REA Group Ltd Annual Report 2021

REA Group Ltd | Annual Report 2021 10 The 2021 financial year has been a defining period for REA Group. Through a year that saw extraordinary disruption, the business accelerated its growth ambitions and delivered exceptional financial results. I am extremely proud of our team’s ability to respond to the changing needs of our customers and consumers, while delivering a number of significant strategic milestones and pivotal investments. In Australia, realestate.com.au delivered record audience numbers and extended its leadership position as Australia’s number one place for property. An average of 121.9 million visits were received each month, up 35% YoY 13 and 3.3 times more visits than the nearest competitor. 14 When compared to other leading digital brands, realestate.com.au is now Australia’s eighth largest in terms of audience, 15 reaching over 60% of the adult population. 16 This shows that our brand has become part of the everyday lives of so many Australians. A key part of our strategy is to leverage our unique data to provide rich content, news and insights to both customers and consumers. Access to Australia’s most comprehensive property data provides REA with the ability to deliver highly personalised experiences. An example of this was the launch of our Property Owner Dashboard, which provides tailored information to help owners monitor their market and make confident property choices. It is also serving as a powerful way for buyers, sellers and renters to connect with agents and agencies. New products, features and support measures were launched to help our customers overcome the challenges associated with prolonged lockdowns. This included the launch of Connect, our suite of digital Agency services which provides our customers with products across every stage of the prospecting journey to help attract, nurture and convert prospective vendors. Our deep collaboration with our customers saw REA receive our highest ever customer sentiment rating, something we are extremely proud of. Building next generation marketplaces is central to our growth strategy and our financial services business is integral to this. We were delighted to complete the acquisition of Mortgage Choice Limited and announce our 34% strategic investment in Simpology Pty Limited (“Simpology”), a leading provider of mortgage application and e-lodgement solutions for the broking and lending industries. We see considerable long- term growth opportunities across our multichannel financial services proposition, leveraging our larger broker network, REA’s digital expertise, our high-intent property seeker and owner audience and our unique data and insights. In India, REA increased its shareholding from 13.5% to 60.7% 17 in Elara. India is an incredibly attractive market and one that provides excellent long-term growth opportunities, while complementing REA’s global footprint in Asia and North America. Elara achieved a number of key milestones during the year, despite the significant impacts of COVID-19. 13 Nielsen Digital Media Ratings (Monthly Tagged), Jul 20 - Jun 21 vs. Jul 19 - Jun 20 (average), P2+, Digital (C/M), text, realestate.com.au , Total Sessions. 14 Nielsen Digital Media Ratings (Monthly Tagged), Jul 20 - Jun 21 (average), P2+, Digital (C/M), text, realestate.com.au vs. Domain, Total Sessions. 15 Nielsen Digital Media Ratings (Monthly Total), Jun 21, P2+, Digital (C/M) Text, All Categories, Unique Audience. 16 Nielsen Digital Content Ratings (Monthly Tagged), Jun 21, P18+, Digital (C/M), text, realestate.com.au , Active Reach %. 17 The Group held a 59.65% shareholding on acquisition and subsequently increased its holding to 60.65% as at 30 Jun 21. Shareholding increased to 65.49% in Jul 21. “ Through a year that saw extraordinary disruption, the business accelerated its growth ambitions and delivered exceptional financial results.” CEO’s message Year in review