Experiences, reimagined
That’s exactly what Strata asked us to do when it came to reimagining how their home buyers could reserve their chosen plot. They wanted to offer their home buyers more flexibility, more availability, and a truly enhanced customer experience.
Online in real time
We used the Stripe payment gateway integration, to enable Strata to offer their home buyers the ability to hold and reserve their chosen plots online.
So how does it work?
The first step was to take Strata’s entire plot inventory online, so all plots whether built, part built or off plan, could be made available for reservation, in real time, online. We did this using a two-way Salesforce integration (which you can learn more about here), to make sure plot information, especially availability, was accurate, up-to-date and reliable.
Stress free decision making
We then introduced a plot hold feature. This allows an online user to effectively hold their chosen plot in reserve, for free via the website, for 48 hours, giving them the opportunity to visit the customer experience center on site at their chosen development, and view that plot, safe in the knowledge that it would be there waiting them, and without the need to part with any money. They could then choose to take the plot of the market by formally reserving it for £250, either on site at the customer experience centre, or at their leisure online, and this is where our Stripe payment gateway integration makes all the difference.
Enhancing the customer experience
As well as supporting more online plot reservations, our Stripe integration also helped deliver more event ticket sales and higher average order values for event experiences by successfully using Kentico eCommerce add on functionality.
Not only did this increase revenues, but also empowered Strata to create more opportunities to enhance their customer experience. Coupled with a third integration with their automated marketing platform, this combination of smart ecommerce functionality, a secure and flexible payment gateway and email onboarding and nurturing campaigns, allows Strata’s home buyers to enjoy their home buying journey.
Why Stripe?
Stripe was the perfect payment gateway partner for Strata because it offers Google and Apple Pay, two mobile first payment options that suit Strata’s mobile first audience, reducing friction in the checkout journey. Stripe aligns with more than just Strata’s audience though, it also supports their vision for their brand and their online experience. Our design and development teams were able to take Stripe and style it to suit Strata’s website, without iframes and without redirects, creating a seamless online experience and perhaps more importantly, seamless data tracking and performance reporting too.
In a world where everything is available at your fingertips and purchases of almost anything can be made in minutes, the online reservation process has transformed the way people view house buying at Strata. Having the ability to pay easily and securely online has enabled 23% of our reservations to be taken online in the last year, putting us at the forefront when it comes to utilising technology to create a seamless new build customer experience. The ease of Google and Apple Pay also reduces friction as part of the payment process, creating a more efficient and exciting journey around reserving their new home online.
Natalie Wilson
Regional Marketing Manager