Fulton Homes has been a pioneer in web technology for homebuilders in Arizona and throughout the country. The first version of their website, which was designed for the homebuyer, was launched in 1998. Their latest version is their sixth and was launched last month. For this version, Fulton Homes IT department, headed up by CIO Patrick Hindall, was determined to make all the features of their website user friendly on any mobile device, which also known as “responsive design.” Again, the idea was to put the customer’s needs first, which is always Hindall and Fulton Homes’ focus.
CIO Patrick Hindall has worked in I.T. for over 25 years and 18 of those have been with Fulton Homes. He has seen many changes over the years with web technology and consumer demand for online shopping in the new home space. The most profound change he has seen lately is the dramatic rise of mobile traffic to the Fulton Homes website, which now accounts for 50% of all traffic. Hindall helped build the previous site, which wasn’t entirely responsive for mobile and began to recognize that the user experience needed a major upgrade. “We saw the numbers and realized that what the customer was telling us is that they want to use their mobile devices to shop for a home, so that’s exactly what we’re doing. Every single one of our web features and buyer tools are now fully responsive on all devices. All of our room and kitchen visualizers, interactive lot maps, buyer portals, community search and navigation features work just as well on a smart phone or tablet as they do on a desktop. Buyers don’t have to wait until they get home from a buying tour to shop Fulton Homes. They can pull over and use their mobile device from the comfort of their vehicle,” said Hindall.
In addition to the responsive design features, the new Fulton Homes website was configured by Hindall to be completely user friendly and logical, no matter whether the user is on a desktop or mobile version. The search and navigation features are laid out in a manner that never leaves the user wondering what to do or where to go next. “Our new site has something for the home shopper no matter what they’re searching for or how they’re searching for it. We’ve put the customer first and this website proves it,” said Hindall.
Fulton Homes website is available on desktop or mobile at www.fultonhomes.com.
