Making Shopping Malls More Experiential

Shopping center developers have been experimenting with a lot of new tactics to attract more customers — and to get them to stay longer.
As Stephanie Clifford writes in the New York Times: “Glimcher Realty Trust, which owns and manages shopping malls, is experimenting with making them Internet-proof. The company concedes that if shoppers can buy something online, they will. So it is trying to fill one of its malls, in Scottsdale, Ariz., with businesses that do more than sell stuff. There are still clothing-only retailers at the mall, Scottsdale Quarter, but more than half of the stores offer dining or some other experience that cannot be easily replicated on the Web. That has Glimcher executives taking some unconventional approaches to finding suitable tenants — like testing out laser salons, getting hairstyling lessons, and watching movies in a theater that serves food.”
Click the photo to learn more.

Photo by Joshua Lott for the New York Times
Posted in Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 4: Store Location Planning | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It’s Not Just an Airport Anymore: How About Yoga?

Check out this video clip from the Wall Street Journal: “Frazzled Travelers Get Yoga Rooms, Walking Paths, and Health Food, While Airports Get More Revenue.”

Posted in Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 4: Store Location Planning, Video Clips (non-career) | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

QR Codes Aren’t Giving Consumers What They Want

Despite the rising popularity of QR codes, the 2012-2014 growth rate will not be as high as past forecasts projected.
Check out this eMarketer story to learn more.

Posted in Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment