Homeowners looking for decorating ideas, wondering how to remodel kitchens and baths and searching for ways to upgrade their homes turn to Houzz. Interior designers, carpenters, builders and remodel contractors turn to Houzz to display their work. Those dreaming of a home of their own in the future go to Houzz to visualize what those dreams will look like. The five year old Palo Alto company has far outstripped home magazines for sheer numbers in its content library. But that’s only one attraction of the site.
Homeowners trolling the site for categories in design and decorating will not be disappointed. They can turn their yards into landscaping worthy of publication. They can discover what a cantilevered bump-out would look like before adding one to their home. Those designing an attic room have a choice of dormers. There are the traditional dog-house dormer and the eye-brow dormer. On Houzz, they will see ideas for shed dormers, whether small or stretching the length of the roof. Outdoor rooms are tremendously popular. Houzz visitors will get an eyeful shopping for ideas.The ideas originate from builders, contractors and decorators. This digital portfolio is the ultimate in advertising, making the interaction between contractor and client a simple matter of clicking through. The site offers professionals an article base with which to instruct potential clients and further explain their portfolio. This combination of pictures and articles helps to brand the professional, as well as increasing brand recognition.
A major Houzz attraction is its smartphone app. Homeowners heading for the home improvement store for DIY remodeling projects can pull up the app to find out exactly what to buy. If they have questions, they can apply to the community for answers from other homeowners and the appropriate professionals. Homeowners can hire the professional they need, show them the pictures they like and order furniture to fill the room right from their phones.This combination of community, professionals and commerce makes Houzz unique in ecommerce. Innovative additions to the Houzz platform such as the pricing tool and the real estate agent directory introduced last year have pushed the inspiration giant past all other ecommerce sites. The pricing tool gives homeowners a price for a given project based on similar projects from other homeowners in their area. Real estate agents joined the list of Houzz professionals, with the ability to review and be reviewed by site users. They can also upload their own pictures and ideabooks.Houzz has created the equivalent of a quickie mart. In minutes, a homeowner can locate an idea to fit the renovation he wants, click through to the contractor who can perform it, buy furnishings or accessories to accent it, and if he so wishes, sell the house. All this can be done in minutes with the minimum of clicks. In the same quickie mart, professionals of all kinds can reach a world-wide audience, something they’d never been able to do before. As trends and styles evolve, Houzz will be in the inspiration forefront.
A major Houzz attraction is its smartphone app. Homeowners heading for the home improvement store for DIY remodeling projects can pull up the app to find out exactly what to buy. If they have questions, they can apply to the community for answers from other homeowners and the appropriate professionals. Homeowners can hire the professional they need, show them the pictures they like and order furniture to fill the room right from their phones.This combination of community, professionals and commerce makes Houzz unique in ecommerce. Innovative additions to the Houzz platform such as the pricing tool and the real estate agent directory introduced last year have pushed the inspiration giant past all other ecommerce sites. The pricing tool gives homeowners a price for a given project based on similar projects from other homeowners in their area. Real estate agents joined the list of Houzz professionals, with the ability to review and be reviewed by site users. They can also upload their own pictures and ideabooks.Houzz has created the equivalent of a quickie mart. In minutes, a homeowner can locate an idea to fit the renovation he wants, click through to the contractor who can perform it, buy furnishings or accessories to accent it, and if he so wishes, sell the house. All this can be done in minutes with the minimum of clicks. In the same quickie mart, professionals of all kinds can reach a world-wide audience, something they’d never been able to do before. As trends and styles evolve, Houzz will be in the inspiration forefront.