In May 2017, Houzz introduced a tool for its iPhone and iPad app, View in My Room 3D, that allows people to preview over 300,000 products in 3D within the context of their own rooms. Furniture and decor that looks similar to the six million products on the Houzz Marketplace is then surfaced for users to browse (and hopefully buy)." In September, Houzz launched Visual Match, a tool that "uses deep learning technology to analyze more than 11 million home photos on Houzz. In May, Houzz won "Best App" at Google's inaugural Play Awards. In March, Houzz announced that it had opened its Commerce API to third party partners, to make it easier for merchants to sell and manage their inventory on Houzz.
In February, Houzz introduced View in My Room within its app for iOS and Android that lets users virtually place products from the Houzz Marketplace in their homes before buying. In January 2016, Houzz introduced Sketch for Android. In October, Houzz settled a privacy violation lawsuit for not providing the standard recorded notification that customers' and professionals' calls were being recorded for quality and training purposes. In August, Houzz made its first acquisition, acquiring gardening and home advice site GardenWeb from NBCUniversal. In May 2015, Houzz introduced HouzzTV, showing homeowners' projects using design professionals. It was reported that the Houzz database contained millions of images of home interiors and exteriors. In December, Houzz announced its expansion to the rest of Europe and into Asia, starting with Japan.
In February, Houzz launched Site Designer, a free website building and publishing tool for home professionals. In January 2014, Houzz announced that it had opened offices and hired local managers in the UK, Germany and Australia to accelerate its global expansion 35% of the company's site traffic already came from outside the U.S. The tool is based on data collected from the Houzz community. In July 2013, Houzz introduced the Real Cost Finder, an interactive tool that helps users plan home renovations and total costs. The Android version of the app was released in December 2012. In November 2010, Houzz released an app for the iPad. Houzz became a company in the fall of 2010. The site spread by word-of-mouth and they began to receive emails from homeowners and home professionals outside the Bay Area asking them to open more categories on Houzz and expand to other areas. Cohen coded the initial website himself, and they asked a few Bay Area architects to upload their portfolios, to give home renovators ideas for their projects. They found it difficult to communicate their vision for their home, and to find the right professionals for their project. So if you’re looking to redecorate, Houzz may be the place to start.Houzz was founded as an online platform in February 2009 by Adi Tatarko and her husband Alon Cohen, in response to the challenges they faced with their own home remodeling project. This latest funding round is Houzz’s first since its last round in 2014, whereupon it raised $165 million in funding at a $2.3 billion valuation. Last year, we told you about the company’s new Visual Match tool, a deep learning-powered app for both iOS and Android that promises to make it “easy for people to discover and buy on Houzz the types of products and materials that inspire them in photos.” And with more than 11 million home photos on Houzz and six million products on their Marketplace, there’s more than enough to discover.
Indeed, Houzz has some of these features as well. The real estate and housing industry has become something of a tech darling, with a number of companies like Laurel and Wolf leveraging technology to bring home decorating into the 21st century. It’s no wonder that companies like Houzz are doing particularly well these days.
Home professionals also have the option to advertise on Houzz for additional exposure to people in their local area.Īs of this month, Houzz claims to have 4o million monthly site visitors, and more than 1.5 million home professionals on the platform. Fitbit Versa 3Īnd Houzz doesn’t just sell products – it has a directory of over 1.5 million active home professionals worldwide where homeowners can go to see the projects they’ve completed and read customer reviews.