PropertyGuru Exceeds 1 Million Downloads for Mobile Apps

Popularity Testament of Accelerated Growth in the Mobile Property Search Market 

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 October 2013 – PropertyGuru Group, Asia’s leading online property portal, recently hit a major milestone with more than 1 million downloads for its mobile apps in its core markets of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The achievement is unrivalled by any other property portal in the region and affirms the Group’s strategy of pioneering mobile property search in the region.

Designed for both property agents and seekers, the rise of PropertyGuru’s suite of mobile apps is fuelled by smartphone and internet penetration exploding across Asia like never before. This growth is even more pronounced in countries with developing property markets. Collectively, PropertyGuru saw the number of downloads for its mobile apps in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia rise 12-fold within a one year period since July 2012, equating to almost 1400 downloads per day.

Mobile and online are becoming more integrated into people’s lives and is increasingly influencing research, entertainment and purchase behaviour. Smartphones and other mobile devices are becoming the preferred method to access the Internet, replacing conventional PCs including laptops as consumers look for instant gratification. This has been further accelerated with the advent of social media platforms as well as numerous apps that have exponentially increased the utility of the mobile platform.

“Growth in downloads for PropertyGuru’s mobile apps can be attributed to the overall spike in smart phone usage. Certainly, for many, online and mobile has become the first point of research or intelligence, especially with regards to larger acquisitions such as properties,” shared Gerard Kho, Country Manager, PropertyGuru Malaysia.

In Malaysia alone, data compiled from various credible sources paint a clear picture of emerging shifts in consumer behaviour towards adopting mobile as a form of intuitive property search. More than 2 out of 5 users go online via mobile to search for properties, twice the number as compared to 2011. More interestingly, this is almost equal to the number of Malaysians who watch full episodes of TV programmes online, with most preferring to conduct their search during working hours between 10am -6pm on weekdays.

Kho mentioned that the statistics provide a glimpse into the future; that mobile is reshaping consumer behaviour and growing as a vital communication medium to reach audiences.

“We highlighted this fact when we recently held the Asia Mobile & Technology Real Estate Conference (AMTREC) in Kuala Lumpur. The data from global and local sources further lends credence that online and particularly, mobile is an exciting medium that will only get better with time,” he added.

Echoing Kho is Chief Executive Officer and Group Co-founder, Steve Melhuish, “We are excited to see so much interest and enthusiasm we’ve received from property agents, buyers and investors alike who utilise our products and services to explore how they can carry out their property-related decisions faster while on the go."

 “PropertyGuru foresaw the enormous potential in investing into mobile technology back in 2011 when 20% of consumers in our target markets were finding their ideal property on mobile.  This figure has doubled within two years, opening up fantastic opportunities for PropertyGuru to be even more connected with them,” he said.

PropertyGuru手机应用程序下载次数冲破100万

房地产流动搜寻市场迅速成长，印证该平台的受欢迎程度

（吉隆坡2013年10月16日讯）亚洲领先房地产网站PropertyGuru集团日前立下重要里程碑，其手机应用程序在新加坡、马来西亚、印尼和泰国的主要市场，成功冲破100万的下载次数。这项成就本区域其他房地产网站所无法媲美的，印证了PropertyGuru集团在本区域开拓房地产流动搜索市场的策略是正确的。

PropertyGuru手机应用程序配套专为房地产代理和消费者而设，智能手机和互联网在亚洲的渗透率屡创新高，进一步推动PropertyGuru手机应用程序配套的普及化。这项成长在房地产市场火热发展的国家更为显著。总的来说，从2012年7月开始的一年内，PropertyGuru的手机应用程序在马来西亚、泰国和印尼的下载次数共增加了12倍，相等于每天近1400次下载。

手机和网络已逐渐融入人们的生活，而且还逐渐影响人们研究、娱乐和购买行为。智能手机和其他移动设备正渐渐取代传统的个人电脑，包括手提电脑，成为人们上网的首选方式，因为消费者要立即满足他们的需求。社交媒体平台以及众多应用程序的出现也助长了这个趋势，大幅提高移动平台的使用率。

马来西亚PropertyGuru国家经理许毅指出：“PropertyGuru手机应用程序的下载率增长，主要是因为智能手机的使用急速增加。对于许多人来说，上网和手机已经成为研究或搜取情报的起点，尤其牵涉到像是房地产的大型购买决定。”

仅仅在马来西亚，各种可靠资料来源都明确显示消费者行为正在改变，转向采用手机搜寻房地产资讯。每5名用户当中，就有超过2人使用手机上网搜寻房地产资讯，比2011年增加一倍。更有趣的是，这个比率和上网观赏全集电视节目的马来西亚人人数几乎相等，其中多数人选择在工作天的早上10点至傍晚6点进行搜索。

许先生指出，这项统计数据让我们一窥未来趋势：移动设备正在重塑消费者行为，发展成为接触用户的一个重要沟通媒介。

他补充说：“我们于最近在吉隆坡举行的亚洲流动与科技房地产研讨会（AMTREC）上强调这个现象。来自国际和本地的资料进一步证实，上网尤其是移动上网是一个令人振奋的媒介，而且只会越来越好。”

首席执行员兼集团联合创办人史蒂夫（Steve Melhuish）认同许先生的看法，“我们非常兴奋看到房地产代理、买家和投资者给予这么热烈的反应，他们使用我们的产品和服务去发掘，如何在步伐快速的生活中，更迅速地做出与房地产相关的决策。”

史蒂夫表示：“PropertyGuru早在2011年时就预见了流动科技投资所能带来的巨大潜力，当时已经有20％的PropertyGuru目标消费者通过移动设备搜寻他们理想的房地产。这个数字在两年内翻了一倍，让PropertyGuru有更多机会和他们联系。”