In recent years, Millennials have made their long-awaited entry into the housing market. As the first generation to grow up in the digital age, they approach house hunting very differently from previous generations. Millennials are wealthier, less rooted, more tech-savvy and more demanding than generations that came before. Their entry into the housing market will put many established practices to the test.
Millennials are the first generation to grow up in the Internet Age, meaning there is little distinction between the off- and online for them. For Millennials, these worlds are naturally woven into every facet of their lives. They maintain friendships via Facebook, find jobs via LinkedIn, share travel experiences on Instagram and find love via Tinder. With their entry into the housing market, Millennials project their app-driven reality onto the mortgage process, a development that Hyarchis outlines by means of the five trends identified in their new ‘Tech Trends in the Mortgage’ report.
Customer experience in the digital age
The report reveals that many financial services firms still use cumbersome lending processes that rely on outdated technology with little regard for the customer experience. The gap between the actual and desired customer experience of Millennials is a major driver for the rapid growth of neo-banks such as Revolut, Bunq and N26. Adriaan Hoogduijn, COO of Hyarchis, on the topic: “If you look critically at these online providers, their product range is by no means innovative. The only thing that really sets them apart is the fact that their products are strictly offered online. The popularity of neo-banks is therefore not due to their product offering, but mainly to their successful facilitation of the customer journey of the digital age”.
Competition for the customer of tomorrow
“While neo-banks were still a rarity five years ago, they are now among the strongest financial brands in the world. In the market, neo-banks are still seen as challengers, but for the current generation, the online customer experience is simply the norm. They have grown accustomed to arranging their lives online. They already do this with their bank account, insurance policy, loan- and share portfolio – soon, they’ll want to do the same with their mortgage,” says Adriaan Hoogduijn.
It will take a few more years before these new homebuying habits crystallize. However, the “Tech Trends in the Mortgage” report shows that, in the battle for the customer of tomorrow, technological developments will follow each other at a rapid pace and with varying success. The winner in this battle is not the one who bets on the right initiative, but the one who can most easily adapt to evolving customer needs. With strong competition coming from the FinTech domain, traditional players will have to arm themselves early to maintain their market share. The report provides some tools for this in the form of the most important tech trends in the mortgage market.
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