Zillion scores “Best New Site” and is hot on the heels of Trade Me
Winning “Best New Site” at tonight’s 2006 NetGuide Web Awards confirms what many Internet commentators have suspected
for a while; Zillion is hot on the heels of Trade Me.
Experiencing remarkable interest since its launch just 9 months ago in July 2005, Zillion, unlike its competitors, makes
use of smart technology making buying and selling quicker and easier than ever before.
Zillion co-founder, Dylan Bland, says: “We operate in a highly contested industry with lots of new players, so we’re
understandably excited and proud to win Best New Site ahead of our competitors. Tonight’s award reinforces the fact that
you don’t necessarily need bucket loads of money to succeed on the Internet, just great web sites that work really well
for the people who use them.”
Set up by two web-savvy New Zealanders, Simon Barton and Dylan Bland, Zillion won tonight ahead of other new sites with
much larger marketing and promotional budgets, such as Telecom’s retail portal, Ferrit.
Dubbed New Zealand’s smartest online marketplace, the Zillion duo saw first hand the mistakes and flaws in other models
and knew they could employ smart technology to create a more functional, user-friendly site more in line with consumers
rising expectations.
The result is a more efficient, “smarter” marketplace that:
• Is faster and easier for sellers to list items for sale
• Is faster and easier for sellers to manage their listings and process their sales
• Is faster and easier for buyers to pay for items when they win, and track the delivery status of their items
• Is more affordable for sellers to sell their items with cheaper fees across the board.
Nigel Horrocks, editor of NetGuide comments about Zillion “...the new site is backed by people who are very smart. They
understand about community and the need to provide extremely good service, and they have to be considered serious
players.”
Dylan puts Zillion’s rapid success down to three things – successfully employing the use of new technology, a strong
focus on web site usability and a close, flexible consultation
process with buyers and sellers in the community.
“These days, anyone can put together a web site, but to succeed requires clever design by people that deeply understand
how the Internet works.” explains Dylan. “Both Simon and I have been working in this industry for a long time, and we
both have a pretty good idea about what works and what doesn’t.
“Zillion was designed and built with input from some of New Zealand’s biggest and most successful online sellers. We’ve
developed a close relationship with our customers by involving them in key decisions that affect the site, and from that
comes a powerful sense of belonging and loyalty and it keeps us well in tune with where the industry is headed.”
“When it comes to the Internet, technology moves very quickly and if you don’t change and adapt, someone else will.
Unlike the “real world”, people are not tied down and are just one click away from a better web site. That is the nature
of the Internet, it provides opportunities for little guys like us to excel and win.”
ENDS