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Although some agencies are moving away from having a shopfront window, Hutton & Hutton (H & H) has no plans to part with its own.
A debate has been sparked about the relevancy of a real estate shop window after UrbanX CEO Dan Argent questioned its effectiveness.
He told Real Estate Business that computer screens and phones are the new shop window.
“You have to be where the eyeballs are,” Mr Argent said. “As a real estate business, you are a marketing business first and an agent second.”
Although many agencies are utilising online portals to get their listings in front of people, H & H CEO Peter Hutton sees his shop windows as a billboard to the broader community.
“When you step into a deli, you expect to see the cabinet full of meats and cheeses… if the cabinet is empty, you’re working off a piece of paper,” he said.
“The principle is the same for us; when we’re constantly changing our window cards and refreshing our shopfront, it reminds people that we have properties coming and going, and it grabs attention.
“When you have a shop located in a high-traffic and high-foot-trafficked area, as we do in New Farm, you’d be crazy not to utilise your shopfront!” Mr Hutton said.
Aside from being a place to display the agency’s listing, it also reminds people that they are an active participant in the community. And it encourages people to come into their office to chat, Mr Hutton said.
“Sure, window shopping for real estate might not look like it did 20 years ago, but our shopfront still gets people to start a conversation with us,” he said.
“It’s convenient for our clients, and if you can make a sale from one walk-in a year, your shopfront has paid for itself, so I think it’s a worthy investment.”
Additionally, there is still value in the shopfront for agents who are trying to build a profile in the area, H & H art and marketing director Karen Hutton said.
“Our agents can’t always be in the office, they need to be out with clients,” she said.
“So, our shopfront offers them a place to advertise, a place to build the brand and our team culture, and a place to gain leverage as a leader in the community.
“At the end of the day, we do get walk-ins from sellers, buyers, landlords and tenants who find this form of traditional advertising effective, so that’s all that really matters.”
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