- Searches to switch broadband suppliers have increased 113% since the property market reopened for business.
- Other search terms such as ‘changing address’, ‘self-storage’ and ‘energy provider’ have also increased notably.
- ‘Broadband’ and ‘estate agent’ are the highest-ranking searches in terms of interest
Previous data from home setup service Just Move In found that since the property market reopened in May, the number of people moving home has increased by 29%. Their latest market analysis highlights the importance of utility providers during this process and how estate agents can add value in the current climate by considering this aspect of moving home.
Just Move In analysed several key search terms around moving house both since the property market opened on the 13th May and during the period of lockdown seen before this. The research looked at the highest scoring in terms of overall interest and which had seen the most significant increase in search volumes since the property industry lockdown was eased.
Biggest increases
With many of us now reliant on our home broadband to power our professional lives as well, it comes as no surprise that ‘broadband switch’ has seen a 113% increase in search volume since the property market reopened.
‘Changing address’ and ‘self-storage’ were also some of the search terms with the highest uplift, increasing 106% and 102% respectively.
‘Energy provider’, ‘home insurance’, ‘home removal’, ‘energy switch’ and ‘tv license’ had also seen some of the largest increases in search volume.
Highest overall interest
When comparing search term volumes between the initial period of lockdown and the period since the property market reopened for business, the term ‘estate agents’ has only seen a 27% increase.
However, it remains one of the most robust searches in terms of overall interest in the UK. With an average interest score of 80, only the search term ‘broadband’ scores higher (83).
‘Council tax’, ‘home removal’, ‘energy switch’, ‘broadband switch’ and ‘energy provider’ are also amongst some of the highest-ranking search terms where the average interest score is concerned.
Co-founder of Just Move In, Ross Nichols, commented:
‘It’s great to see that our appetite for homeownership has not been dampened despite the much trickier task of moving home during a pandemic.
It’s also reassuring to see that many of us are also looking to at least research alternative utility providers when moving home.
All too often, we move house and bring our existing providers with us for the ride. However, more and more of us seem to be exploring our options, and this has no doubt been driven by being in lockdown.
Of course, there is always a desire to save money in the first instance. However, with many of us now more reliant on utility services such as broadband, we’re placing greater importance on finding the best service, not just the cheapest.
In what are tough times for many estate agents, the hand in hand nature of buying or selling and changing utility providers presents a chance to add some real value during the transaction.
By providing a service that takes care of utility switching for your client, you can not only increase your profit margins, but you can reduce costs, time spent and stress for those moving, which is only going to resonate positively.’
