Zillow's Brand Evolution and the Impact of iBuying

Zillow's transition from a search platform to a transactional business through iBuying was a key focus in industry discussions. The company faced branding challenges when launching its iBuyer program, initially named Instant Offers, which was perceived negatively due to the term 'instant' suggesting a lack of depth in offers. Research indicated that shifting to the name Zillow Offers was beneficial because of the strong equity tied to the Zillow brand, prompting more users to engage with the service. However, there was an awareness that if the offers did not align well with expectations, it risked damaging Zillow's reputation, necessitating careful execution in future endeavors.