Shopping centres thinking outside the box to keep you browsing longer
It’s no secret. Shopping centres are designed to keep you inside, hopefully spending money, for as long as possible.
And since the advent of online shopping, mall owners around the world have realised – some quicker than others – that shopping centres need to evolve and adapt to attract and retain shoppers.
The first iteration of the mall makeover, about 10 years ago, was about offering free Wi-Fi, lounge areas and funky places to eat and drink, beyond the usual fast-food outlets.
But, as foot traffic in retail stores falls – it was the worst December on record in Australia – some shopping centre landlords are getting more creative in the way they attract potential customers and encourage them to stay.
“In our new and redeveloped destinations more than 40 per cent of our partners are non-traditional retail, so it’s around entertainment, dining, gyms, spas, education, childcare and co-working, so it’s a far cry from where we were even five years ago,” said Phil McAveety, director of customer experience at Scentre Group, which owns and manages the Westfield malls in Australia.
While childcare centres at Westfield shopping centres for working parents are not new, Bondi Junction Westfield has announced, as a new initiative, extending the hours of its Goodstart Early Learning centre on Thursdays nights and Saturdays to coincide with peak trading times.
Mr McAveety said it would help to drive a regular and steady flow of customers to the centre.
“We offer childcare services but this goes into the second part of our focus, which is to make it easier for our customers, and a large part of our customer groups are families with young kids,” he said.
Entertaining kids, beyond childcare, is a focus of Scentre Group, which estimates it held 13,500 “activations” or events across its 40 destinations last year.
Also making changes to its customer offerings is Vicinity, this week announcing it would open a Fortress gaming venue, the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere, at Emporium Melbourne.
The 200-seat e-sports arena, with 160 gaming PCs and dedicated streamer pods, will open on its lower levels early next year.
Vicinity is hoping that pinning itself to the growing popularity of e-sports, will pay off for the shopping centre and attract families and tourists.
“We are always looking at new, unique experiences to offer our customers and with the global phenomenon of e-sports rapidly gaining fans in Australia, Emporium Melbourne’s city location makes it the obvious choice for an e-sports arena and gaming venue that will cater to all audiences,” Vicinity Centres chief development officer, Carolyn Viney, said.
“E-sports tournaments sell out major stadiums worldwide and have a highly engaged audience globally. We expect Fortress Melbourne to follow international trends and become a major attraction for all types of customers, young and old, who want a real-time e-sports and video gaming experience,” Ms Viney said.
Retail operators are also diversifying their malls with the introduction of other unconventional tenants, such as co-working operators, to fill space and increase foot traffic organically. Scentre has signed deals with co-working hub provider WOTSO for workspaces in some of its shopping centres.
