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Friday, August 21, 2020

The Home Shopping Shift: 4 Tips to Increase Online Sales Leads NOW


*lightning strikes and thunder roars* We’re in a shopocalypse!

In 2020, we’re watching many businesses close their doors indefinitely. Some remain open but with slashed operating hours. It’s not just a struggle to retain the same foot traffic we saw before the coronavirus pandemic – it’s literally impossible. With physical distancing measures, businesses simply can’t allow the same capacity.

Customers are more wary about in-person interactions. With unemployment rates alarmingly high, they’re cautious with money and expenses. According to a recent survey from McKinsey & Company, shopping behaviors are shifting, and spending is allocated for essentials and expenses that display clear value. For many, if purchases are being made, they’re happening online – and this trend is expected to stay in place even after COVID-19.

At the Jeff Shore Sales Leadership Summit last month we talked with many new home sales professionals from around the country. Many said that sales office traffic was down considerably, but they are still relatively meeting sales goals. The common theme: they all have a focus on online solutions that help drive sales!

While engaging customers online may seem like a challenge for retailers and businesses, it’s actually the key to continued success. It’s also why we love SiteViewer, our online solution that makes home shopping simpler for customers and their changing habits.

SiteViewer helps homebuilders, apartment developers and property managers deliver critical, on-demand pricing and availability information straight to the fingertips of prospective buyers and renters – in lieu of physical trips to a sales or leasing center. 

Using SiteViewer as our guide, we compiled four quick tips your business can implement right now to pick up online engagement and increase sales.

1. Enhance Your Visuals – When it comes to millennials, the most technologically advanced generation, your online presence is a necessity. If consumers can’t be in the physical presence of your product, it’s important to keep your online representation as visually appealing as possible. Millennials are the latest generation to have become highly involved with home shopping. When builders and developers incorporate SiteViewer into their community websites, they provide customers with a clear picture of their future home and community. It’s the perfect way to make the buying and renting process aesthetically pleasing online!

2. Keep It Updated – While the shopocalypse is a horror story for businesses, the words “sold out” are a horror story for home shoppers. If you’re promoting a product that’s no longer available, convey that information. If prices change, make sure they’re listed correctly. SiteViewer helps professionals update the information on their home and apartment listings in real-time, thus avoiding any confusion for the customer. Current, transparent information will help form a trusting relationship in an uncertain age of shopping.


3. Make It Interactive
– Just like kids prefer books with buttons and noises, adults like a little something to engage with as well. How can your online product listings go beyond the traditional format of an image and description? This doesn’t have to require an overhaul of your IT systems. SiteViewer is easily embed directly into a homebuilder or apartment community’s website! It works with touchscreen technology or traditional computer displays.

4. Track the Clicks – Your online metrics are a treasure trove of information, helping you better understand your customers and their digital behaviors. It’s important to constantly assess what’s happening – are they clicking on a product, but not purchasing? Are they navigating away from your website? Then, you can augment your approach to increasing online sales by making smarter decisions backed by your own data. We developed two versions of SiteViewer: the consumer facing namesake and SiteViewer Pro. The Pro version allows businesses to see valuable information on the backend about how consumers are interacting in the virtual shopping environment.

Brick and mortar operations can find savvy and simple online solutions that meet the needs of today’s consumers. SiteViewer is one such solution, aiding builders, developers and property managers nationwide to better reach, serve and sell to home shoppers.

 The world is evolving for businesses and consumers alike, but it doesn’t have to be such a scary reality. Instead, let it be your next big opportunity!

Contact us at info@cpsusa.com to learn more!