Media disruption and the path-to-purchase
Few will argue that traditional selling and purchasing behaviours have been disrupted with
the changes brought about by the speed and connectivity of the internet in our modern
lives.
No more so than for the global property market.
In 2018, 43% of home buyers are cited as Millennials (born between 1981 and 1997) but
today, even Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) can navigate their way around
the web when shopping for a second holiday home on foreign shores.
With the ease of accessibility supported by the latest virtual apps and augmented
experiences, purchasers can view a global offering of interior living spaces and work
environments, where information immediacy is delivered in bulk and even social media
sharing is an effective advertising channel.
So, is print dead and are newspapers outdated when it comes to advertising your home
sale? Much like life itself, enterprise continues in cycles which overlap and blur. While
anyone with a smart phone and a search box is a potential buyer what has not been
disrupted is the other side of the story; our human DNA which relies on our senses and our
human spirit in making choices in life.
When buying a home, we need to experience what a city, a suburb, a street, and a home
looks – and feels – like to us in real time. Who doesn’t enjoy lying in bed on a Sunday
morning paging through the large-display property sections, comparing suburbs, spaces and
price offerings side-by-side. We thrill at the experience of an open house, comparing and
competing with the other potential buyers for a house that everyone wants. And we trust
our property area specialist whose photo is displayed on the page, to know and
engage with us in relationships that go beyond ad targeting and consumer algorithms.
Today, any consumer would say why make a choice of media when you can enjoy the
options and pleasures of both.