THE HOMES.COM MEMBERSHIP
THE HOMES.COM MEMBERSHIP
The first monetization of Homes.com
The first monetization of Homes.com
TIMEFRAME
June 2023 - Present
MY ROLE
Principle UX and UI Designer
Branding & Visual Identity
THE GOAL
When the new Homes launched in 2021, the main focus had been exposure. We wanted to get the new and improved site in front of as many consumers as possible.
By September 2023, Homes became the #2 most visited real estate portal in America, with over 100 million monthly visitors!
With that, it was time to begin rolling out the next phase of Homes - addressing major pain points that real estate agents faced, via the Homes Membership.
WHERE WE STARTED
First, we looked at our competitors.
There's a lot of home portals on the market, and many of them offered memberships.
CoStar also had success with similar models in their other brands, like LoopNet, and we wanted to capture what worked well for them.
First, we looked at our competitors.
There's a lot of home portals on the market, and many of them offered memberships.
CoStar also had success with similar models in their other brands, like LoopNet, and we wanted to capture what worked well for them.
OUR KEY VALUE PROPOSITION
From talking with real estate agents and understanding their concerns, we developed our membership model with a key differentiator:
Your listing, your lead.
It wasn't about a pay-to-play model, it was about enhancing the agent's personal brand and getting their listings out in the world.
From talking with real estate agents and understanding their concerns, we developed our membership model with a key differentiator:
Your listing, your lead.
It wasn't about a pay-to-play model, it was about enhancing the agent's personal brand and getting their listings out in the world.
INTRODUCING
The Homes.com Membership
The Homes.com Membership
A subscription membership for real estate agents that increased their exposure across the internet, helping them win more leads and sell their listings faster.
Designs for Homes.com Member Agents impacted every part of the experience - from browsing for homes, to seeing Homes.com ads across the internet.
A subscription membership for real estate agents that increased their exposure across the internet, helping them win more leads and sell their listings faster.
Designs for Homes.com Member Agents impacted every part of the experience - from browsing for homes, to seeing Homes.com ads across the internet.
THE KEY PARTS OF THE MEMBERSHIP
1
Increase Leads and Conversions on Listings
2
Help Member Agents Win More Listings
3
Provide More Tools to make their Business Better
1.
Increase Leads and Conversions on Listings
Increase Leads and Conversions on Listings
MEMBERS SORTED TO THE TOP
MEMBERS SORTED TO THE TOP
80% of people never scroll past the first page of search results. The highest impact part of the membership - I designed a new search results placard that increased the photo and included the agent bio, and we sorted it to the top of the search results page.
This increases listing views by 74x.
80% of people never scroll past the first page of search results. The highest impact part of the membership - I designed a new search results placard that increased the photo and included the agent bio, and we sorted it to the top of the search results page.
This increases listing views by 74x.
FEATURED ON NON-MEMBER LISTING PAGES
FEATURED ON NON-MEMBER LISTING PAGES
If an agent isn't a Member Agent, we designed an additional section on their listing page called "Similar Homes in the Area", where we then feature Member Agent listings.
If an agent isn't a Member Agent, we designed an additional section on their listing page called "Similar Homes in the Area", where we then feature Member Agent listings.
ENHANCED AGENT BIO WITH OTHER LISTINGS LINKED
ENHANCED AGENT BIO WITH OTHER LISTINGS LINKED
Member Agents don't have any other listings advertised on their listing pages; instead, we designed a new, enhanced Agent Bio section. This includes their headshot and bio, as well as their other listings, to increase exposure for those as well.
Member Agents are also denoted by the bright orange tag - this design treatment is meant to catch the eye and make Member Agents stand out among the rest.
Member Agents don't have any other listings advertised on their listing pages; instead, we designed a new, enhanced Agent Bio section. This includes their headshot and bio, as well as their other listings, to increase exposure for those as well.
Member Agents are also denoted by the bright orange tag - this design treatment is meant to catch the eye and make Member Agents stand out among the rest.
2.
Help Member Agents Win More Listings
Help Member Agents Win More Listings
RETARGETING ADS
RETARGETING ADS
When a homebuyer views a listing and then leaves our site, we continue to show ads to that person as they browse the rest of the internet.
