12, 2015 at 09:32

        Agreed, but have you ever looked in the fridge and realised there was nothing in there you really wanted… And then checked back 5 minutes later, just in case you missed something… And then an hour later, just in case it was actually hiding and you missed it both the other times? Same can be applied to people property hunting.

        Not denying that it will take a while for OTM to get there if they achieve it, but there is no denying that RM and Zoopla still have the ‘magic fridge’ effect on the general public and typing those web addresses into your browser is still automatic for most

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    2. Paul
      March 11, 2015 at 10:10

      Hands up if you thought that OTM would be outperforming RM and Zoopla within 6 weeks of going live?  Hands up if you thought they would take market share in some areas?  No for both I suspect, making the first sensible and expected and the second bl**dy amazing!  Let’s worry about the stats when we are a year down the line, no one said OTM would be the number 2 portal in 6 weeks, but no one thought it would do what it’s done in the same time either!  Portals don’t sell houses, people do!

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      1. EHenderson
        March 11, 2015 at 11:21

        People buy houses Paul, and if you deliberately ignore where a LOT of people are looking you deserve to be dis-instructed…

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        1. Paul H
          March 11, 2015 at 11:30

          EHenderson…..The same people looking at Rightmove are the same people looking at Zoopla and now OnTheMarket. You’ve spent years wasting your money on two portals when you only needed one. Why not take head of the free advice being given from those who have experienced it first hand and for the benefit of doubt here it is again….YOU ARE WASTING YOUR MONEY BEING ON BOTH RIGHTMOVE AND ZOOPLA!

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          1. Woodentop
            March 11, 2015 at 14:40

            And 40% are not using the internet to buy, either haven’t got it or don’t want to use it!

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        2. Paul
          March 11, 2015 at 22:12

          Who is ignoring it? The majority are looking on RM and our own website, because that’s what people do. Lots of people register with us because (and here is the killer) they already know us!

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    3. Eamonn
      March 11, 2015 at 13:55

      very interesting

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  9. interestedobserver
    March 11, 2015 at 08:53

    Impressive if true. 2 million uniques according to who?  OTM?  ComScore?  GA?

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    1. truthbetold
      March 11, 2015 at 09:19

      No, it’s that well known metric ‘Springett Score’ in association with BS! One south coast town with about 50% OTM penetration is not working – agents reporting disastrous levels of leads and agfents oin the 2 major portals actually wanting OTM to survive as it is (inadvertently) lining their pockets.

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      1. Paul
        March 11, 2015 at 09:45

        So what’s happening with the other portal they retained?  Surely that’s banging in all the leads you could ever want anyway and providing endless instructions?  Are you trying to have us believe that suddenly, by going with OTM and staying on the no 1 portal, their businesses are collapsing?  Are you saying they dropped the wrong portal or that for a business to survive it needs to be on Zoopla and RM?   How have those agencies that have NEVER been on both survived?  How do they do business? How about those that are not on any?  I’m doing it all wrong, next sales meeting, I’m going to get the troops to focus on generating more RM leads because that’s going to make sure the business survives. When my guys come in each morning, we do a RM dance and pray to the gods that it will rain leads today.  We also have a RM statue outside that we offer gifts up to each day to make sure that the RM God stays pleased with us and doesn’t turn off the leads.  It’s 9.44 and we’ve just taken our zillionth RM call of the day, that dance sure did the trick!!!!!

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        1. truthbetold
          March 11, 2015 at 11:28

          Well you must be a good dancer mate. FYI, the conversations I had were agents who had dropped 1 of the major portals, but retained 1 plus OTM. Unique audiences and all that. The upshot I got was that OTM’s audience is uniquely small. Hitwise data confirms that. I really think Springett should define where he is getting his stats from to have any credibility.

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          1. Woodentop
            March 11, 2015 at 14:49

            If agents are leaving OTM and going back to who ever, who are these agents, why the need for secrecy? Paul summed it up very well.

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  10. Paul H
    March 11, 2015 at 09:22

    It would not matter if the number of contracted agents had increased by only 1 as what’s significant is that Zoopla aren’t gaining back significant numbers as stated by the analyst. I can’t see that changing any time soon.

    It’s the share price that Zoopla will now be very worried about. They’re flotation last year will eventually be seen as one of they’re biggest contributors to their demise.

