Catering to the modern consumer

Much was being said prior the pandemic about some imminent “Retail Armageddon”, in which the over-saturated shopping centre market was set to collapse under the onslaught of e-commerce. And while shopping and working habits have certainly changed, the reset brought about by the pandemic may have been a blessing in disguise, as it has prompted shopping centres to refocus on how best to serve the modern consumer. According to CBRE’s report, the most digitally-attuned demographic, Generation Z, actually provides the most frequent visitors to shopping centres, thus showing that online purchases and brick-and-mortar retail can be complementary. So, why do people even still go to malls? As the report states: “Traditional shopping continues to maintain its advantages despite the growth of e-commerce. The main motivation for customers choosing shopping centres is the desire to see products in person – 60 pct of respondents indicated this. Slightly fewer, 56 pct of those surveyed, vi