FEATURES Chart 5-3 Website Traffic for the Week Prior to Tree Lighting vs. Vehicular Traffic on the Day of Tree Lighting
Source: Robert B. Aikens and Associates Working with its retailers’ content, as well as its own
original programming, the Village in 2012 strived to connect its social platform to substantial cross-media buys with online companies such as Facebook, as well as with television stations, newspapers and their associated online properties. The aim of the Village’s 2012 Fall Fashion campaign was to spike traffic on behalf of women’s soft-goods retailers during these most active and critical days in September and early October. Any conclusions are as yet speculative because 2012 produced the first dataset. The busiest day during fall 2012, though, yielded 18% more vehicular cars than any single autumn day since 2006. Sales volumes for women’s soft goods in September were 12% above those in 2011, driving the mall’s overall 8% gain. Activating a passionate following over time creates an
ongoing opportunity to develop unique programming resulting in even more viewership. As part of its 2013 spring fashion campaign, for example, the Village posted an online casting call across its community seeking models for a fashion show. The Village’s Facebook ad was viewed by over 12,000 members of its Facebook community. Nearly 10% of viewers clicked the ad to visit the Village’s Website for more details on how to apply.3 The post was also shared 64 times and generated 93 likes and 43 comments. Nearly 300 members of the public applied to model at the spring show. 5) Align Digital and Leasing: Agents leasing space in the mall will naturally benefit from the success of a
strong social platform. Any impact on vehicular traffic can potentially translate into the higher sales volumes that are at the heart of the offer extended by agents to potential new tenants. The leasing team can also integrate the advantages offered by the social platform in their communication patterns. Most importantly, it enables real-time participation by all individuals in the mall’s successes in adding new shops and restaurants to the mix. For example, when additions are announced to the Village’s tenant line-up, an article is posted on the blog. The link to the blog article is posted to the center’s Facebook community of more than 16,000 members. The article is simultaneously summarized in a pithy message and sent via email and LinkedIn, with links, to the center’s extended database of retail real-estate contacts. Furthermore, leasing agents should be trained to hunt
for new retailers to add to the mix that will enrich the content and deepen the reach of the social platform. These retailers will, among other things, be pushing high-quality media content into their own robust networks, and will be effectively using social platforms in combination with the local stores to engage their consumers as a community. Whole Foods Market and Anthropologie, for example, aggressively nurture their own communities of fervent supporters. Popular local boutiques are often more tightly connected to their markets, and flexible on collaborative partnerships using digital tools. When compatible retailers join the tenant mix, the mall has an entirely new public to reach.
3 For purposes of comparison, a local newspaper cited 0.1% as a successful click-through rate for their online ads. 28
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SHOPPING CENTERS 5
RETAIL PROPERTY INSIGHTS VOL. 20, NO. 1, 2013
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