You know how everyone says Netflix is going to leave movie theaters in the dust? But then a film like Black Panther comes theaters, and you know the rest. The fantastic large-screen movie viewing experience is not going away.
The same is true for retail centers. The growth of e-commerce may pose some challenges to shopping mall revenues, but the experience of visiting a mall and reveling in the larger-than-life aesthetics, awe-inspiring festivities, the aroma of fresh merchandise, the bling and rustle of decadent fashion, products that you can touch, feel, try on, and be left in awe of, all of this sensory gratification is too powerful a force to reckon with, and that is why, A retail center will always have a steady stream of customers. The mall will prosper regardless of how large the Amazon economy grows.
The only difference is that retail malls must now prepare for disruption and become more tech savvy. They need to offer a layer of fingertip ease on top of the sensory experience’s enchantment.
And they certainly can! They can do what no other mobile app development company can do with a strong.
Shopping malls can use technology to make the beautiful real-life experience even more convenient. On a mobile device, no online retailer can provide that kind of sensory experience.
Shopping malls must recognize that today’s shoppers do not have time to wander around aimlessly. Customers today are accustomed to having control. That control is given to them with a mobile app that allows consumers to better experience your mall. So, today, let’s talk about how shopping malls can use mobile apps to give their customers more power and create more personalized shopping mall experiences that will keep them coming back.
1. First, Make Them Want to Come to the Mall
So, how can you persuade a customer to leave the comfort of their couch, put down the seductive phone, forego the ease of home delivery, and visit a mall?
Well, that’s simple. Simply demonstrate how much fun it is, and then make it simple for them to attend.
There are numerous factors that discourage individuals from visiting a mall. One of them is deciding which one to visit. Which has the better deal at this time of year? Where can I find the best deals? Which one is the least congested right now? Will I have to waste another 40 minutes looking for a parking spot?
These are some of the most common inquiries that people have before visiting a mall. They’d be considerably more likely to visit the mall if a smartphone app provided quick answers to these questions.
Shopping malls may provide shoppers with numerous compelling reasons to visit. Inform them about the best bargains available or the new restaurants you’ve started. Share tempting real-time photos of the dynamic but not-too-large crowd. Show them the quickest routes to the mall from their current position and how soon they can get there. That is how a mall can actually convince individuals to abandon their second thoughts and drive down to have a good time at the mall.
2. Make It Easy to Come – Traffic, Routes and Parking
The inconvenience of getting there is one of the most significant deterrents to mall visitors. Most individuals are afraid of getting trapped in traffic and wasting valuable time. A mobile app can track analytics and help clients determine the optimum times to visit based on the routes they take to aid them with this. The software can determine when there is the least traffic on their route and correlate it with the times when each consumer prefers to spend time outdoors.
As a consequence, each consumer would receive a personalized recommendation for the optimum time to visit the mall. Combining it with simple driving maps will make the app much more useful.
Parking is the next big bad guy. It’s exasperating to be unable to find a nice parking spot, or, even worse, to learn that the parking is full after a long journey through traffic.
A mobile app can alleviate a lot of that frustration. Malls should seriously consider investing in the development of intelligent parking solutions. Customers can be alerted of the likelihood of available parking depending on their projected arrival time. If parking is unavailable, they can tell tourists of alternative parking options in the vicinity. A mobile app that efficiently simplifies parking can truly help enhance a mall’s consumer footfall and make them so delighted that they will return again and again. The Fast Mall app is a successful example of how an app may encourage people to come.
3. In-Mall Navigation
With millions of square feet and tens of miles of pedestrian paths, modern malls are unquestionably far too large to traverse on foot in a single visit. Even if a mall isn’t as large as The Dubai Mall or The Mall of America, it’s still too much for the ordinary weekend shopper to handle on their own. A mobile app that makes it simple to navigate a mall can help shoppers enjoy their visit more.
Every consumer has unique requirements. One may be out shopping for high-end apparel, while another may be seeking for bargain toys. Everything from which gate the customer enters to which elevator she takes up the mal affects how quickly she finds what she needs. It’s difficult to discover the appropriate store on the right side on the right floor to find the proper goods. Unless the mall makes its customers’ lives easier, it would be enormously easier to just order on Amazon.
Investing in a mobile app appears to be the ideal approach here as well. The app can not only provide clients with simple interactive floor maps, but it can also go a step beyond. Because of the great capacity of analytics, a mobile app can understand which stores a customer frequents. Then, using geo-fencing, it may give the client updates on special ongoing offers when the consumer is on that floor or nearby.
A smartphone app can also assist clients in locating the nearest restroom, fire exit, or stairway. Customers can even use the app to see if wheelchairs, trolleys, or strollers are available. In fact, to save them time and effort, the app can assist consumers in booking these services and having the wheelchair or trolley delivered to them wherever they are.
Apps for Payment and Checkout
Consider this: you’re at a mall and you’re hungry. You can see your favorite restaurant across the promenade, but you’re stuck at the fashion store’s billing counter, waiting for your turn. Have you ever wished you could leave your cart here and let the staff bill it while you went out to eat? When the invoicing is completed, you can be notified via the mall app, make an online payment, and collect the bags on your way out. Oh, the fun!
The End
A smartphone app can let clients avoid long lines and focus on enjoying their stay while the app handles the rest. Everything that now causes friction in the mall experience may be efficiently minimized with an app, allowing people to enjoy the actual mall experience of fun, friends, and festivities. At Linkitsoft, shopping malls can retake their role as the preferred destination for shoppers by wrapping a fuzzy blanket of technology around the vivid enjoyment that a mall provides.