Open for Business

The key to marketing retail and shopping parks is in making the most of the properties’ unique outdoor structure

From the time they are conceived and built, retail and shopping parks can legitimately claim to be destination properties. These trading areas cater mainly to shoppers with a purpose, people who seek out a particular retail category or brand. And because they are developed on large pieces of land, these parks also tend to offer customers spacious stores that can house full product lines. In such a context, it is really no surprise that retailers looking to streamline their chains and realise economies of scale are drawn to the park scheme to operate their own destination shops.
When customers make a trip to a retail or shopping park, it is usually because they intend to buy something or at least have a purchase in mind, not just because they want to spend a couple of hours in a pleasant environment This, despite the fact that the two needs are not mutually exclusive and can certainly be met in one property. If the park leasing department does its job right, there shouldn’t be a lot of footfall “wastage” or the inability to convert the occasional browser into a spending customer.
Other advantages of the park concept are the availability of plentiful parking space and direct-to-store accessibility, which make it a less stressful environment than the High Street or even some enclosed malls. Shoppers don’t need to worry about parking metres running out or having to be forced into a  hectic pace along crowded sidewalks. Instead, they can peacefully pull into a space and take as much time as they want in their favourite stores (the sheer size of retail shops located in parks usually warrant longer stays).
These characteristics are solid foundations on which to build marketing programmes that will increase footfall and sales at retail and shopping parks.

Focus on delivering great customer service
You can create a boutique shopping feel even in an environment like a retail park. It all depends on how much of your marketing efforts are placed on customer service.
• Set up information booths (manned or interactive kiosks) to help shoppers find their way around the park and its surrounding region. Such features would be appealing to out-of-town visitors who may not only want to shop at a specific store in your park, but also use the property as a “base camp” from which to explore the region. This would require your staff to know their way around the major throughways providing access to the park, as well as be aware of nearby points of interests and popular attractions.
• Make customers feel secure around the park, even if its outdoor structure leaves them somewhat exposed to the elements. Employ security officers to roam the site on bikes, scooters or in cars, and make sure the parking and pedestrian areas are well-lit in the evening.
• Offer parcel check and carrying services. These will be most appreciated in inclement weather and during busy trading seasons.
• Provide clear signage to ease the flow of shoppers throughout your site.
• Use the Web to help shoppers plan their shopping trip ahead of time. One very useful feature that The Mall at Cribbs Causeway north of Bristol, UK, offers is live traffic news. Online visitors are able to check how much time it will take on average to drive in and out of the property and what percentage are car spaces are available at any given time. This service can certainly be adapted to a retail or shopping park during high trading seasons like Christmas.
Meanwhile, Lakeside shopping centre in West Thurrocks, UK, lists the adjacent retail park’s retailers on its main Website. The park directory lists store names, phone numbers and Web addresses.
• Work with general management to ensure that your site caters to several modes of transportation—from cars to public transit to bicycles to taxi service (develop incentive packages for cabbies and offer them a dedicated spot to pick up and drop off passengers).

Make the most of the park’s location for advertising purposes
Retail and shopping parks are usually located close to major traffic arteries, presenting great opportunities to employ comprehensive outdoor advertising strategies. Use billboards and transit advertising at strategic places along highways, on overpasses and at central exits to direct traffic to your park. A good companion to outdoor would be a radio campaign targeting commuters. Choose the radio stations whose listeners most closely resemble your target shoppers and turn a captive audience into a new clientele.

Actively manage your retail park’s footfall
Direct-to-store accessibility might be a practical feature for the customers, but it doesn’t do much for cross-shopping. Encourage your customers to visit stores that might not appear on their initial shopping list by using the spaces between the shops.
Static or interactive displays update visitors on the arrival of new tenants, as well as on individual stores’ promotions, seasonal sales and latest product offerings.

Use your parking space to your advantage
A parking lot isn’t a place where shoppers usually spend a lot of time but that can be an effective promotional platform nonetheless, especially in an open concept such as a retail or shopping park. You can designate a section of your parking lot as the area in which to host special interest groups and events that will make the property top-of-mind in the community. Vintage car rallies, school and non-profit group fundraisers, summer drive-in movie nights, Santa parades and outdoor concerts are among viable options.
Be original and welcome community partners or groups that don’t always appear in traditional shopping centres and shopping galleries. And if you want some of the “usual suspects” in your park, first invite them during low-trading seasons. If you are not competing with other centres to bring in the crowds, you might be able to convert a one-off event into a year-round collaboration with community partners.
This month, Montrose Shopping Park in Glendale, USA, honoured its annual tradition of hosting a Halloween Spooktacular. Hosted by the City of Glendale Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, the Spooktacular was planned as a family event where shoppers would discover carnival-style game booths with prizes, a costume photo booth, the Montrose Magic Show, a pet parade and costume contest, food kiosks, rides and more. The Spooktacular took advantage of the park’s space to make it a destination for fair-type entertainment as well as shopping.
The Montrose formula could be adapted to fit other themes, be they seasonal or centered around niche consumer markets (e.g. sports team rallies for young fans, bazaars for antiques connoisseurs and spring renovation workshops for do-it-yourself shoppers). To create an event around the proper theme, find inspiration in your park’s retail mix and primary catchment characteristics.

Involve tenants in the marketing plan
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, retail and shopping parks, particularly older ones, aren’t always the most attractive of properties. Give the sites a more dynamic and modern vibe by incorporating brand name retailers in the marketing campaigns and promotions. Park tenants such as Gap or Boots are highly branded entities and their shopper appeal can enhance the park’s advertising creative and marketing collaterals.
Pick the tenants that have the best marketing programmes and those whose stores are exclusive to your region, then leverage their strengths to get shoppers excited about visiting your park.

Remember tourist shoppers
Put your shopping park on the local area’s tourism map, working with hotels, convention and visitors bureaus as well as tour operators to increase your property’s profile and attract out-of-town shoppers. You might be able to work out a deal with a tour operator to co-brand buses that would shuttle customers between your park and other properties, including hotels, conference centres, major attractions and airports.