Mall Do’s and Don’ts: Lean harder on data to determine traffic patterns

DO… remember why we were here in the first place—to drive traffic to places where people want to be. Brookfield Properties does this by bringing relevance to a broader trade area. We must be quick to detect changes in the community.

Since the pandemic, we’ve definitely leaned harder on data to determine the where and why of traffic patterns. An example where we made a positive change is in San Francisco at our Stonestown Galleria. We added a Whole Foods and a new theater in a former department store space that changed the way the traffic flowed. We look at densification opportunities where appropriate, but we want that strong retail core that survives and thrives.

DON’T… lose sight of the broader community. There are big populations that have a lot of moving demographics. As we look at younger generations, we’re able to interact with them more directly. Where we used to do focus groups, we now do town halls and social media. Looking back at the beginnings of our industry, we had a tried-and-true model. We are now on a mission to discover what’s the next generation of tried-and-true.