Container Homes

                                   Imagine if you can gift a house in a week
                                                      Pic Source: inhabitat.com

Gifting Home, Bringing Joys
I got the idea when I was writing the earlier blog post on how ecom companies can facilitate charity and giving. One thing is evident, millions in India lack houses – roof and walls to give them privacy, safety and security.

Now think of many such people who own a land, but don’t have a thing called home. All they could have could be a temporal structure made of sticks and covered with plastic sheets or thatched roof. So, for these people, how can we give them a home.

A new Idea is Born – Donate a Home!
So, in that context, comes my philanthropic idea. The plan is to gift pre-fabricated house.

It’s an idea which e-commerce companies can facilitate. Probably, they can use this concept in a marketing campaign – Click to Donate a House or Donate a house.

Imagine a person sitting in Manhattan, or Delhi or some remote part of Ireland, donating a house to a villager in India. And that too, he or she is able to track the stages of purchase. It could be something like what we see in Swigy app ( order given to the kitchen, Food being prepared, Food is on the way, Delivery person is at your door)

And, best part, the deal is done in few clicks and executed in a week’s time. Is this possible?

I bet it can, provided we need some supplier who can do such kind of work. Here I’m talking of low cost houses, which uses recycled materials, such as plastic, metal, mud, terracota, eco-friendly ceiling, etc to build.

I’m sure the technology and materials are there, but it’s not promoted or packaged in the right way. When I searched Amazon.in, all I got was books on pre-farictated houses. No, I want real house, which has gives me protection and comfort.

How much will a prefabricated house cost?
It depends. What all range will be available so that the donor can pick the one based on his budget. I bet there could be also houses which can be made from ship containers, or from flexible plastic material like this pre-crafted property.

During train travel to Kerala, the Kochu Veli train pass through the fields and vast agricultural land. Their house are the hamlets that do the perifery of the fields. Most often during day time, they are on the harsh sun, toiling all day long.

The only relief is the make-shift shed where they take rest. Imagine, if these farmers are given a proper shelter with a bed to take rest from the sun or rain? It could be a temp shack kind of stuff made from renewable or recycled stuff, and imagine if it could be installed in a day. Wow! What about making it from recycled plastic bottles or processed plastic made from waste!

Well, the idea is one the table, and it’s up-to these  companies who can work on this idea, shape it, remold it and make it a sale-able stuff on Amazon or other leading portals.

Another Lesson from this Prefab Idea
When I googled about prefab homes in India, only a handful of companies came on the search results. And as expected, the sites based in India didn’t have any curb appeal – meaning, the content on the website was not attractive. It didn’t carry good images, no attractive visuals or text. It was more like a site for the heck of it. Also, the price was not disclosed. Is it a secret.

What these company website require is a real makeover: This is how:

Add quality and realistic pictures, share stories about the joy of living in their houses, benefits of using their products, how to maintain the property, etc.

So, if you’re the owner of such  a firm, then it’s time you invest on building a value-giving site, where there are information for every kind of buyer – from those who are looking to gift homes to those who are looking for quick homes.

Here are few suggestions:

• Use a blog to share the story of your biz, and let people know your journey
• Answer the questions which buyers or prospects might have about your business
• Create video content and show how customers are using your product
• Post a home in Amazon or ebay or other online portals to bring more visitors
• If you have plans, think of prefab home rentals. ( rent a home ) 

I hope you get the message. Another way to learn is by following the work done by companies in the west. See how they do their website, the articles on their site, how they talk in the social space, etc.

If you require a second opinion or suggestion on how to improve your web presence, then I’m just a call away. And, I may come cheaper than a full-fledged agency. But, not too cheap!