Mobile usage in commercial real estate
Technology in the commercial real estate sector moves at a far different pace than residential real estate, because the type of consumer is far different, and far fewer, and the professional needs of industry insiders are typically met by older software that may not be sexy and may be clunky, but transferring to another system is often regarded as a waste of time for a fast paced industry.
That said, devices in the pockets of professionals and consumers have evolved dramatically, and mobile use is on the rise, up 61 percent in 2012 compared to 2011, according to inMotion Real Estate’s recent report which also forecast that mobile use will double by 2016.
The report notes a 225 percent increase of mobile visits as a percent of total website visits in 2012 compared to 2011, marking a rise not only in smart device ownership, but in mobile usage in the commercial real estate industry.
The top five mobile brands in the commercial real estate industry are Apple, followed by HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and RIM (Blackberry). The most commonly used devices were the iPhone, iPad, Sony Ericsson LT 15i Xperia Arc, HTC EVO 4G, and lastly, the Motorola Droid X.
Interestingly, the rise of tablets are also forecast to be a substantial part of the commercial real estate industry, which makes perfect sense as professionals often spend a considerable amount of time in the field.
Apps and technology are in the process of catching up with mobile devices, and we suspect that the devices are what will help professionals to make the transition from older tools to the newer, slicker, more time-saving apps of today. Having watched the rise of tech tools for residential real estate professionals who tend to be faster to adopt, it is foreseeable that an app and tech tool surge is on its way.
