#InnovationMonth: New proptech player makes show days more accessible

Natalie van Zyl and Alexander Kruchen, co-founders of OnShowThisWeek.com

Tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired the development of the OnShowThisWeek.com platform?

I was a buyer in the South African property market in 2016 and found it almost impossible to find which properties would be on show each week and when. I looked in newspapers, magazines, searched on different portals and spent hours driving around following pointer boards. This was an incredibly frustrating and disappointing process, but it led to the beginning of OnShowThisWeek.com.

To understand and correct the frustrations felt from both sides (buyers and agents), I then teamed up with Alexander Kruchen, previously a real estate agent, and together we are OnShowThisWeek.Com.

What can you do on OnShowThisWeek.com that you can't do on other online platforms?

We have a full mobile app being launched in October that allows users to search and sign up for show day notifications, set reminders for the day and, best of all, navigate straight to the show days from their phone using Google Maps - no more having to call for directions or follow pointer boards.

OnShowThisWeek.com offers users the option to search for updated show day information, seven days a week, from around the country – not just for property sales but also listing show days for rentals, developments and auctions. Our show days can be accessed from any device and with limited data which is important when you are looking for show days on the move.

Our platform and marketing strategy allows us to list a show day anywhere in South Africa within minutes and we have no cut-off times to submit or cancel a show day. The benefit to this is that our show day information is always up to date, and we let our users know of cancellations as soon as possible. We also double-check every show day we list, as an extra measure to ensure our info is always as accurate as possible.

Users can indicate whether they are interested or planning to attend a show day which gives the agents and sellers an idea of how many visitors to expect. Users are also alerted of cancellations or changes to any show day they are planning on attending before they waste their time.

After attending one of our show days, users are also able to rate and review both the property and the service received from the estate agent at the show days. This provides valuable feedback for the agents to close more deals.

How is the OnShowThisWeek.com service integrated with its social media channels?

Users on our website and app don’t have to register. They can simply use “Instant Facebook Login”, and our show days can be shared by our users on their social media platforms.

What has the reception been like so far in the property market?

Extremely well! We are already listing show days from around the country for several big agencies such as Jawitz Properties, RE/MAX and Rawson.

What further innovations do you imagine we’ll see in the proptech space in the long-term?

In the near to long-term proptech space, we can expect to see a lot more virtual show days, smart homes and more 'green cities', and more digital advertising and selling of property - less print.