Product Comes Before Marketing

Customer needs are changing, and these changes should not be reflected only in advertising messages. They need to appear in the product first.

More Space Does Not Always Mean More Value

According to the 2025 America at Home Study, 40% of surveyed U.S. consumers were willing to consider a smaller home — compared with 21% in 2022. Another 25% were willing to accept smaller rooms, up from 16% in 2022. Across its four phases, the study included nearly 16,000 respondents.

The same research also highlighted growing interest in flexible, multifunctional spaces, health-related features, and a stronger connection to the outdoors.

These are U.S. findings and cannot automatically be applied to other markets. But they point to an important principle for developers:

The right product does not simply mean more square metres. What matters is what the space does for the customer.

Customers Choose the Environment Along with the Home

In an NAHB study of more than 3,000 current and prospective U.S. home buyers, preferred community features included proximity to retail – 70%, proximity to a park – 66%, walking/jogging trails – 66%, and a walkable environment – 65%.

These figures also relate specifically to the U.S. market. For SECTOR, however, their significance is clear: the residential product does not end at the apartment door.

The courtyard, landscaping, mobility, shared spaces, services, and the project’s relationship with its surroundings are all part of the final offer.

Details That Create Real Value for the Customer

A broader 2025 U.S. study points in a similar direction: in exchange for less space, consumers increasingly valued energy efficiency, air and water quality, flexible spaces, and a stronger connection to nature.

This does not mean that every project needs the same services or features.

On the contrary, this is precisely where research becomes important.

Product Development Is About Making Choices

Putting every current trend into one project is not a good product strategy.

Different audiences have different priorities. Different price segments come with different expectations. Different locations offer different advantages and constraints.

So, the question should not be:

“Which feature is popular right now?”

The more important questions are:

Who will live here?

How will they live?

What are they willing to pay for?

What is essential to them, and what is simply desirable?

And which decision creates a meaningful difference compared with competitors?

The answers to these questions begin to define the apartment mix, layouts, infrastructure, shared spaces, pricing, and ultimately — positioning.

SECTOR VIEW

Communication for a development project should not begin with what can we say about the project?

It should begin with a different question:

What have we created that is worth talking about?

That is why, in SECTOR’s approach, research, product, architecture, brand, and marketing are not independent stages.

Audience Insight | Product Decisions | Space & Experience | Positioning | Communication | Demand

When this connection exists from the beginning, marketing no longer has to invent the product’s value.

Its role is to identify the value that has already been created, articulate it clearly, and bring it to the customer.

Sources

National Association of Realtors — America at Home Study, 2025
NAHB — Home Buyers' Ideal Community
NAHB — Home Buyers Preferences for Window and Door Features
NAHB — Home Buyers Are Looking for Amenity Loaded Kitchens and Bathrooms