We all have made purchases online, perhaps even yesterday. When you are looking for a specific item, you read multiple reviews, crowdsource your family and friends and do as much research as possible before you decide to buy. And when the item finally arrives, you are hoping the online depiction of the product is an accurate representation. Will the item live up to what the description says it is? Is the item the color it says it would be? Is it the size really accurate? An apartment home is quite the same.
Today’s renter is more likely to do upfront research before contacting a community. Searching a community’s website wanting the website to be a wealth of information and not an advertisement. A renter’s offline journey starts with confidence due to what they have learned online. In our 2019 Online Renter Study a renters “trust in a community’s website” has drastically decreased from 35% in 2017 to just 9% two years later. Renters are trusting a community’s website less as a community’s online presence is found to be saying one thing online, but showcasing something different in person.
This article was originally posted on Multifamily Insiders