Survey: Malls still matter

Chicago – Despite significant changes in society and online commerce, the mall remains the primary shopping destination in America. Consumer shopping habits have changed, but only slightly, according to JLL’s Shopping Preferences Survey, which polled nearly 3,000 consumers nationwide.



JLL’s survey revealed 97% of shoppers polled visited a mall at least once in three months. More than 60% of those shoppers said they visited a mall up to six times during a three-month period, and three-in-10 said they made more than six trips during that same time period.



“The mall still serves a vital purpose in today’s society. And while it doesn’t meet every need, neither do laptops nor mobile devices,” said Karen Raquet, JLL’s director of national retail property services. “More than 75% of respondents indicated that if they’re not shopping at the mall, they’re still venturing out to physical retail locations like strip-centers, big-box, discount or wholesale venues to make their purchases.”



Here are the top three drivers of mall visits according to the survey:



Variety: Nearly half of all respondents indicated a mall’s selection of stores is the key driver for their visits. And. nearly three-quarters of mall-goers indicated that when they reach their retail destination, they will visit up to five stores, with nearly 20% visiting between six and eight stores.

Convenience as a commodity: Almost 80% of shoppers report they would be more inclined to visit a mall if it had more convenient service or health businesses. If an entertainment component is featured, two-thirds of survey respondents indicate they’d be more inclined to visit.



Push and pull of promotions: Consumers today want information pushed to them through promotional emails, mailers and social media. According to JLL, the most effective way to reach shoppers is overwhelmingly through email promotions (78%, but in a congested inbox it’s about quality over quantity, and frequency is key. Additionally, more than half of survey respondents say they check out shopping apps like RetailMeNot and ShopKick, or subscribe to direct text messages from retailers.