Malls - offering a multitude of products and services under one roof
 Prasanna Perera,
Marketing & Management Consultant,
Chartered Marketer,
CIM U.K.
Malls are large retail spaces offering a multitude of products and
services all under one roof. Examples in Sri Lanka would be Crescat,
Kandy City Centre (KCC), Majestic City, Liberty Plaza and K Zones.
The need for marketing malls in Sri Lanka is beginning to be
understood, with the anticipated influx in tourists and global
hospitality brands. This article briefly addresses certain key aspects
relating to Mall Marketing.
Understanding the Visitor Profile
Each mall has a distinct visitor profile in terms of age, income,
occupation, lifestyle, benefits sought and personality. Further, the
geographical location of residency, mode of commuting and shopping
habits too should be understood. For example, the visitor profile at
Crescat is very different to Majestic City and Liberty Plaza. Crescat
attracts foreign visitors, since the Cinnamon Grand, Cinnamon Lakeside,
Galadari, Taj and Hilton hotels are in very close proximity. Majestic
City attracts a large youth segment, who spend time with friends,
chatting, shopping and eating.
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Malls are here to stay in Sri Lanka. However, Mall Marketing
and Management has much room for improvement. |
Location
Is critical for Mall Marketing. For example, KCC is located in the
heart of the Kandy City. Hence, it is easily accessible to residence of
Kandy town and the immediate suburbs. The visitor profile also varies
depending on the location of the Mall.
K Zone Rawathawatte is located in Moratuwa, hence easily accessible
to residents of Moratuwa, Panadura, Piliyandala and even Kalutara.
Hence selecting the location for establishing Malls should be done
with due care, since the wrong location can mean disaster.
Mall Owners Responsibility
Malls are made of retail spaces, which are rented out to tenants. The
mall owner has the responsibility to market the mall and the facilities
and thereby help the tenants improve their business.
This is an area that mall owners need to improve in Sri Lanka. How
often have we seen initiatives to market malls by the owners. If the
tenants don’t have business, they will not renew their contracts. It is
simple as that! In addition, it is the responsibility of the mall owners
to maintain the infrastructure and housekeeping standards of the malls.
This will include health, safety, sanitation, back up electricity and
uninterrupted water supplies.
An important aspect for mall owners to consider carefully is the
tenant profile, which has to match the profile of the mall. For example
at a high profile mall such as Crescat, the tenants too should be of the
same profile. If mall owners do not pay attention to this aspect,
visitors will not be provided a consistent experience and standard of
service at the malls. Augmentation of services should be a priority of
the owners of malls. If services are not augmented, visitors will be
bored with the experience and shift to other competitive malls. Although
visitors do not have too many options in Sri Lanka at present, the
scenario will change in the near future.
Positioning of Malls
Malls are vast retail spaces as stated earlier and they need to be
branded and positioned, to gain a competitive advantage. In my
experience, Crescat is positioned as a premium mall for upper middle
class and upper class households. Majestic City (MC) is positioned
towards the middle class and upper middle class. Liberty Plaza basically
caters to everyone. (Positioning is not clear).
By positioning malls, a specific customer segment can be targeted and
served. This will make the “mall brand” stand out from the crowd.
Facilities to be Improved in Sri Lankan Malls
General housekeeping
Parking
Wash Rooms (Quality and Quantity)
Prayer Rooms
Kids play areas in terms of size and security
Food Courts (Hygiene and variety of food)
Seating and relaxation areas
Air quality
Information desks
Floor plans (Detailed)
Piped music
Experiential Marketing at Malls
Malls must be kept lively and vibrant. Lobby areas should be utilized
for promotions on a regular basis. Actively involve the tenants in
promotions, for mutual benefits.
Cookery demonstrations can be conducted in Food Courts and other
housewives promotions across different locations within a mall.
Simultaneous promotions and activities within a given mall is not seen
adequately in a Sri Lankan context. Multiple promotions will create a
big bang within malls and energize the stakeholders. |
