Movement control? The show must go on-line, say developers

KUALA LUMPUR (March 25): Visiting virtual property showrooms, live chatting with the sales person or even buying a property online are not something new in the digital era.

Question is are property developers leveraging on it during the current Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia?

Malaysia is experiencing its first ever MCO from March 18 to April 14 to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. During this period, only essential sectors such as medical, banking and food supply are allowed to operate with certain terms and conditions.

As the real estate and construction sector does not fall under the list of essential sectors, the industry has come to a standstill. Events at property sales galleries have already been cut down since the virus reared its head during the Chinese New Year festive period and now with the MCO being extended to April 14 from March 31, what can property developers do?  

For some, the show must go on.

Mah Sing Group Bhd which has adopted digital technology widely even before the MCO, said its employees are working from home using collaboration tools which have been implemented company-wide for some time now. The developer is also using online platforms to showcase almost all its products including via virtual showrooms.

“Our essential services remain available, and we are consolidating all communications via our customer service hotline or email and social media channels, as well as the MyMahSing App to reach out to buyers during the MCO,” Mah Sing founder and group managing director Tan Sri Leong Hoy Kum told EdgeProp.my.

Sime Darby Property Bhd (SDP) is also taking this MCO period as an opportunity to intensify digital engagements with customers.

Interestingly, SDP is still seeing 90% of its pre-MCO website traffic currently. Additionally, online responses seem to be good as enquiries have been coming in on a steady basis.

“SDP has deployed an Online Guided Sales Experience campaign from March 25 to 31 where our sales executives will guide our customers through the products on sale, from enquiries right through to booking a unit, all without physically going to a sales gallery,” shared acting group CEO Datuk Wan Hashimi Albakri Wan Ahmad Amin Jaffri.

Mah Sing and SDP had also been among the earliest participating developers of Malaysia’s first virtual property expo. The Malaysia Virtual Property Expo (VPEX) organized by EdgeProp.my has been held annually since 2017.

VPEX serves as a platform for buyers to check out new properties and meet the developers behind them online anytime, anyway, changing the conventional way of buying or selling properties.

Read about what property developers have to say about Malaysia’s property sector in light of  the COVID-19 outbreak, in the March 27 issue of EdgeProp.my pullout which is available for free download.   

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