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Introduction
Zillow.com is a real estate website that boasts of providing its consumers with quality data and knowledge that can help them for various activities that include selling, buying, financing, remodeling, and renting. Zillow.com has a database of more than 100 million properties in the US. The website has also a mobile version and apps that are suitable for different platforms.
This report is an evaluation of the website form a specific view of the consumer. The website is evaluated on various parameters on the effectiveness to serve its consumers.
Usability
Usability covers the overall design and functionality of a website and it ability to induce consumer satisfaction and enhance the return rate that is the number of consumer coming back on a website (Chen, Hsu & Lin, 2010). Zillow.com has a very simple yet effective interface that allows starting on a basic intention of the consumer which is to buy, rent or sell a home. A Zestimate calculator is provided that facilitates the search. Apart from the basic features that are on the front of the website, there are many other informational links provided on the main menu on the website and also a useful article on the homepage of the website. One of the most attractive features is that for basic activities website does not ask for the sign-up.
Convenience and Trust
Zillow.com provides a very convenient mode of searching for home properties without a need for login or sign in which is a very useful feature as a new consumer might not be comfortable in providing his or her details at the first use of the website. The websites provide details of the selected property along with a photo and the details of the agent thereby inducing trust in the consumer. Zillow.com offers various tools like agent finder, advice, mortgage rates, and mortgage calculator an also a facility to find a lender.
Website Quality and Database
Website quality has a high role when it comes to impulsive buying behavior of consumers. A high-quality website enhances an individual’s urge for impulsive buying (Wells, Valacich, & Hess, 2011). Zillow.com has a high quality in terms of user interface, usability and quality of content. The website is completely linked and provides a favorable browsing experience. The home page is simple and takes the user directly to the intended search. The website design is aesthetic and pleasing. The Zillow.com has a supporting feature like the Zillow app for a better mobile experience. The integration of Google map, mortgage calculators and resources, features like agent finder, and home design make it a very usable website. Zillow.com also maintains its blogs and allows realtors to advertise about their properties. The confluence of different types of advertisers and consumers not only enhances the quality of the websites but also brings to it an appeal. The search results are backed by Google map for ease of look up. The further levels of the website contain an advanced filter for search results that are very valuable where one can filter based on design ideas, style or popular feature for the home. The overall the usability of a website is very good along with good quality of content that would make a consumer come back again on a website. The database that supports the website in the background is robust with over 100 million records and indexed in a proper way that supports the fast search results of the website. The database quality is robust that supports a storage information for the website.
Conclusion
References
Chen, Y. H., Hsu, I. C., & Lin, C. C. (2010). Website attributes that increase consumer purchase
intention: A conjoint analysis. Journal of business research, 63(9), 1007-1014.
Wells, J. D., Valacich, J. S., & Hess, T. J. (2011). What Signals Are You Sending? How Website
Quality Influences Perceptions of Product Quality and Purchase Intentions.
MIS quarterly, 35(2), 373-396.
