I was searching the Web for some customer care ideas when I came across an interesting blog. It belonged to a consumer named Chris. The title of his latest entry, written just after 9pm, read something like, "ABC Shopping Centre—Hell on Earth?" (obviously, Chris was a little more specific about the object of his discontent).
He just couldn’t get over this particular centre’s congestion and poorly designed car park, which made his trek there on a rainy day a, well, hellish experience. To add to his woes, ABC wasn’t even the centre he normally visited. His favourite one was closed for repairs. So the up-shot, Chris said, was that he would appreciate his usual hangout a bit more—Just a bit, mind you, he was sure to point out.
Approximately 45 minutes after Chris posted his scathing review, another blogger wrote a message to voice his own discontent.
"I have been going to this place for years and years…and yes…it’s @*&%!"
With comments like these circulating freely in cyberspace, it’s no wonder that so many shopping centre marketers are feeling the need to hop online to see what consumers are talking about, and then find a way to join the conversation.
This is why we decided to focus more of our attention on Internet-based social media and other viral marketing strategies that promote word-of-mouth communication, be it positive or not.
In this edition, we begin by putting the issue of social media in the current retail marketing context, with the help of Kathryn Tector and Cynthia Vossah, two marketing specialists from Schark!, the T4G Company’s user interface design and usability studio, which helps companies sell smarter online.
A recap of the ICSC European Marketing Seminar, held recently in Berlin, also raises issues of customer care and ethics, while a loyalty programme from Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in South Africa offers a glimpse of what’s to come from techno-savvy marketers.
Look for more on technology-based marketing in future editions of Tactics Europe—from SMS promotions to advertising campaigns that make their way from traditional media to online communities.