Background
For a number of years Miranda Munn, Founder and MD of MJM Marketing Ltd had felt that the commercial property market in the UK was not well served in terms of internet property portals (similar to RightMove for residential property). She felt that there was room for a new portal to be easier to use, more fun to browse properties and much better value.
Why Earthware?
Initially Miranda approached another web developer to design and develop NovaLoca. This developer was aware of the Earthware mapping product in development and urged Miranda to consider integrating this into her new website. Miranda quickly saw that this new mapping product would be a cornerstone and USP to her new website and signed up whilst it was still in prototype form.
In the early stages of the web development, Earthware were invited to tender for the design and development of the whole website. Although Earthware specialises in interactive mapping, it was strategically important for us to control the environment for our first property mapping implementation and we were very pleased to team up with Miranda to create the entire website.
We love working with the guys at Earthware. They have worked phenomenally hard to understand our needs and to create something that we are all very proud of. Their maps are amazing and we are totally committed to a long term partnership with Earthware.
Miranda Munn Founder and MD of NovaLoca Ltd
This new website is a breath of fresh air, it’s both user friendly and informative! NovaLoca is set to become the clear market leader.
Mark Gill Lambert Smith Hampton (NovaLoca client)
What Did We Deliver?
- ASP.net coded website
- MS SQL 2005 server property database
- Interactive property mapping using Earthware Property
- Agent and Occupier specific areas
- Automated property loading functionality
- Reporting, saved searches, alerts
Post Script
Since NovaLoca went live in September 2007, it has been amazingly successful and after just four months has over 7,000 properties and over 100 companies and 650 agents listing. This puts NovaLoca around number 2 in terms of Commercial property portals and it continues to grow rapidly.
Although NovaLoca is commonly recognised by agents as being the most technically advanced of its peer group, Miranda is not satisfied with this and has committed with Earthware to a development plan for NovaLoca for at least the rest of 2008.
Earthware has also formalised a partnership arrangement for other Earthware products and services to be marketed to UK commercial property agents using the NovaLoca brand. These include both interactive mapping and 3D property (VScapes).