As we enter the age of AI and a new technology era, businesses must keep pace with the evolving landscape to meet the needs of the modern customer. Research by the Harvard Business Review shows that 73% of consumers prefer shopping via multiple channels, reflecting the needs of a seamless and personalised omnichannel experience. With home buying being one of the most important life-time purchases for customers, this approach is more crucial than ever.

In this blog we’ll take a closer look at why modern home buyers expect an omnichannel experience and what this means for the sales centre.

For a sneak preview of the housebuilder sales centre of the future, click here!

Why Omnichannel is Best

Long gone are the days where customer experience is limited to one channel. In today’s fast-paced world, we consume information 24/7 and expect business to cater for this. One of the most important commodities for the modern home buyer is time, constantly looking for ways to save time especially around the research phase of a big purchase. When buying a property, having all the information that matters most in an easy to access format, such as a familiar touch screen, not only saves time but gives the customer the personalised experience they have come to expect.

Marketing strategies must cater across several generations to meet the needs of the modern house buyer. Younger generations are certainly multichannel-minded, and a recent Redfin report found that 30% of 25-year olds (Gen Zers) owned their home in 2022, higher than the 27% rate for Gen Xers when they were the same age. Baby Boomers are also reported to have expectations of omnichannel availability and are influenced by a brand’s ability to communicate information across channels. Still holding a meaningful share of the home buying market, Boomers are making the most of their retirement and using it as a reason for moving, often turning new build starter homes into retirement homes thanks to the ease of the unpack-and-go element. An omnichannel approach ensures that housing developers can create a personalised experience, meeting the requirements of the multi-generation demographic.

Enabling prospective buyers easy access to interactive site development plans and detailed house-type layouts and floorplans, provides the information they expect whatever their age. Signtouch’s digital sales centre solution allows developers to provide a bespoke interactive customer experience that’s intuitive, memorable and meaningful, lightyears beyond what using just traditional paper-based collateral could achieve.

Moving Away from Traditional Marketing

Traditional methods of marketing and display are becoming out-dated, and less effective in providing the depth of information expected by the modern homebuyer. According to a study by Omnisend, an omnichannel approach is over three times more effective in increasing customer engagement compared to a single channel experience.

Speaking at the Signtouch launch event at Samsung KX Centre London, Edward McCoy, Group Sales Director, Persimmon Homes discussed his view on the industry’s digital transformation;

“The digital transformation of the home buyer experience is bringing the industry into the twenty first century.  We’ve relied too heavily on traditional marketing collateral, moving away with that is bringing the experience in line with what customers want today.” Edward McCoy, Group Sales Director, Persimmon Homes.  Watch the video here.

Sharon Boyle, Head of the Property Sector at Signtouch validated integration partner Moneypenny, shares her industry viewpoint; “When engaging with businesses, customers expect a seamless experience across multiple channels. Too often businesses think in silos and customers are left frustrated. We know for example, that 46% of live chats (that we manage on behalf of clients) take place outside of office hours, so customers are using different channels at different times and for different purposes. Often intent level differs by channel, and the phone tends to be king when a customer needs a prompt response or has a particularly complex query – as the findings from our 2022 Global Call Trends Report proved. That report also reiterated that 75% of people recognise that good customer service is a powerful differentiator. For property agents and housebuilders, the opportunity lies in ensuring that however people reach out their experience is seamless across all channels, and recognising the value of implementing an omnichannel strategy to increase client satisfaction, spend, and loyalty.“

Quality data has never been more important in order to create the level of personalisation needed in a successful omnichannel experience. With Signtouch the opportunity to analyse & better understand homebuyers’ behaviour is unlimited. We process this data and deliver scheduled and real-time reports providing invaluable insights to inform and develop your approach to planning, designing, building & selling properties more profitably.

The pioneering Signtouch technology can help deliver the customer experience expected by the modern home buyer. Our solution enables the building sector to respond to the ever-increasing expectations for a customised, interactive omnichannel experience.