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  11. MarkRowe
    March 11, 2015 at 09:34

    This is great news! I for one am receiving leads and I’m the only agent in my town using OTM and we’re all struggling with stock levels.
    You say that Springett has his own “score” and is in association with “BS”… but you’ve just made a comment about an agent or agents receiving disastrous levels of leads. You can’t accuse Springett of BS if you’re dishing it out yourself in the next line of your comment, surely…?
    Someone above commented about the sales rep – completely agree with you that I don’t think a rep should be saying that but I don’t think this should be a reason for you not to join. You answered your own question in that the public don’t really care so long as you are on RM – does that mean you are still on Zoopla….? Perhaps a switch to support an agent owned portal could be a good business move, only you can answer this but it shouldn’t just be based on the rep, there are much more important factors.
    Rightmove will remain for a long time, I think we all know that. But perhaps think of the long game here. OTM already has huge support, in only a few months of launching, it’s an incredible achievement.
     
    A comment was also made by someone above regarding lack of funds…. This astonishes me – how can you possible make a financial observation like that!? Do you know something we don’t? with member numbers increasing I would say this is a very good sign and financially puts OTM in an even better position and let’s not forget that the majority of OTM member fees are going on the promotion of OTM (obviously minus the costs of running such an operation). Also, these fees are growing month by month and the profits aren’t going to shareholders.

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    1. truthbetold
      March 11, 2015 at 13:12

      Quick question (as its partly your money) – is Springett worth £600k a year? OTM are burning money on inflated salaries, and until/unless it gets indexed on google it will fail. Otherwise they rely on an awful TV ad that no one has seen and RAF stickers.

       

      As I stated in todays world you can’t just say you have x visits/unique users etc and not name the source. Don’t forget that the public/consumer decide it a portal delivers value or not, but all you have to go on is ‘Saint Springetts’ say so. Maybe 1 lead really can feed 5,000! He’ll be walking on water next week!

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      1. HJ12
        March 11, 2015 at 13:48

        As stated in your comment you cannot just pluck salaries etc without naming the source/ how do you know what salaries people are being paid..do people question what Mr Chesterman or Mr Shipside is earning????

        Total irrelevant post!!!

         

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      2. Paul H
        March 11, 2015 at 14:12

        Why not look at this site where it shows that OntheMarket.com has jumped to 601 in the UK rankings in only 6 weeks… http://www.alexa.com

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        1. ukpropmaster
          March 11, 2015 at 17:10

          I’m astounded it’s not higher than that, actually.  Try naming 600 other UK websites with an £8mn advertising budget combined with huge sticker promotions on virtually every high street.  The issue with quoting things like that is that the number is pretty much irrelevant since it becomes exponentially more difficult to move up as you improve.  That website has Rightmove at 20, Zoopla at 56, and PrimeLocation at 386.  I think the right question to be asking at this stage is when will they even catch PL, much less Zoopla!

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          1. Paul H
            March 11, 2015 at 17:47

            “The issue with quoting things like that is that the number is pretty much irrelevant since it becomes exponentially more difficult to move up as you improve.”…It’s moved up 3 spots in the last 24 hours alone. And don’t forget there are some on here that said that it would get nowhere in the fisrt six months because of Google page rankings etc!

             

            “I think the right question to be asking at this stage is when will they even catch PL, much less Zoopla!”…You actually think that OTM over taking Zoopla is not going to happen, good luck with that!

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      3. wilko
        March 11, 2015 at 14:16

        …..Truthbetold….. I’ll answer your Q with a few Qs if I may;

        “Are you happy that 74 pence (and rising) out of every £1 paid to Rightmove is PURE PROFIT”

        “Are you happy that Zoopla allows rival 3rd party pop up ads next to your advertised properties”

        “Do you care if Z and RM SELL all the data you upload to their portals to 3rd parties so THEY can SELL to YOUR  buyers/sellers?”

        Oh, and if Springett delivers a successful portal for us ALL at the aim of £250 a month then IMO he is worth at least double that.

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    2. Eamonn
      March 11, 2015 at 14:01

      Thanks Mark.  A good point.

      Im sure I am not the only agent who is concerned by all this but you make a good point

       

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  12. agentx
    March 11, 2015 at 09:59

    Well done to the OTM team and every agent who pinned their colours to the mast.

    Only the agents with an interest in Zoopla, shares etc, have stuck with them.

    In business you have to make tough decisions. The market dynamics are changing and if you don’t move with the times your business is prime for failure.

    No landlord/vendor ever asked me about Zoopla over the years, but following on from the high profile OTM TV campaign I’ve been asked by several customers in the last months if our business is part of this new portal. Enough said.

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  13. RealAgent
    March 11, 2015 at 10:35

    Whether its unique visits or otherwise I actually think the interesting figures here are the number of agents/offices that have joined. Thats another 100 is just under a month. I wonder if Zoopla can say that, oh no wait, they have actually lost that number in just under a month!

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    1. Paul H
      March 11, 2015 at 10:41

      Indeed, don’t forget the target is 8000 by the end of 2015, who’s to say that 2500 may come on board in September or December as opposed to all jumping on straight away! Either way whilst OTM ticks along, the exposure grows and the leads gather, Zoopla’s numbers slowly diminish and the Zoopla share price drops.

