There’s lots of talk about “Buy Now” functionality and giving new home buying prospects the ability to select a home and essentially buy on the spot, but hold on! Wait. Slow down. Seriously, Think. This. Through.
Yes, you heard me correctly. This is coming from the company who BUILDS THE TECHNOLOGY for buy now functionality on a builder’s website.
Don’t get me wrong, we want to help you. It’s the direction that every industry has gone. It makes sense that new home construction builders provide those shoppers who are interested, the option to shop and buy the way they want.
New Construction Buying (and Selling) is Complicated
But here’s the thing, new construction buying (and selling) is complicated. There are lots of options, there are lots of details (financing, approvals, dates, outside brokers, etc.). Having a Buy-Now button on your website doesn’t remove the complexity. What it does do is put more responsibility on the builder to have processes in place and information up-to-date and accurate.
A Buy Now button is not a new way of generating leads. It is not a marketing tactic. It is a different way of making the sale, and the experience needs to be exceptional.
Sales teams, generally speaking, have not always been enthusiastic about embracing new technology and new systems. This affects them. They need to understand what is happening and what is expected of them. They need to be onboard.
Ask Yourself Why?
Why do you want to allow shoppers to buy online? Is it for a better customer experience? Is it to save money? Is it to be competitive? Is it because today’s shoppers simply want to do more online? It may be ‘all of the above’ – regardless, this needs to be talked about internally. How does this affect people’s jobs?
Putting a button on your website is the easiest part! What that button does, what type of homes that button represents and what happens after the button is clicked are questions that need to be answered.
In other words, what is the customer journey? And who is responsible for it? Is it just a glorified “Contact Us” button?
A Better Experience for Everyone
We believe that “Buy Now” means giving prospects the ability to design a home, view pricing, request a reservation, and put down a reservation deposit all online.
We’d love to talk with you about incorporating the ability to reserve a home or even buy a home online. We do believe this is the direction that shoppers expect. But let’s also understand motives, processes, outcomes, and the systems needed.
This should be a better experience for everyone. We work with many industry consultants who specialize in Journey Mapping. If you haven’t done this exercise, we strongly suggest that you do! Doing this work upfront will pay dividends and make execution that much easier. The saying measure twice, cut once always applies!
Curious about online shopping and buying? Reach out and let’s talk.
