Zillow is evolving its optimization efforts to meet consumer demand for streamlined, tech-enabled real estate shopping experiences, with a focus on experimentation and personalization in collaboration with Optimizely. The program is leveraging various tools to enhance conversion rates and adapt marketing strategies during challenges like COVID-19, including innovative approaches like 3D virtual home tours. The partnership aims to create a comprehensive personalization strategy and improve services across multiple real estate business lines.

1. Zillow + Optimizely:
Building the Bridge to
$20 Billion Revenue
Jason Tabert
Sr. Marketing Specialist, Conversion
Rate Optimization
ZILLOW

3. The Evolution of Zillow

4. Fusion

5. Consumers are demanding streamlined, tech-enabled shopping
experiences and real estate is the next frontier...
Fusion

6. Consumers are demanding streamlined, tech-enabled shopping
experiences and real estate is the next frontier...
Fusion

7. Optimization at Zillow - Last Year
1 Product - Zillow Premier Agent
One dedicated FTE for
optimization
+ shared dev resources
B2B
Inbound
Lead Gen

8. Growing the Optimization
Program for Zillow 2.0

9. Supporting six lines of business
(and counting)
• Multiple conversion funnels
• B2B and B2C
• Overlapping audiences (ex: sell + buy)
Optimization for Zillow 2.0
One dedicated FTE for
optimization
+ shared dev resources

10. Zillow + Optimizely: Partnering for Growth
Combining the best platform with outstanding
services and support, Optimizely is enabling our
small team to respond to the growing demands for
experimentation and personalization across Zillow.

11. Stats Accelerator helps us increase velocity on lower-trafficked pages and
leads to more insights and learnings.
Stats Accelerator

12. Cross-project events enable Marketers to measure
down-funnel metrics across products.
Custom snippets allow us to deploy across
different product stacks (WordPress, custom
templates, SPAs).
Cross-Project Events and Custom Snippets

13. Personalization is helping us execute on integrated marketing campaigns.
Third party audience integration with Tealium unlocks more power in both
platforms.
Personalization and CDP Integration

14. So Far So Good!

15. Partnered with Optimizely + CRO Metrics for the
Personalization Accelerate Program.
Focused on Zillow Offers - a major FY2020 focus.
First product slated for Tealium deployment.
Mapped out initial strategy for personalization
on marketing landing pages.
Kicking Off Personalization

16. Most marketing efforts paused due to COVID-19.
Zillow temporarily paused accepting new Zillow Offers
applications.
And then COVID-19

17. Planned to start personalization on the Zillow Offers flow.
• Challenge 1: All marketing for ZO on hold!
• Challenge 2: Tealium not yet deployed on other
products.
Solution: Optimizely’s built-in Audience Builder!
– No waiting for further CDP deployment/expansion.
– No dev or data engineering support needed.
Plans Derailed

18. Quick pivot to new areas of opportunity.
Ex: 3D Virtual Home Tours LP, intended for
Agents and Photographers, saw a 4x traffic
increase.
– How many of the new visitors were buyers
looking to tour homes virtually?
– How many were sellers wanting to create
a virtual tour for their home?
Pivoting to Maintain Momentum

19. Resource Center built for educating and answering questions - not as a
conversion driver.
Identifying Audiences During the Pause COVID-19 Resource Center
Likely
Home
Buyers
Likely
Renters
and
Landlords
Likely
Home
Sellers
Likely
Mortgage
Shoppers
Life at
Home
Market
Updates
Ample opportunity for customers to self-identify:
• “Can I still sell my home during COVID?”
• “How can I view virtual tours for homes I want
to buy?”
• “I’m an agent--what does this mean for my
listings?”
• “How can I take advantage of low rates to
refinance?

20. • All created with the built-in Audience Builder.
• Backfill with Tealium audiences as it’s rolled out.
Getting A Jump On Restarting
50+
Audiences
6 Personas

21. • Snagged code from Optimizely’s
GitHub library
• Borrowed an hour of dev time
to tweak CSS
• Deployed COVID-19 banners
across multiple sites
• Provided important customer
messaging without derailing
other mission-critical work
Extensions Gave Us Flexibility

22. With Optimizely’s help, Zillow is building a
bridge across the “chasm of despair” to make
radically simpler real estate transactions!

23. Thank you!!
Jason Tabert
Sr. Marketing Specialist -
Conversion Rate Optimization
jasontab@zillowgroup.com