      It will take a miracle for there to be a mass exodus of agents leaving OTM.

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  14. Eamonn
    March 11, 2015 at 14:13

    Someone above has stated that Mr Springetts Salary is only £600K per year.

    For the job he has done I think he is in wrong game my on-line buddies.   He could earn twice that being a high street agent like me. 🙂

    Mr Springett, please forward your CV.  I have new office opening in the high street.   There is WI FI in the back bedroom of the flat upstairs for other interested entrepreneurs.
    Must have a focus on driving customer service but no idea how to deliver it
     

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  15. Robin
    March 12, 2015 at 11:44

    I am getting a little fed up with the anti-OTM brigade from our own industry finding fault with the entire concept and especially with the supposed lack of impact by OTM to date, which they seem to take great delight in gloating over.  For those who have decided not to support this project for whatever reason, can I take this opportunity to re-state my understanding of the original proposition:  to provide an affordable means of competing with the RMZ combo and thereby controlling their growth.   This combo was and is quite capable of putting many of us out of business in time by their ever increasing greed for more profits, especially when they cannot squeeze us any more and they decide to cut out the middlemen altogether.   OTM was not sold to me as a means of destroying RMZ but simply as a way to prevent the cost of internet advertising from becoming totally unaffordable for us.   Whether or not OTM manage to reach pole position, or even no 2, it doesn’t matter as long as RMZ realise they don’t have the market to themselves any more.
    Ultimately, if the mere presence of OTM keeps the cost of RMZ down for everyone then even the detractors, doubters and fence-sitters should be grateful that some of us decided to stand up against RMZ instead of idly standing by and watching Rome burn.
    For those who say that people will never search three portals, I have to disagree strongly.    As an example, I am currently looking to buy a timber garage, but there is no great single ‘garage portal’ I can visit which lists all the suppliers and all their designs and options.  I have therefore had to look at over a dozen separate sites so far, all offering different search methods, different products and different prices.   I don’t see this as a chore:  it has actually been educational and I have definitely gained vital knowledge and insight about design, construction and materials by searching all these sites.
    Now consider that buying a house is the single biggest investment anyone ever makes, tell me WHY is it such a strange concept that they should have to visit up to three different sites, all with different properties, different information and probably different advice on how to go about buying?   In all the history of trade and business, there is no example I can think of where a choice of three suppliers to choose from is worse than only two.
     
    Finally, the only complaints I hear about OTM are the same old ones – “Springett  is paying himself too much”, “the reps were condescending”,  “ it’s not fair to make me drop another portal”, etc etc etc.   Please just take a step back and consider the long term future of your business and your industry, because if there is no effective competition for RMZ things could be very different for us in five years’ time.

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    1. Property Pundit
      March 12, 2015 at 16:32

      Post of the week….by far.

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      1. Robin
        March 12, 2015 at 17:39

        Thanks PP – that’s a nice thing to say.  I have my doubts that what I have said will do us any good though.

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        1. Robert May
          March 12, 2015 at 19:24

          Please  do not think this is intended as a negative post Robin it is not intended as such. Have you come across  ‘groupthink’? I first saw it at Devon Team in 1986 and several times since. It is my recommendation that instead of dismissing objections and apparent negativity the possibility of  Groupthink should be considered and if present addressed.
          Creating a them and us situation with those who have legitimate business concerns will not address those concerns.

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          1. Robin
            March 13, 2015 at 06:13

            Does ‘groupthink’ refer to a discussion group?  I haven’t heard of this before but when I first started working in this business all the agents, together with many of the solicitors and the building society managers in our town used to meet up once a week at the pub and we would discuss our mutual interests and business pressures at great length.  There used to be discussions of mortgage rates and any special products available (very useful), difficult sales (very educational) and sometimes among the estate agents the subject of group co-operation would come up – for example joining together perhaps to fight the local paper, or forming our own property paper, sharing instructions and fee levels.  Virtually nothing was ever achieved which benefitted the business community because there was always someone who wanted to take advantage and go rogue. They could never see the long term benefits which might be gained.  Sadly, I don’t think a local discussion group would work today either, for much the same reason.  Look at the way a significant number of supposedly respectable agents are trying to kill off this venture by targeting vendors – I find this incredibly short sighted at best, and self-destructing at worst.  Clearly there are two opposing sides to this debate and both think that they are right!

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            1. Robert May
              March 13, 2015 at 06:52

              Groupthink is worth reading up on and understanding. It can affect a single company or an affinity group of many. It is where everyone bought together by a shared cause grow in confidence and commitment because everyone else around them is reinforcing their own thinking. I am not saying it is but Groupthink can turn enthusiasm  from a beneficial positive to a damaging negative.

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