Want more pizzazz in your listing? Zillow's latest tool aims to deliver 

An AI-powered "super listing" tool from Zillow is designed to amp up the online listing experience and ultimately help agents and their seller clients make quicker sales.

Powered through its ShowingTime+ platform, Listing Showcase is initially rolling out to agents in five cities across the U.S. — Seattle, San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta — with additional markets coming onboard later in the year. 

The subscription-based product will only be available to a limited number of agents in each market, and Showcase listings will appear higher in search results on Zillow — a benefit the company believes listing agents can use to their advantage to win more business. 

Another selling point, says Zillow, is the inclusion of interactive floor plans on all Showcase listings, which, according to the company's internal data, results in more saves and an increased chance of the home going pending within 30 days, compared to similar homes without interactive floor plans.  

Cameron Swiggett, senior director of product management for ShowingTime+, touted the immersive aspect of Showcase listings during a demonstration of the product on June 26. Swiggett pointed to the tool's ability to group photos by room, highlight them on the floor plan and indicate what angle the photo was shot from as features that help give the viewer a sense of place.

"What I think we're creating here is the very next best thing to having physically been in this home," Swiggett said, noting that the experience is designed to entice potential buyers to take that next step of scheduling an in-person tour.

Boosting agents' brands

While Listing Showcase promises to uplevel the shopping experience for consumers, agents can also use it as a marketing tool. The team or agent's brand is prominently displayed on the listing, which, claims Zillow, can help them connect with buyers as well as future sellers who see the listings and want their home to be marketed in a similar way. 

"We're very eager to get Listing Showcase out into people's hands because we think this is going to be a real game changer, particularly for listing agents looking to win more, to differentiate themselves in a very tight market," Swiggett said.

Hedda Parashos, CEO of Palisade Realty in San Diego, agreed, likening it to having an online billboard that can help her "attract even more sellers who want an exclusive experience when selling their home."

"The fact that we can do it all on one platform as a one-stop-shop makes it a no-brainer for our business," Parashos said.

It's been a busy year for ShowingTime+, part of Zillow's so-called "super app" that aims to consolidate the many steps involved in the home buying and selling transaction. 

Other products the company has unveiled this year include an updated version of Appointment Center and Listing Media Services, an on-demand photographer booking service which is available in more than 30 markets. Swiggett also noted that Zillow has been updating other existing products and plans to roll out more improvements in the coming weeks.

Zillow's emphasis on product development, along with better-than-expected revenue so far this year, appears to be going over well with shareholders. The company's Class A stock has risen from $32 a share in January to more than $48 as of June 26, its highest level so far in 2023.