DURING the past decade or so, we've been bombarded by predictions that the Internet was to become all things to everyone, says Redrow plc.

The property sector was one that was marked down to be profoundly affected by this phenomenon. Estate agents were advised to become computer literate quickly and use the Internet to their advantage, rather than be rendered obsolete by it.

Statistics from Oftel show that online household penetration has increased from a modest two per cent in 1995 to a staggering 38 per cent in the year 2002, with the total number of home Internet users standing at 14.6 million compared to 0.7 million in 1996.

Simon Bennett, group marketing director of Redrow plc, said: "It was in 1997 that we recognised the need for an on-line presence and we were one of the very first house builders to develop a website. By the end of 1999 we were attracting 2,000 visits each week.

“Although this served its purpose, we decided to re-design the site and re-launched it in March, 2000. The website now enjoys an average of some 15,000 actual visitors each week, which demonstrates that our own experience of e-commerce revolution certainly mirrors the Oftel findings.

"Today our records show that nearly one in four of Redrow’s customers first learned about the company via our website.

“In April, 2002, we launched a digital television advertising campaign to build awareness of our brand with the website featuring prominently. Now, upwards of 1,000 visits are achieved each week as a direct result of the television campaign alone."

He added: "The main aim of the revamped website was to provide regularly updated information to customers in a very user-friendly way. We, therefore, developed a tool that allows us to update prices and availability on our website every 24 hours at the push of a button, direct from our in-house sales information system.

"When visitors first hit our home page, they find that it contains all the information necessary to navigate effortlessly through the site. This limits the number of click-throughs to each section, providing quicker and easier access for customers who are busy in their quest to find the perfect home."

Full details on Redrow's activities in the residential and commercial property sectors are available on www.redrow.co.uk