DMCI Homes - Innovation in Business Information or Application Websites

Name of Organization / Company: DMCI Homes, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Category: Award for Innovation in Business Information or Application Websites

Entry Title: DMCI Homes Website

Essay

Since its inception in 1999, DMCI Homes has stayed true to its mission in providing the best residential communities fit for every Filipino family’s needs.

Over the years, as the company became known as a developer of high quality, best value homes, and leisure- inspired communities in the country, DMCI Homes saw the need for a new and improved website that is more responsive to the evolving needs of its audience.

For that reason, DMCI Homes restructured its website by using the behaviour of its visitors as well as the feedback they have been given as the main driver for the Interaction Design or IxD.

Now, the newly revamped website has enhanced tools and intuitive search functions for a more engaging user experience.

Among the website’s new features is the live unit inventory. Clients tend to get frustrated when they see units available on the website but once they inquire, the units are no longer available. These days are now bygone with the new feature. Clients will now have an idea on the availability of the units, virtually real- time. This feat was made possible by connecting the website to the live database of the units available, eliminating the problem of tediously updating the website with highly- volatile data and client frustration.

Contact forms are now also present in each property pages. For the clients’ convenience, they no longer have to visit a different web page in order to inquire for the property they are interested in. With this design, the company has seen a 300% increase in sales inquiries since its application.

Another important design feature that has been born out of the clients’ needs is the smart unit comparison. Comparing units and properties used to be a laborious task requiring clients to open multiple property pages simultaneously. But with the smart unit comparison, clients will be able to concurrently compare available units in multiple properties as well as see the unit price, size, and location. The smart unit comparison solved the problem of real estate websites when it comes to comparing units.

According to multiple research conducted by the company over the years, location has been found to be the top priority of clients when searching for properties. For this reason, the DMCI Homes website has incorporated the technology of geo- targeting in order to aptly suggest properties that might be of the clients’ interest. Even with this technology, clients still have the liberty to input a specific location they wish to search. This section has also been improved by integrating a proximity search from the preferred location of the client. Doing so allows clients to see properties that are situated on the boundary of two or more cities providing more options.

The company has also improved other facets of the website aside from the completeness of available information. Taking the Internet connection speed of majority of its users in the Philippines into consideration, the website’s speed has also been majorly improved by harnessing the benefits of using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to provide a more seamless experience for everyone regardless of the device they are using. The website speed is regularly audited in order to guarantee the best user experience possible.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is also utiliz ed to make sure that the DMCI Homes website stays at the top of search results. The website is constantly modified to match relevant keyword searches and articles are regularly published to push SEO efforts further. The website also features a blog that caters to a wide array of content covering topics such as homemaking, lifestyle, and community events. This allows the organic domination of the web.

DMCI Homes will continue to innovate and break digital barriers in order to provide the best user experience to its clients.

Credits
Jan Venturanza, DMCI Homes - AVP for Marketing Fritz Geremia, DMCI Homes - Head of Digital
Prince Lobitana, DMCI Homes - Digital Marketing Analyst Donna Rinoza, DMCI Homes - Digital Marketing Specialist Jenica Wakui, DMCI Homes - Digital Content Specialist
Propelrr (Digital Media Agency)

LINK: www.dmcihomes.com