“We wanted to enable fast and easy virtual content creation without the need of any coding skills”, CEO & Founder Razvan Boldis explained. “So we worked on our solution and realized that we could provide something that was yet to exist in the real estate market. We continued to build on this momentum and it worked – we were rewarded with a European grant.”
“Then, when we tested our product in the market, we asked ourselves: is it a vitamin or a medicine? Meaning: Is this essential for the market right now?”
“I think that’s an essential question for any start-up looking to position itself in the market. After a few tests, we saw that there was indeed a clear need in real estate for our product.”
Can you tell us more about your product?
“It’s a digital content delivery tool in AR that addresses efficiency issues regarding time, costs, and presentation. “
indexAR – an augmented reality (AR) tool that allows realtors to better present their projects and sell them faster
We want to help companies :
- present better and increase engagement: with an AR virtual walk-through experience that makes the unbuilt project “more tangible” (vs. 3D renders that show only parts of the unbuilt project).
- save money on the pre-sell process.
- sell faster due to a better conversion rate.
How does it work?
“In a matter of minutes, you can create your AR campaign by using our content management platform and then deliver it to your audience through our free mobile app (available on iOS and Android).”
“Anyone can create and deliver their own AR campaign without having to develop an AR app.“
“Then your customers can walk around their future apartments in AR, just as if they were actually there.”
How can we use the platform?
“First, you provide the 3D models of your real estate project. If you don’t have them, it’s not a problem: we can develop them for you through our partners.”
“Second, we help you set up and deploy your AR Virtual Walk-Through Tour.”
“And finally, you tell your clients about it. They just have to download the free mobile app to see and walk through their future homes.”
“We are also able to increase the average time clients spent in the AR experience from the average of 1-2 minutes to 15-20 minutes, by allowing them to take a more active role.”
“Thus, in addition to the “simple” virtual tour, they can also modify the space (furnish it, etc) and personalize it.”
“Companies can use indexAR for presentations, fit-out, sales, marketing campaigns, … Its flexibility allows many uses.”
What do you find most challenging about working in Proptech?
“ Henry Ford said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” ”
“And I think that applies to our situation. As a start-up, you need to think outside the box to give people a solution they haven’t thought of – but which will be essential to them in the future.”
“So first, you have to listen to their problems to find the best solution. It may take some time. You may have to start over.
You talk to your customers, test it with different people, and get to know their needs. Then you create a product that tries to meet those needs.
Then you test it. And you test it again. If it doesn’t work, you rebuild it by asking the right questions.
And you end up with a product that provides customers with what they want and need, in the long run.”
“We invested 2 years in testing our solution so that we can now go full speed.”
indexAR is angling to reimagine the house hunting experience.
As a Romanian proptech startup, what sorts of trends do you currently see in the urban landscape?
“Many real estate companies are now more interested in the residential sector, due to the work from home increasing trend caused by the pandemic.”
“Also, there is an increase in medium to large-scale projects designed to attract medium to high-income clients.”
Covid-19 strongly pushed the digitization of services last year. How have you been impacted?
“At the onset of the pandemic, many companies first waited to see how the situation unfolded before making any changes. It was only when they realized that this was a long-term situation – which was not likely to change in the coming months – that they decided to implement digital alternatives in depth.”
“So that’s where we came in. Everyone now sees that digital transformation is more than a « buzzword ». It is deeply implemented in our society and changing its roots.”
Speaking of evolution, what do you think will change about AR and the digitization of services in European real estate over the next five years?
“Going forward, I think people are going to be more and more familiar with using AR. People are going to be more familiar with AR, digital services, and the tools we provide. So the number of users and customers will increase.”
“We believe that when businesses adopt the digital approach at a larger scale, things change and, in general, life improves for millions of people. So we’re excited to see these changes and accompany people, in their new lives with our digital tool.”
“To follow the Ford analogy, we want to provide you with the “vehicle” that takes you on a new kind of experience”, Razvan Boldis concluded.
interview BY LIUBA DIEDERICH FROM PROPTECH LAB (BELGIUM ) POSTED ON