How Redfin Uses Smart Banners to Convert Web Traffic

This blog post was originally published in 2016. You can also read recent insights on how to implement interstitial ads and banners on mobile.


Redfin provides its users with an online database of real estate listings. The Redfin app boasts an excellent and optimized user experience, which is made evident by the 4+ rating on both Android and iOS, making it all the more easy to search for real estate listings while on-the-go. However, despite Redfin’s beautiful app interface and enhanced database search capabilities, Redfin soon realized a need to drive users from the mobile web into their app, without sacrificing user experience by forcing the user back to the app homepage. That’s where Branch’s deep linked Smart Banner came in.

How Redfin Uses Branch’s Smart Banner

With the aid of Branch’s Smart Banner, Redfin converts mobile web traffic to app users by giving users the following experience:

    • While browsing homes on Redfin’s mobile site, the Smart Banner appears and gives the user the opportunity to view the content in the mobile app.
  • The user clicks on the prompt to download and open the app.
  • Once the Redfin app opens, the user is immediately routed back to the content he or she had been viewing on the mobile web.

Redfin smart banner user flow

Because the experience of these users improved, they have a 10% higher 7-day retention that users who came from all other acquisition channels.

Benefits of Using the Deep Linked Smart Banner

Not only does Branch give Redfin users a better and more optimized experience via a seamless transition from the mobile web to the app, but Redfin also enjoys many more benefits from integrating Branch. Redfin’s team is now able to:

    • Analyze how many users download the app from mobile browsers.
  • See at what point in the search process the Smart Banner is most effective at bringing users into the app.
  • Retain app users. Once a user has experienced the enhanced experience of the app, he or she is more likely to return to the app than to the mobile site.

The Smart Banner is one of the most popular Branch features, and is super easy to integrate with our developers portal!