Buyers getting caught in the web, says Miller

The internet has hit an all time high with British buyers says Edinburgh based housebuilder Miller Homes who this month confirmed that nearly 50% of its homes are now sold to buyers already registered with the business online.

According to the company’s newly released figures, over 4,600 homes have been brought by people signed up to millerhomes.co.uk – meaning that the site has helped to generate over £798m in sales for Miller Homes in just five years.

Sales leads shown to come through the site have risen from below 20% in 2002, hitting close to 70% at peak times and currently averaging in the region of 50% - a 10% rise on the same time last year.

Since the launch of the multi-award winning website in 2002, 3.46 million people have visited the site – with 144,794 people currently on the developer’s email contact list.

Everyone in this group has provided Miller Homes with a profile of themselves and details of the type of home that they are looking for. They are then sent emails or texts ahead of any plot release that exactly matches their specific search criteria.

Miller Homes marketing director, Philip Hogg, said: “The web is an absolutely vital part of marketing mix today. Sale by sale, it works out to be far more cost effective for us than the more traditional routes and, despite its relative infancy, it is reaching as many active househunters as the more established sales techniques.

“People want to be able to search for a new home from the comfort of their armchair – that part is obvious. Where we seen most success however, is with the customer alert service. Everyone signed up to millerhomes.co.uk gets forewarned of a plot release ahead of the general public – and the conversion rates here have been second to none.

“The speed of sales can’t be knocked either. For the most part, people sign up with us because they genuinely want to buy – and this is illustrated in the length of time it takes for a web visitor to become a Miller home owner.”

According to research by the company, the average time it takes from when a customer registers on the website to the date they reserve a new home is just 96 days – a figure which has remained relatively unchanged since the launch of the website five years ago.

Hogg added; “We have invested a not insignificant amount of time and money into our consumer website in the firm belief that it was going to become the single most important tool in our sales and marketing kit of the future. If the past few years have been anything to go buy, this was money well spent. We have a website that sets us apart from our competitors and works incredibly well for buyers.”

Find out more at Millerhomes.co.uk.