Title: Examining the growth of online sales and disintermediation in the real-estate marketplace

Authors: Alan D. Smith; Anna Abdulmanova; Heather H. Elfen

Addresses: Department of Marketing, Robert Morris University, Moon Township (Pittsburgh), PA 15108, USA ' Department of Finance, Robert Morris University, Moon Township (Pittsburgh), PA 15108, USA ' Department of Mathematics, Robert Morris University, Moon Township (Pittsburgh), PA 15108, USA

Abstract: The real-estate business, like many other business models, has been affected by the evolution of e-commerce as this information-rich industry lends itself to the many applications of technology. This research effort focuses on the real-estate market and consumers' perceptions of its effectiveness and accessibility. A sample of 1,736 relatively well-educated respondents in the Great Lakes region was used to study preferences in their search for housing. With a lot of housing information readily available to consumers, respondents found the role of real-estate agents to be unimportant. This evidence suggests that advancements in technology could lead to industry disintermediation. Additionally, factor-based profiles of housing search preferences and respondents' genders were created.

Keywords: disintermediation; e-commerce; factor analysis; online marketing; real-estate marketing; search engines; supply chain management; SCM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBFMI.2026.150459

International Journal of Business Forecasting and Marketing Intelligence, 2026 Vol.11 No.1, pp.26 - 76

Received: 06 May 2024
Accepted: 17 May 2024
Published online: 15 Dec 2025 *

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