Real estate 4.0 – Experiences from the rural

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of Real Estate 4.0 and how this latest phase of technological advancement is being experienced in rural areas through the medium of digital marketing. In particular, it draws upon the experiences of Estate Agents and how through adopting the latest digital marketing technologies, they can specifically target certain audiences as well as influence the perception of the rural through drawing upon popularised notions of this space, such as the rural idyll.

Real Estate 4.0 builds upon the wider industrial developments occurring across the economy, known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0, and is characterised by the central role of consumer (Schmitt 2017; Morrar et al. 2017). Taken from a sample of 13 Estate Agencies, which varied in their operational structure and location, this paper examines the latest digital marketing practices being used by estate agents today in the sale of real estate, with reference to three villages in the UK, Great Missenden, Ombersley and Caldbeck. In doing so, it provides much needed research into the different digital marketing practices being used by Estate Agents and contributes towards understandings of how these technologies are being experienced in rural areas.