I designed a series of ads, promoting both listings and agent brands, that are displayed on sites like the New York Times, CNN, and ESPN, as well as the Meta platform.
When a homebuyer views a listing and then leaves our site, we continue to show ads to that person as they browse the rest of the internet.
I designed a series of ads, promoting both listings and agent brands, that are displayed on sites like the New York Times, CNN, and ESPN, as well as the Meta platform.
FEATURED MEMBER AGENTS
FEATURED MEMBER AGENTS
Homes.com doesn't only have information about homes - we also have the most extensive content on neighborhoods and schools. Each neighborhood and school has its own "detail" page, where you can view proprietary photos and write-ups.
Member agents are featured on our content pages as "experts" in the area, driving interested homebuyers to member agents that are familiar in those areas.
Homes.com doesn't only have information about homes - we also have the most extensive content on neighborhoods and schools. Each neighborhood and school has its own "detail" page, where you can view proprietary photos and write-ups.
Member agents are featured on our content pages as "experts" in the area, driving interested homebuyers to member agents that are familiar in those areas.
3.
Provide More Tools to make their Business Better
Provide More Tools to make their Business Better
ENHANCED ANALYTICS
ENHANCED ANALYTICS
Keeping in line with the Member Agent branding, the Marketing Analytics report now highlights the additional analytics they have access to, as part of their Membership Benefits.
Keeping in line with the Member Agent branding, the Marketing Analytics report now highlights the additional analytics they have access to, as part of their Membership Benefits.
MATTERPORT 3D TOURS
MATTERPORT 3D TOURS
In select markets, Member Agents are able to schedule a Homes.com team to come scan their listing and generate a Matterport 3D Tour. We designed an appointment scheduling flow to allow them to book their scan.
Member Agents with Matterport 3D Tours get a unique section on their listing page, allowing homebuyers to view the 3D Tour and Floorplan in-line, increasing views and time spent on the listing page.
In select markets, Member Agents are able to schedule a Homes.com team to come scan their listing and generate a Matterport 3D Tour. We designed an appointment scheduling flow to allow them to book their scan.
Member Agents with Matterport 3D Tours get a unique section on their listing page, allowing homebuyers to view the 3D Tour and Floorplan in-line, increasing views and time spent on the listing page.
LAUNCHING THE MEMBERSHIP
We launched the Homes.com Membership at the Super Bowl 2024.
Within 4 months of launching the membership, we saw:
We launched the Homes.com Membership at the Super Bowl 2024.
Within 4 months of launching the membership, we saw:
$55 MILLION
IN MEMBERSHIPS
MEMBERS ARE WINNING 51% MORE LEADS
POST-LAUNCH IMPROVEMENTS
We have been working with our Customer Service and Sales teams, alongside dedicated customer feedback, to continuously improve the Homes.com Membership.
We also look for areas of improvement to enhance the e-commerce experience, such as discoverability and check-out improvements.
We have been working with our Customer Service and Sales teams, alongside dedicated customer feedback, to continuously improve the Homes.com Membership.
We also look for areas of improvement to enhance the e-commerce experience, such as discoverability and check-out improvements.
CUSTOMIZED ENTRY POINTS
CUSTOMIZED ENTRY POINTS
We A/B tested entry point designs to determine the best way to get someone to click into the Membership page.
From these tests, we determined that customized entry points, showing agents what their listings could look like as members, had the highest click-through rates.
We A/B tested entry point designs to determine the best way to get someone to click into the Membership page.
From these tests, we determined that customized entry points, showing agents what their listings could look like as members, had the highest click-through rates.
MODERNIZED CHECK-OUT
MODERNIZED CHECK-OUT
For the initial membership launch, we re-used a lot of design elements from the e-commerce experience implemented by other brands at CoStar.
However, we wanted to modernize the look and feel, leading us to do a UI overhaul of the checkout experience, as well as implement new features (like ApplePay) to streamline the checkout process as much as possible.
For the initial membership launch, we re-used a lot of design elements from the e-commerce experience implemented by other brands at CoStar.
However, we wanted to modernize the look and feel, leading us to do a UI overhaul of the checkout experience, as well as implement new features (like ApplePay) to streamline the checkout process as much as possible.
NEXT PROJECT
contenda
