How to using shopper surveys to understand mall foot traffic
Understanding foot traffic patterns and shopper behavior is critical for mall managers looking to improve the shopping experience, tenant mix, and sales. Implementing shopper surveys is an effective way to gather actionable insights into mall traffic and shopper preferences.
Mall feedback management refers to the practice of actively soliciting, analyzing, and responding to shopper opinions and preferences through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and monitoring online reviews. Implementing a thoughtful feedback management strategy enables mall managers to better understand the shopper experience, identify strengths and weaknesses, and take data-driven action to drive increased foot traffic, sales, and shopper satisfaction.
Benefits of Conducting Mall Shopper Surveys
Conducting periodic surveys of mall shoppers provides a range of benefits, including:
Gathering Feedback on Mall Performance
Surveys provide a channel for shoppers to give feedback on their experience. This can cover everything from the mall environment to tenant mix to promotional activities. The feedback helps managers understand strengths to build on and weaknesses to address.
Understanding Shopper Demographics and Psychographics
Demographic questions reveal insights into the shopper base, while psychographic questions uncover lifestyle factors, values, attitudes and priorities that impact shopping patterns. This assists in optimizing the mall and merchants to match shopper profiles.
Tracking Changes Over Time
Running surveys at regular intervals, such as quarterly or biannually, allows malls to track trends over time. This reveals the impact of changes to the tenant mix, facilities, promotions, etc.
Informing Leasing and Retention Decisions
Shopper insights should directly inform tenant leasing and retention strategies. Knowing which stores drive traffic and meet shopper demand helps managers secure the right merchant mix.
Enabling Data-Driven Improvements
Taking action on survey findings regarding areas needing improvement ensures changes are backed by data on shopper preferences. This could relate to mall facilities, retail offerings, promotions, staff, amenities and more.
Effective Survey Questions for Understanding Mall Shoppers
The key to maximizing the value of shopper surveys is asking the right questions. Core areas to address include:
Visit Frequency and Duration
- How often do they visit the mall?
- How long do they typically stay during each visit?
- How far do they travel to the mall?
Visit Purpose and Behavior
- What brings them to the mall? (e.g. everyday needs, special purchases, leisure/dining)
- Do they typically visit stores or browse? Or have a set purchasing agenda?
- Which dayparts/days do they mostly visit?
Tenant Awareness and Preferences
- Which anchor or key tenants attracted them to the mall?
- Which stores do they regularly shop at?
- Which types of retailers would they like to see added?
Mall Experience Feedback
- Rating of overall mall experience
- Feedback on mall environment, amenities, staff, facilities, maintenance etc.
- Suggestions for improvements
Demographic and Psychographic Profile
- Standard questions on age, household income, area of residence etc.
- Psychographic questions around lifestyle, attitudes, values and priorities
Survey Methodology and Location
How and where surveys are conducted can significantly impact participation rates and results. Best practice is to:
Keep it Brief
A survey length of 10 questions over 2-3 minutes helps maximize participation and completion rates. Offer a small incentive for participating further.
Survey at Mall Exits
Conduct exit surveys by stationing trained representatives at various mall exits at differing times of day and days of week. Capture people as they leave while the experience is fresh. Offer online options too.
Supplementary Intercept Surveys
Station representatives in high traffic areas like food courts to intercept shoppers for quick 2-3 minute surveys during their mall visit.
Mail/Email List Surveys
Sending surveys to member lists and database collected contacts. Best for more detailed 15-minute surveys. Online is most cost effective.
Ensure Random Sampling
Survey a random and fully representative sample of shoppers by covering all exits, dayparts, days etc. Avoid bias in results.
Provide Survey Reports to Tenants
Sharing key insights with retailers allows them to optimize to match shopper preferences. Builds further support for survey initiatives.
Analyzing and Applying Survey Findings
The real value comes from actually analyzing results to uncover insights, identify issues and opportunities and take action across:
Mall Strategy and Positioning
Use shopper feedback to inform mall repositioning strategies and build on points of competitive advantage with shoppers.
Mall Environment and Facilities
Address shopper feedback on environment, maintenance, facilities etc through capital improvement projects.
Tenant Mix and Leasing
Incorporate shopper retail wish lists into leasing plans and use preferences to determine renewal/replacement of tenants.
Marketing and Promotions
Develop promotions, events, social media and campaigns based on insights into shopper desires and visit purpose/patterns.
Retailer Performance
Share results with tenants to help them gauge their performance through the shopper lens and fine tune their offering accordingly.
Staff Training
Feedback for customer facing teams to improve shopper satisfaction through friendliness, efficiency, service, cleanliness etc.
Technology and Data Analytics
Leveraging technology and analytics helps enhance survey effectiveness:
Online and App Surveys
In addition to in-mall surveys, provide shoppers with links, QR codes and apps to complete surveys online later when convenient.
Integrate with Other Data
Match survey data with CRM data, foot traffic analytics, sales data, online reviews etc for fuller insights.
Data Analytics Tools
Use business intelligence, data vizualization, tabulation and reporting tools to easily surface insights from survey data in usable dashboards.
Sentiment Analysis
Leverage text analytics and natural language processing to systematically score open-ended feedback for sentiment, themes, topics etc.
Developing an Ongoing Feedback Management Program
Shopper surveys generate most value as an ongoing program providing regular longitudinal insights rather than periodic one-off initiatives. Useful approaches include:
Survey Technology Platform
A dedicated survey platform with tabulation, analysis and reporting capabilities and modules for distribution.
Feedback Management Roles
Appoint stakeholder leads for survey process, analysis, reporting and application of findings.
Continuous Surveying
Run short-form surveys year-round rather than just annually or quarterly to gain ongoing pulse.
Closing the Loop Initiatives
Ensure systems to track actions taken from survey findings and communicate back to shoppers.
Integrating Online Reviews
Pull together insights from survey initiatives with monitoring of reviews on Google, Facebook etc.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Implementing a thoughtful, well-designed and ongoing shopper survey and feedback management program provides mall managers with incredibly useful insights that can drive increases in foot traffic, sales, tenant success, and shopper satisfaction. The key is having the systems and resources to act on the insights uncovered from speaking to the customer.
Next steps for managers looking to get started:
- Audit information needs and survey objectives
- Assess required resources and technology
- Map out survey methodology, questions and frequency
- Train staff and communicate with stakeholders
- Implement multi-channel distribution strategy
- Analyze early findings and refine approach
- Build feedback management protocols tying insights to action
Shopper preferences evolve and competitive forces require constant adaptation. Shopper surveys provide the feedback loop to enable malls understand changes needed and track performance over time. They are a core tool that all successful retail outlets integrate into their management approach.
