Barratt Developments

Insight from concept to launch

Barratt Developments is the UK’s largest housebuilder. Their vision is to lead the future of housebuilding by putting the customer at the heart of everything they do. But first they needed to understand them.

The Challenge

Barratt identified what they believed was a gap in the property market; a product to encourage younger buyers to get onto the property ladder, at an affordable price in desirable city locations, by using creative storage and clever design to maximise every inch of space in an apartment.

However, guidance was needed to help Barratt further understand the potential concept – overall appeal, positioning, price, target market, as well as the branding.

Savanta were asked to partner with Barratt in providing insight from concept through to final product launch to market.

Our approach

Savanta designed and undertook a comprehensive body of research across a three year period to realise the concept:

1. Validate the concept via initial large scale quantitative research, as well as sizing the opportunity and identifying the strengths of the proposition
2. Support to develop the brand through focus groups with the target market; weeding out the less popular options and providing suggestions for what would resonate most
3. Confirm the specifics by taking consumers to a prototype apartment to gauge reaction and provide insight on product refinement and positioning

With results and direction provided to Barratt at each stage of the process, the concept was built consistently over time and always grounded in customer reality

The outcome

As a result of the body of research ‘SMRT by Barratt’ was launched in 2021, a product that has been fully tested and validated by the relevant target audiences. Sales of the apartments has been strong through its first year, and there are plans to expand the concept to other UK cities in the future. But we are not done; Savanta will be interviewing recent purchasers to understand the purchasing journey, allowing Barratt to refine their methods and ensure the concept continues to be a success.