Hipages Group
hipages Group is an Australian company that provides online service directories and lead generation in various industries such as the home improvement and tradesmen sector, pet services, and natural therapies.
hipages Group's various websites facilitate an online connection between consumers and professionals in designated fields of service.
History
hipages Group was founded in 2004 by David Vitek and Robert Sharon-Zipser. Prior to being the Chief executive officer of hipages Group, Vitek worked as an engineer at IBM. The initial focus of the company was on natural therapies until the co-founders realised the potential their services had in the home improvement sector.
The company originally designed the directory service websites on a subscription-based model, in which businesses paid to be listed on the site, but later changed to a cost-per-lead model.
hipages Group entered into a partnership with IKEA in 2013 to assist consumers in locating tradesmen to install their lkitchen counters and cabinets.
By 2014, the user base consisted of over 500,000 users and around one million visitors to the website each month.
In May 2014, hipages received $6 million in funding from various investors such as Ellerston Capital, Australian Ethical Investment, and KTM Capital. Right Click Capital, a technology-focused advisory firm, managed the capital raising.
Services
Instead of generating service commissions, hipages generates revenue from member fees. The company offers three different websites that use algorithms to match consumers with businesses and professionals based on the trade category, location, feedback, and other relevant information.
Home Improvement Pages
The name "hipages" stems from the abbreviation of the Home Improvement Pages.
The Home Improvement Pages offer directory services that connect consumers to registered tradesmen from 1,100 categories for tasks such as painting, tiling, and other home repairs or renovations.
hipages uploads approximately 40,000 job posts from customers per month to its home improvement page which has a user base of over 500,000 consumer members.
Pet Pages
The Pet Pages website is a directory service that allows consumers to search and find local pet services and businesses like breeders or veterinarian offices. The directory also assists in finding other pet oriented things such as pet stores, accessories, and training.
Natural Therapy Pages
Initially, the Natural Therapy Pages was the first website developed by Vitek in 2004. The idea came from Vitek's interest in health and the desire to start his own business. The Natural Therapy Pages website features relevant health, nutrition and naturopathy articles along with a directory linking users to treatment facilities, doctors and practitioners, and other natural therapy services.
Recognition
The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia program ranked hipages Group (named Viteknologies at the time) 6th for the fastest growing Australian companies in 2008.
In 2011, BRW ranked Viteknologies, now hipages Group, as 28th on their list of the Best Places to Work in Australia. hipages Group was ranked 21st on BRW's list of Most Innovative Companies of 2013.