99acres helps consumers research properties using Google Maps API
At a Glance What they wanted to do • Deliver location-based search results with details such as landmarks and transit • Improve the consumer experience by introducing accurate and comprehensive information What they did • Introduced Google Geocoding, Directions and Distance Matrix APIs to display geographic information about properties What they accomplished • Provided rich information about a property and its surrounding area • Increased engagement on the website and with maps search results
Background Founded in 2005, 99acres is India’s leading online real estate portal, accessible via web and mobile app. Builders, dealers and property owners post properties that are newly launched, under construction and ready to move into. Customers can search for properties to buy or rent based on a set of criteria, then compare prices and analyze historical prices for that area. Challenge 99acres saw an opportunity to improve the consumer experience by introducing map technology since location is the most important factor for consumers when buying or renting a home. With the old system, customers had to manually search for a property after seeing its listing on the website. They had to open a new window, go to Google Maps, search for the address and make sense of the surrounding areas. Users had no geographical context about landmarks and transit nearby while they were on the 99acres portal. 99acres wanted to provide customers with the location-based search results that they expect and create a seamless consumer experience. To provide context around a property’s location, 99acres needed a solution with an accurate and comprehensive database of information about nearby destinations, the neighborhood and local transit. Solution 99acres chose Google Maps for its high quality data, including points of interest and geographic mapping capabilities, as well as it ease of use. When consumers search for properties, their results are shown in a maps view, rather than a list. Consumers can apply filters to the properties, say if they’re looking for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom property in South Delhi, and the map results view will only show properties that fit their parameters. “The Geocoding, Directions and Distance Matrix APIs help us give context to customers as they conduct research and evaluate possible options with respect to location,” says Amit Kumar Singh, Senior Vice President of product management at 99acres.
“Google Maps APIs help us give context to customers as they conduct research and evaluate possible options with respect to location.” —Amit Kumar Singh, Senior Vice President of product management at 99acres
The new solution removes the bias a list may introduce. For example, if a customer searched for properties in New Delhi before 99acres introduced Google Maps, his search would yield a series of pages listing results 1-5, 6-10 and so forth. Often customers look at the first couple based on the ranking, but with the map results view, properties are put on the same playing field.
About Google Maps for Work
Google Maps APIs makes it easy for companies to include fully interactive Google Maps on their public and internal websites. The Maps API helps your customers and employees make the right business and purchasing decisions by visualizing important information on a familiar map. For more information visit www.google.com/work/mapsearth/ “Maps delivers high value for people posting properties because the probability of a consumer seeing the listing is equal to other properties, regardless of the ranking.” —Amit Kumar Singh, Senior Vice President of product management at 99acres
“Maps delivers high value for people posting properties because the probability of a consumer seeing the listing is equal to other properties, regardless of the ranking,” Singh adds. Benefits Access to rich data Introducing the Geocoding, Directions and Distance Matrix APIs has improved the experience of searching for a property and comparing information. The Google database is rich with information about points of interest, the neighborhood, hospitals and schools, which helps consumers make a more informed decision about where they want to live. If a consumer is looking for a property in Delhi within walking distance of a school, he can identify those that are within a kilometer. Maps also provide contextual information about neighborhoods. For example, if a metro rail is close to a property, the consumer can view that on the map. Increased engagement Consumers were already familiar with Google Maps, so when 99acres introduced its location-based mapping feature, consumers instantly expressed that they had a better experience. 99acres receives 9 Million page visits per month, and of those about 70 percent engaged with the maps feature. “Because of the Google Maps API, we’ve experienced a significant increase in user engagement and time on site,” Singh says. Listing Accuracy Apart from an enriching search experience, Google Maps also helps 99acres to ensure quality and accuracy to their supply side. They are able to prevent addition of incorrect location information on listing pages. Google Map’s Reverse Geocoding module also helps agents and users post an exact address derived by pinning it up on the map, in turn improving the confidence score of the property. 99acres is looking forward to integrating Google Street View into its website and mobile apps to help consumers make even more informed decisions about properties.
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