Zillow launched a Saved Search Alerts feature that lets home shoppers save a search and receive email or push notifications when new listings match their criteria. Four weeks after launch, the Head of Product wants a clear framework for measuring whether the feature is successful beyond raw adoption.
In the first 28 days, 1.2M users viewed a search results page, 240K clicked the "Save Search" CTA, 156K completed setup, and 118K remained opted in after 14 days. Users who enabled alerts generated 3.8 sessions per week on average versus 2.6 for similar users who did not. Among alert recipients, 22% clicked at least one notification, and 6.4% contacted an agent within 30 days, compared with 4.9% for non-users. However, unsubscribe rate from alerts reached 24% by day 30, and email open rate fell from 41% in week 1 to 29% in week 4.
The team is asking which KPI should define feature success, what supporting metrics should be tracked, and how to distinguish short-term curiosity from durable value.
search_page_events: user_id, session_id, search_id, timestamp, results_count, save_search_cta_impression, save_search_cta_clicksaved_search_events: user_id, saved_search_id, created_at, alert_channel, filters_selected, opt_in_status, unsubscribe_atnotification_events: user_id, saved_search_id, send_time, channel, delivered, opened, clickeduser_sessions: user_id, session_start, session_end, platform, searches_run, listings_viewedlead_events: user_id, listing_id, lead_type, contacted_agent_at, tour_request_at