A New Chapter for OnTheMarket as It Launches New Branding and Portal Tools

British majority agent-owned property portal OnTheMarket has revamped its website and branding and has introduced a host of new tools and features to its portal.*

Described by CEO Jason Tebb as "the biggest moment for OnTheMarket since its launch nearly seven years ago" the move "represents the start of a new chapter for the business" which is keen to move on from its past and breath life into a stock which remains nearly 30% down its 2018 IPO price at around GBX 104 per share.

The new site includes tools designed to improve user experience on the portal including: Wish List, Help Me Choose, Travel Time Search, and Street Search, as well as UX updates to Ask The Agent, Reserve Buyers List and Viewing Time Requests.

Speaking about the updates, Tebb said in a statement:

“I pledged real change for agents and consumers within 12 months and this is proof that we’re keeping that promise. I’m delighted to introduce improvements that will kick-start a change in the way consumers search for their dream home.  We are listening, innovating and delivering for both consumers and agents and our new website strengthens our position as a leading player in the industry.”

“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to bring this scale of upgrade to the site in such a short space of time. The team have worked incredibly hard over the last few months to produce a fresh, new user experience with innovation and differentiation at its core. What’s even more exciting is that this is just the start, we’re already working on releasing more new functionality planned for Q1 2022 and we’ll be constantly updating and upgrading the site functionality in the future.”

Although some of the new tools have come from ideas from OnTheMarket's agent community and user feedback, at least one of them was first innovated by one of OnTheMarket's competitors in the UK portal scene. Tebb admitted in a candid April interview that some of the tools and features from other portals had gone onto OnTheMarket's development road map.

New CEO Tebb has been well received by agents thanks to his willingness to engage in person with them and their dislike of former CEO Ian Springett who was widely criticised for the controversial 'one other portal rule' as well as for running roughshod over agent concerns over the portal's 2018 IPO.

Tebb hinted that he agreed with most agents' assessment of the former management by admitting that “for the first time since launch, OnTheMarket is leading the way in design and development for others to follow.”

Along with the appointment of Tebb, the revamp of OnTheMarket's branding and portal represents a severance from its past for a property portal facing fresh challenges in a market where Rightmove remains strong, Zoopla has just posted record agent numbers and newcomer Boomin is throwing around a significant marketing budget.

*Updates were not immediately available on the portal as of the morning of the 9th of December - OMP has asked OnTheMarket for a scheduled release date and will update this article when we have a response.