As we have reported before (see this post, for example): “Shopping centers remain very popular in the United States — in the face of strong competition from online retailing and stores not located in shopping centers. However, this strength varies by the type of center.”
To revitalize themselves, several mall operators, such as Simon Property Group and Westfield, are doing some innovative things — as reported by Laura Heller for Forbes:
“Simon recently announced it would host mini-marketplaces in six of its U.S. malls. It’s a partnership with with Refinery29, an online site devoted to fashion. Refinery29 doesn’t sell merchandise, but its stamp of approval goes a long way toward furthering a brand or label. Simon is also creating what it calls “smart malls” by adding iBeacons to roughly 75 properties. The technology, developed by Apple, allows for the placement of small transmitters inside spaces that communicate with smartphones over a version of Bluetooth.”
Westfield malls are testing mobile ordering that lets shoppers order food from their smartphones for pick-up or delivery. The goal is to extend the service to other retail tenants. Westfield’s Labs division earlier this year, installed a life-size touch-screen mirror in a New Jersey mall that lets shoppers browse products offered by retail tenants.
Click the image to read more of Heller’s story.
Retailing: From A to Z 
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The suggestions in the article for how malls will be improved don’t strike me as changing a majority of people’s habits to generate return visits to the mall, but time will tell. iBeacons currently require an app or Apple’s Passbook to work which limits the size of the population they can reach and ordering food on my mobile device at a mall to possibly avoid a line, while useful, isn’t the primary reason why I go to a mall nor will it keep me coming back.
Malls are being challenged like at no other time and while I am certain they will respond, the examples listed in the article aren’t compelling enough for me as a shopper to keep coming back. What about developing a loyalty program for a mall so that points, or something similar, are earned whenever I shop at any merchant there? Or what about creating a concierge service so people can buy online across merchants located in the mall and then pickup at the mall? Just trying to stimulate some thinking here.
Agreed. 🙂 The challenge will be even more enormous in coming years.