This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on April 19, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Property Bhd is changing the way it builds its properties by using a new online platform called dto, a home co-creation tool that allows potential customers to jointly create the products they want with the property developer. Pronounced ditto, the online platform, in which the company invested RM3 million to set up, was launched here yesterday.

Sime Darby Property chief operating officer Datuk Wan Hashimi Albakri told reporters at the event that the company wants to change its mindset from building with customers in mind to building with customers’ direct involvement.

“We believe we are the first in the country to pioneer such a concept and we believe it is the future of property buying. I’m positive that when we let potential customers get involved and let them decide on the outcome of the product, it will be something they will want to buy. This will translate well into our sales and also bottom line moving forward,” he said. Via the platform, potential customers can indicate their preferences by voting on the choices provided in three distinct areas.

The first is the external building, which includes the building colour, driveway pattern and building name. The second phase involves common facilities such as playground design, co-working space and gymnasium equipment. The third phase is the internal unit, where potential customers can choose their preferred tiles, sanitary fittings and timber flooring.

Wan Hashimi said Sime Darby Property will launch two high-rise residential projects based on the majority votes it obtains from the dto platform in Subang Jaya, which will be launched from the second half of the year onwards.

“The co-creation phase for the first project takes place between January [and] May this year, whereby we will collect all the votes from the public. Once that is done, we target to launch the property for sale in August 2019. The location of the property is a walking distance from the Empire Shopping Gallery,” he said.

As for the second project or Project 2, as Sime Darby Property refers to it, which is based in Putra Heights, the co-creation phase starts from March this year, with the launch for sale targeted for early 2020.

“We will also be unveiling Project 3 on the dto platform, a landed property development which we will announce later on,” Wan Hashimi added. Sime Darby Property shares slipped one sen to close at RM1.09 yesterday, which valued it at RM7.41 billion.