Breaking Down Vertical Fragmentation: Why the Future Lies in Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI)
Release Date: 10/02/2024
2025 Changed Everything: What Home Buying & Selling Must Do Next
Digital Disruption
In this end of year edition of the Digital Disruption podcast, hosted by Claire Van der Zant, Chris Williams and Pete Gatenby, we look back at a pivotal year for the home buying and selling sector and share what it means for the road ahead. From the biggest shifts of 2025 to the smart moves organisations need to make in 2026, it’s a forward-looking conversation you won’t want to miss. To be the first to receive our monthly Digital Disruption newsletter in print, sign up here: For more insights, visit connect with us on LinkedIn at or email us...
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In this November micro-edition of the Digital Disruption Podcast, Pete Gatenby, AI Practice Partner at Novus Strategy, is joined by Alastair Thornton, Director of Growth at Yopa. Together, they explore how Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI) is reshaping the property sector - and what estate agents can do today to stay ahead. They explore: Why Proof of Concept is becoming a key catalyst for progress in 2025 How connected digital thinking can streamline the home-buying journey Why shared data and joined-up working matter more than ever How to strike the right balance between smart tech and...
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Pete Gatenby and Robert Thickett on AI and Innovation in the Building Society Sector
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In this month’s micro-edition of the Digital Disruption Podcast, Pete Gatenby, AI Practice Partner at Novus Strategy, is joined by Robert Thickett, Digital Policy Manager at the Building Societies Association. Together, they discuss how building societies are approaching digital transformation, the role of AI, and the emerging innovations shaping the mutual sector. This episode dives into: How AI can speed up onboarding and reduce friction for savings and mortgage customers Why large language models may already outperform traditional customer service in certain scenarios How digital...
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Claire Van der Zant & Mat Hahn on The Future of Estate Agency: HDI and Digital Readiness
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In this micro-edition of the Digital Disruption Podcast, Claire Van der Zant (Novus Strategy) is joined by Mat Hahn, Head of Estate Agent Partnerships at the LMS. They explore: Why 2025 marks a turning point for digital progress in estate agency How Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI) is reshaping the property transaction process The growing role of material information and smarter collaboration across the chain Finding the right balance between technology and human service in the home-moving journey What a future-ready estate agency model could look like over the next five...
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In this micro-edition of the Digital Disruption Podcast, Chris Williams (Novus Strategy) is joined by Paul Broadhead, Head of Mortgage and Housing Policy at the Building Societies Association. They explore: Why 2025 has brought renewed momentum to the mortgage market The role of regulation in enabling (or restricting) innovation How horizontal digital integration could transform the home buying process The balance between technology and human advice for first-time buyers What a future-proof mortgage market could look like in the next five years For more insights and assistance in your...
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Agentic AI & the Future of Homebuying: Unlocking £400B in UK Property Innovation
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In this episode of Digital Disruption, we explore Agentic AI and its potential uses for the UK homebuying and property sector. Host Pete is joined by Novus Strategy’s new CEO, Claire van der Zant to discuss how AI is evolving beyond chatbots and automation – now capable of taking initiative, making decisions, and linking complex processes across the housing chain. We delve into: What Agentic AI is and how it works Real-world use cases in property, conveyancing, and lending Why the UK risks missing out on a £400 billion AI opportunity The importance of ethical AI adoption, transparency,...
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HDI Strategy Development for Lenders Internal vs External
Digital Disruption
🔍 Is your digital strategy keeping up with the demands of today’s home buying journey? In our latest Digital Disruption Podcast, we unpack Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI) — a game-changing strategy for UK lenders and ecosystem players. 🏡 The challenge? Internal optimisation has hit its ceiling. 💡 The opportunity? Collaborating left and right — across CRMs, brokers, estate agents and data sources — to unlock new revenue, reduce fallouts, and dramatically increase efficiency. Key takeaways include: 🔹 How internal HDI streamlines underwriting and speeds up workflows 🔹...
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What are the key drivers of Horizontal Digital Integration?
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The property market is at a tipping point, and Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI) is set to transform the way lenders, brokers, and conveyancers operate. 🔑 Key Takeaways from Our Latest Podcast: ✅ HDI will drive predictability, allowing borrowers to select move-in dates with certainty. ✅ Lenders must shift from operational efficiency to customer-centric growth, using real-time data to offer in-life financial services. ✅ Interoperability is no longer optional—firms that fail to integrate will be left behind. ✅ Collaboration is key—2025 will test whether the industry is truly...
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How Government Data Sharing Will Transform Property Transactions
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🚀 Government Data Sharing: The Future of Property Transactions? In our latest Digital Disruption Podcast, & break down the UK Government’s latest announcement on data sharing and what it means for lenders, brokers, and conveyancers. 🔑 Key Takeaways from This Episode: ✅ Faster, more efficient property transactions through digital integration. ✅ How Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI) will drive seamless data sharing. ✅ Opportunities for lenders & conveyancers to improve in-life servicing & customer experience. ✅ Overcoming transformation fatigue—will this...
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What’s Changing in 2025? AI, Automation, and the Race for Digital Maturity
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In this New Year’s episode of the Digital Disruption podcast, hosts Chris Williams and Pete reflect on their 2024 predictions, analyse which came true, and set out their forecasts for 2025. Key themes from 2024 included: AI Disruption: Rapid advancements in AI, particularly in lending and conveyancing, but live adoption in the market lagged behind its technical capabilities. New AI-driven Players: While no major challengers entered the mortgage lending space, AI-driven solutions emerged in adjacent markets, such as search and automation. Collaboration & Infrastructure Investment:...
info_outlineIn this episode of the Digital Disruption Podcast, hosts Chris Williams and Pete Gatenby delve into the topic of vertical fragmentation and its impact on the UK home buying process. They discuss how isolated digital solutions have led to inefficiencies, delays, and friction in transactions across the property market's ecosystem. With various actors like vendors, lenders, and property firms all affected, the need for a more holistic approach becomes clear.
Chris and Pete introduce Horizontal Digital Integration (HDI) as the solution to the current fragmentation. They highlight the need for interoperability and collaboration across all parties in the ecosystem to improve the customer experience, maintain competitive advantages, and increase efficiency in decision-making. The conversation explores practical steps for businesses to begin implementing HDI, including conducting mapping exercises to assess existing technologies and identifying potential collaborative partners.
The hosts provide real-world examples of HDI in action, such as Zoopla's integration with mortgage brokers and LMS Connells' pilot focusing on upfront data sharing to streamline processes. They also emphasize that organizations of all sizes can play a role in this shift—even those without large technology teams.
The episode concludes with an open invitation for listeners to engage further on HDI and its potential to transform the property market. Additionally, they announce the launch of Novus Strategy and Consulting's new physical newsletter, offering unbiased insights and analysis to support digital transformation in the home buying sector.
This episode is a call to action for stakeholders in the industry to embrace HDI, leverage technology, and put the customer at the heart of their strategies.
For more insights, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.
To connect with Pete on LinkedIn visit - Pete's LinkedIn profile
To connect with Chris on LinkedIn visit - Chris's LinkedIn profile
For more insights and assistance in your digital transformation, visit https://www.novus-strategy.com/ and connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/novus-strategy/ or email us at hello@novus-strategy.com.