We live in a digital world, which means reaching consumers digitally – and home builders are no exception to this paradigm shift.
Here are 5 reasons why builders need to add an app strategy to their overall marketing plan.
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Consumers are downloading more apps than ever
In 2017, 178 million apps were downloaded and now, just two years later, users have downloaded over 250+ million apps. Why? Studies have shown that Americans check their phones every 12 minutes (Source: BuildFire). That means a majority of users checks their phones at work, at home, while they’re out running errands, and even in their car. It’s easier to click open an app than it is to search for a web page.
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Consumers are spending more time and money on apps
App sales surpassed e-commerce on both desktop and mobile web with $52 billion in mobile app commerce in the U.S. in the last quarter of 2017 alone. According to a study done by Business Insider, consumers are spending 87 percent of their time and more money on mobile apps. So which apps do a majority of users spend their money on? Food, music, and entertainment (think Grubhub, Spotify, and Netflix).
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Apps offer better features
63 percent of people prefer apps because of convenience. In fact, most users start out using a web app before downloading a brand’s native mobile app. Then, once a certain level of engagement has been built, users switch to the app for better user experience. Speed and stored settings are also reasons why users prefer apps over a mobile web experience.
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Apps have better engagement and conversion
A study done by Forbes showed that mobile apps have the lowest shopping cart abandonment rate at 20 percent compared to mobile web at 97 percent. Consumers spend more money on mobile apps than on desktops of mobile sites. Apps even have 3X higher conversion rates compared to mobile sites and 1.5X higher conversation rate than via desktop.
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Apps create a brand presence – even when consumers aren’t using them
Having an app keeps you – the brand – at the forefront of a consumer’s mind. A branded app is reflective of the brand’s distinctiveness – colors, logo, fonts, etc. In fact, the icon of the app acts like a mini-advertisement for the brand.
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Bonus Reason – There’s a FREE opportunity with New Home Navigator From BDX
The New Home Navigator app is like a buyers own personal assistant to plan, organize and get the most out of their home shopping experience – the app helps users walk through the various communities, lots and plans using images, videos, hot spots, site maps and many other options.
New Home Navigator has an abundance of features that can help walk shoppers through their home buying journey:
AR Tools – Shoppers can utilize the furniture drop tool to arrange furniture and visualize space, capture measurements using the room measurement tool, and browse nearby points of interests.
BDX ISP Integration – The interactive site plan is available on community landing screen where users can see lot details and favorite lots.
Geo Tracking – Track user’s current location to determine if the user visited the community.
Add Photos/Notes – Users can add photos of community and homes.
Mortgage Calculator – Make it easy to estimate monthly payments.
Shopping for a home can be an overwhelming experience, with many home and community details to weigh. The app will contain only the communities added by home shoppers, creating a virtual wallet of their favorite communities and homes.
There is a free version that all BDX Listings Builders can take advantage of and a couple of options for builders who want to take things a step further and brand the app or customize features.
Apps are the go-to tool for brands to reach audiences on a broader scale. In 2018, mobile apps accounted for 57 percent of all digital media usage. If you’re ready to hop on the mobile app train and increase brand awareness, let our experts help – contact us today!
