Enhancing a subscription product
My Impact
Identified key opportunities to enhance Trade Me’s Partner program by understanding agent needs and business goals.
Designed the Pre-List Insights Report, turning property data into actionable insights agents could use to win clients.
Collaborated with stakeholders and customers to align the solution with real-world needs.
Validated and refined the report based on agent feedback, adding essential features like filters and a printable version.
Delivered a tool that boosted agent confidence, improved client trust, and enhanced Trade Me’s Partner program value.
Background
Trade Me is New Zealand’s largest real estate platform, connecting buyers, sellers, and agents through its property marketplace. For real estate agents, Trade Me is the go-to place to showcase listings and attract potential buyers.
Agents can choose between two advertising options:
One-off per listing: Purchase a Basic, Silver, or Gold package for individual properties.
Annual subscription: A discounted plan offering consistent benefits across all listings.
While the platform was essential for agents, Trade Me needed to increase the perceived value of its Partner program to keep agents subscribed and attract new ones. The challenge? Create something agents would actually find useful in their day-to-day work while aligning with Trade Me’s business goals.
The challenge
Increase the percived value of Trade Me Property’s Partner program to help attract and retain real estate agents.
The question was: What would agents genuinely find valuable? And how could we create something practical, meaningful, and doable within tight timelines?
Discovery
We started by digging into the needs of both the business and real estate agents:
Stakeholder Collaboration: We worked closely with product managers, sales teams, data analysts, and account executives to understand agent pain points and what Trade Me’s data could offer.
Research & Insights: Through desk research, past studies, and one-on-one conversations with agents, we explored their workflows, goals, and challenges. We also interviewed homeowners who had sold properties to understand what influenced their choice of agents.
Key findings 💡
When selling a home, homeowners typically contact multiple agents for an appraisal.
Each agent pitches a sales strategy, expected price, and timeline, but homeowners tend to choose the one they trust the most.
Agents who demonstrate deep market knowledge, data-backed recommendations, and a solid strategy stand out.
We realised we needed to equip Trade Me Partner agents with tools to build trust and credibility during these critical moments.
The idea
We conceptualised the Pre-List Report, a tailored report leveraging Trade Me’s extensive property data to help agents win over homeowners by answering key questions:
Buyer Search Volume: How many people are searching for a property like this?
Year-on-Year Trends: How has search activity changed compared to last year?
Buyer Demographics: Who are the buyers—where do they live, and what’s their age group?
Buyer Budget: What’s the budget range of buyers looking for similar properties?
Market Competition: How many similar listings are competing for attention?
Days on Market & Sale Methods: What’s the average time properties stay listed, and which sale methods are most effective?
Price Expectations: How do buyer budgets align with expected sale prices?
This report would give agents a competitive edge by offering data-driven insights and positioning them as trusted experts in their market.
Validation
To test our assumptions, we conducted interviews with six agents—both existing Trade Me partners and potential customers.
Key findings 💡
Agents loved the report’s simplicity and found it easy to understand and use.
They felt more confident pitching, especially in unfamiliar areas or with unique property types.
The data helped them adapt marketing strategies to market conditions.
A printable version was a must-have for offline presentations and to leave with homeowners.
Trade Me’s branding added credibility to the report.
Agents needed filters for suburbs, bedrooms, and property types, with flexibility to tailor the report further.
Final solution
We refined the Pre-List Report to incorporate agent feedback, adding filters and a printable version. The final product became an essential tool for agents, helping them deliver stronger, data-backed presentations.
The Impact
The Pre-List Insights Report delivered value on multiple fronts:
For Agents: It helped them pitch with confidence, build trust with vendors, and stand out from competitors.
For Trade Me: It enhanced the perceived value of the Partner program and strengthened Trade Me’s position as a trusted partner for agents.
This project significantly increased the value of Trade Me Property’s Partner program and boosted engagement with OneHub, the agent portal.
Customer feedback:
“This is data magic! This information is a massive point of difference when we’re in the market appraising properties. When we are sitting down with clients, we can actually talk about what’s actually happening in their marketplace - where buyers are engaging, at what price point and their demographics. This helps to give us an idea on how we’re going to position the property in the marketplace to get the best price for our client.
Vendors want two things from an agent - certainty that now’s the right time to sell their home, and trust that you’ll be the right agent to get the job done. This report gives us the confidence to talk to market insights backed up by Trade Me data which gives your vendor certainty and helps you to stand out from the competition.”
