Try Before You Buy

NZ company Ruatuna has attracted the attention of global business trend-spotting website Springwise. A joint venture between design company Sustainable Structures and construction firm Straw Built Homes, Ruatuna is essentially a show-home with a twist. Potential customers can book a night’s accommodation in one of the company’s straw bale homes – kids and pets included – to get a hands-on appreciation of the design. Springwise calls the novel practice tryvertising: “They can test-drive a car – why not test-live a home? It will be interesting to see if this catches on with traditional home developers and extends to other big-purchase industries, especially those introducing new (or revived) technologies.”