5 Ways to Increase Christmas Footfall in your Shopping Centre
Christmas is the busiest event of the year for the majority of shopping centres but with the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which saw brick and mortar stores take losses of 12.7% in 2020 compared to that of 2019 (source: retailresearch.org), we wanted to give you some tips on how to make the most of your Christmas period and get customers through the doors.
- Interactive Entertainment
Having interactive displays and elements at your shopping centre helps your visitors to feel part of the magic. People are much more likely to head out to a shopping centre over shopping online if they are going to be entertained. People will then leave your shopping centre feeling happy about their experience and relate that feeling back to your shopping centre.
- Social Media Worthy Displays
With over 30 million people in the UK using the photo sharing platform Instagram and a staggering 45.5 million people using Facebook (source: Statista.com), use this to your advantage. Create social media worthy displays or designated selfie backdrops to encourage visitors to take photos and use them on social media. Remember to include the name of your shopping centre or create your own hashtag so people will instantly know where to go. Let your visitors do the promoting for you!
- Stunning Visual Displays
Create that wow factor for your visitors. During the Christmas period, there is magic in the air, lights on houses, decorations on trees and the opportunity to create magnificent, bespoke lighting displays.
Not only do people head out to buy their Christmas presents but they also want to get into the Christmas spirit by visiting Christmas markets and seeing the lights. Make your shopping centre somewhere where people can feel inspired and want to experience.
- Family Friendly Entertainment
The Christmas period is highly family orientated and many families will head out with the hopes to keep their children entertained. By including entertainment such as a Santa’s Grotto, will encourage families to visit and offer excitement and a sense of magic for children. And inevitably customers may spend money buying food and drink, visiting the shops and making the most of their day out.
- Offer a Discount or a Freebie
Who doesn’t love a freebie? Entice people to visit your shopping centre by giving away something for free. An example of this could be a free mulled wine on entry or even a discount to spend in a particular store or food outlet. Or a free gift after visiting Santa. It doesn’t have to be much, but it will put people in a good mood whilst in your shopping centre.
Sources:
Shopping for Christmas 2020, stats and data from The Centre For Retail Research
https://www.statista.com/topics/3236/social-media-usage-in-the-uk/