The Brief
In the already competitive property market, there aren't many places much more competitive than Winchester, as several of the unite form team can contest. Complete, a Winchester-based estate agency, approached us with a brief to develop a site that creates genuine stand-out in a very saturated market. The website would need to make an impact, and attract vendors and buyers alike. After a competitive pitch, we were appointed the brief by presenting a case that the real difference would lie in an imaginative approach, and a determined focus on customer service.
The Approach
In-depth research has found that women play a pivotal role in the appointment of an estate agent. Therefore, the site would need to incorporate a subtle focus towards the female, rather than male market. The balance would need to be carefully defined in order not to alienate a general audience. Brand was an important consideration for the design-savvy and up-market Winchester buyer/seller, and this needed to be reflected in the site. The resulting site is an impressive showcase of innovative front-end features, supported by a host of back-end functionality. Industry leading features of the site include:
- Automated email broadcasts with property alerts
- Add to Favourites, Tell a Friend, HIP information etc
- 'My portfolio' area to allow users to store favourite searches and register for updates
- Sophisticated data feeds from a range of property databases
- Mortgage calculators
- Tell a friend functionality
- Information on new HIP legislations
And What Did We Learn?
The site has been deemed a success, achieving genuine cut-through in its target market. Having demonstrated ourselves as a trustworthy and valuable partner, we're now extending our role with Complete in order to develop their branding and create brochures and external point of sale communications.