Swedish property owners find it difficult to digitize their properties, even though most people think it is important, shows a survey which GlobalConnect have done among 300 property owners. Reduced overhead costs are a strong driving force for the digital transition, but time is not enough. Nine out of ten property owners have a long way to go before having digitized their property holdings.
Digitization is important, but when it comes time to draw up a plan for the business, other things are prioritized* That and the fact that the property owners feel that there is a lack of necessary competence in their own organization are, according to them, the biggest obstacles to digitizing their property holdings .
Risk of falling behind
It is clearly worrying that many do not prioritize and set aside a budget for digitalisation. As I see it, the entire real estate industry risks falling behind. AI is becoming an increasingly large part of several industries, and property owners must get on board. Just the fact that you can make data-driven decisions that can increase efficiency should be reason enough to prioritize this issue, says Henrik Hammarström, head of B2B GlobalConnect Sweden.
Only one in ten has made it far in digitization
The vast majority of the property owners in the survey have started digitization in some way. For example, it could be digital tools for rental contracts and laundry room bookings, but also security and access systems. However, it is only one in ten who consider themselves to have come a long way in their digitization process. The fact that many property owners have several different systems from different suppliers for different parts of the property means that many experience the process as very difficult.
It is difficult in terms of time to keep up with normal operations in parallel with implementing new systems, says one of the respondents in the survey.
Difference depending on turnover
The most important reason why property owners want to digitize is to reduce their overheads and to get a better overview of their operations.
When GlobalConnect has compared companies, those with higher turnover (+10 MSEK) tend to have come further compared to those with lower. A further difference is between real estate companies within the public sector and privately owned real estate companies, where the former consider themselves to have come further. On the other hand, almost all companies state that the need for increased digitization is great.
It is clear that digitization will be a cost issue. The property owners must identify other things that can be prioritized down in order to move forward. The survey shows that it is understood that costs can be reduced. In the slightly longer term, digitization will in many cases pay for itself, says Henrik Hammarström.
In the report "Digitization mode” you can take part in the entire survey.
*This is how the survey was conducted
GlobalConnect has commissioned Norstat to carry out a quantitative survey among 300 people who belong to the target group "property owners" in Sweden. The survey was conducted using CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviews), where telephone interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire. The selection process was carried out by an independent third-party supplier of panels, Norstat Sverige AB. The survey went into the field in June 2023.
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