Zillow (NASDAQ: Z) announced recently that it has made changes to its iOS 15 iPhone and iPad apps, adding Apple FaceTime (NASDAQ: AAPL) SharePlay support to its features. This would allow people to begin FaceTime group calls and to then turn on SharePlay in order to go through Zillow's photo galleries so that everyone on the call would be able to view the property.
"Americans love to Zillow surf - most of them alongside someone else - and now they have a new way to do it," said Zillow in a press release. "Using the Zillow app on an iPhone or iPad, home shoppers are now able to search and browse for-sale home and rental listings in a seamless, synchronous experience together with family, friends or a real estate agent."
Based on customer research, 86% of Zillow users revealed that they prefer to shop with a partner, spouse, or housemate. Because of this, Zillow has distributed tools that have made it much easier to shop with others, like the Shopping Partner feature. This feature enables users to view one another's saved homes and tags on the "saved homes" tab.
"Whether you're shopping for a home or a rental, this new feature makes it easier and a lot more fun," said David Beitel, chief technology officer at Zillow, in a press statement. "The ability to browse together on separate mobile phones allows people to take their Zillow surfing to the next level. It's also a great new way for real estate agents to connect with customers and guide them in their home-shopping journeys."
Studies have found that home shoppers especially favor feedback from others. According to Zillow research, many millennials and Gen Z home shoppers report that they prefer to talk about their shopping choices with parents (71%) or friends (61%). Many millennials and Gen Z homeowners have revealed, in this research, that they decided not to purchase specific homes based solely on the opinions of significant others (60%) or parents (54%). All of this research would indicate that it is of utmost importance for homeowners to collaborate with others when making decisions about the purchase of houses.