Companies that handle inventory often rely on information-gathering systems to help them with the controlling process. For commercial real estate brokerage firms, “inventory” consists of real estate listings. Commercial real estate brokerage Sperry Van Ness uses the power of wireless technology to track inventory and maintain its competitive position.

Sperry Van Ness was founded in 1987 in Irvine, California, and since that time the organization has grown rapidly. Today, its nearly 1,000 real estate professionals work in the more than 150 Sperry Van Ness locations in the United States and overseas. The company offers a full range of real estate services, including brokerage, consulting, asset management, property management, leasing, accelerated marketing, and auction services.

The recent global economic downturn had a chilling effect on the real estate market. For nearly two years, commercial lending in the United States slowed almost to a stop, creating a weak market with more sellers anxious to unload properties than buyers interested in purchasing those properties. A construction boom that ended with the downturn resulted in a glut of office and commercial space, much of it standing vacant while builders attempted to recoup their investments.

Sperry Van Ness addressed the market challenges by using technology to better control its inventory, which, the company hoped, would spur sales. It recently became one of the first organizations in the commercial real estate industry to adopt a mobile marketing platform called Qonnect.mobi. Through the use of two-dimensional barcodes, Qonnect enables Sperry Van Ness to manage its commercial property listings. By scanning the barcodes with a smartphone, users can gain immediate, handheld access to Sperry Van Ness’s commercial listings around the world, which include comprehensive information about each property, along with images, video, and more.

The Sperry Van Ness office in Chicago was the first to implement the new technology, using it to market 13,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space in a luxury high-rise development in Chicago’s trendy Fulton River district.

Here’s how the process works: As soon as the contract is signed, the Sperry Van Ness broker uses Qonnect to list the property. The listing becomes available instantaneously via mobile phone to brokers and investors, who can access all the information they might need about the property.

During a challenging economy, quick turnaround is an even more critical factor in real estate. For that reason, the Qonnect platform represents a competitive advantage for Sperry Van Ness. Said company president and CEO Kevin Maggiacomo, “This new mobile marketing platform is a result of our efforts to improve our efficiencies in marketing our listings.”1