There is an opportunity to reinvent the mall experience and bring people together in a way that fosters connection, functioning as the heart and central meeting place of the community. Customers can now shop virtually via chat and video and get a closer look at the product they want to buy. It's critical that malls take a more active role in shaping the shopping experience, whether acting more like retailers or partnering with them. Technology, for example, can be used to address one of the biggest challenges faced by shoppers in the mall: finding parking.
Concerns about sustainability are causing some consumers to prefer mixed-use developments where they can live, shop and work within walking distance, rather than having to get in a car and drive to a crowded suburban mall. Once inside the mall, mobile apps can provide quick and easy guides to help shoppers find what they're looking for in today's increasingly large, multi-level malls. This approach helps them capture the look of local family stores, along with technology that helps them boost sales. The revival of shopping centers can determine new trends in shopping centers and the future of shopping centers in the United States.
As more and more people choose to shop online, physical stores are becoming less and less popular. Instead, malls must move in a different direction, move away from commodified shopping experiences and adopt a broader value proposition for consumers. Both large retail companies and small brands that sell directly to the consumer are testing ground with smaller stores that focus on experience-based shopping. These websites offer a variety of products and services to their users and are often a one-stop shop for all your online shopping needs.
The growing middle class in South America and Asia is not looking for the future in the suburbs, but in the city. However, offering shopping by appointment helps provide personalized shopping experiences, which ranks at the top of the list in terms of customer expectations for the future of retail. Today's customers compare their purchases to the best shopping experience they've ever had, which, in turn, continues to increase customer expectations. To compete with e-commerce, malls and retailers must consider what experiences they can offer that cannot be found on the Internet, as they will offer visitors an exceptional experience that will make them want to come back and bring their friends.
They were slow to adapt to the new reality of online shopping and saw their customer experience, traffic and sales decline.
