Shopping Centre Customer Retention: What Keeps Shoppers Coming Back?

Outstanding Customer Service

Chances are, it’s not always the prices or the looks of your shopping centre that are going to keep your shoppers coming back: it’s the people. Research has shown that 89% of consumers would be more likely to make another purchase with companies providing better customer service. Customers want to feel valued and appreciated, which is why providing them with a positive shopping experience can do wonders for building a relationship between your shoppers and stores.

There are multiple ways to tackle customer service, including educating and training staff members, streamlining the purchasing process, and implementing a quality loyalty program. Your staff should understand how to respond to customer questions and concerns, offering an error and hassle-free shopping experience, and building one-on-one relationships with shoppers to make them feel more comfortable asking questions or returning to make a future purchase. With the help of technology like self-scanning checkouts, customers can easily make purchases without having to wait in any irritating queues. Finally, offering the most loyal shoppers special rewards and discounts is a great incentive to visit stores and check out the latest deals.

Create Memorable Experiences

Building a positive shopping experience for your customers can have a huge impact on customer satisfaction and retention. Memorable experiences, such as seasonal markets, themed or branded events, interactive games and services, and pop-up shops, draw customers in from far and wide, especially if these events are unique to your shopping centre. If you can offer something special which customers wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else, this gives you a significant edge over your competitors. Using interactive billboards and advertisements, you can spread the word of upcoming events to your customers in store, as well as promoting social media posts and sending emails about new limited-time experiences.

Offer Convenient Services

Although shopping centres are known for…well, shopping, providing additional convenient services for shoppers can help to grow and retain your customer base. If a customer spends an hour or two shopping in various retail stores, they might start feeling peckish, so including fast food kiosks and food courts in your shopping centre means they are more likely to spend a little extra for the convenience of having somewhere close by to eat. The same applies to other activity and entertainment related centres, such as cinemas, fine dining, sports and leisure attractions and more – why travel to another venue when all the amenities your customers require are in one location?

Drive Customer Engagement

A vital aspect many shopping centres overlook is taking a proactive approach to customer engagement. In store, aesthetic appeal can go a long way to improving customer perception and engagement. Having an inviting, exciting space that uses creative solutions to establish a positive atmosphere will leave a lasting impression on visitors, making them more likely to return and discover more of what your shopping centre has to offer. This also involves making the most of your available space, which is why utilising retail merchandising units (RMUs), kiosks, and digital pods ensures your customers have plenty of products and services to try out as they explore. Of course, your shopping centre should never feel static, so overhauling your décor for seasonal or themed events is another great way to keep things fun and fresh for your customers.

There is also plenty you can do outside of your store to drive customer engagement. Providing your customers with tailored emails and personalised social media content, sending them post-purchase emails, asking for feedback, and offering exclusive promotions all establish one-on-one connections, which can then lead to repeat purchases through the establishment of meaningful, long-term retailer-customer relationships.