Brick and Mortars, it’s time to offer up a better experience
Retail shopping plazas are experiencing less and less foot traffic as our society is more and more influenced by technology. Face the facts, online shopping isn’t a trend that is going away. The Millenniums on back to the Baby-Boomers, all are gravitating more towards online shopping because of the convenience and variety it offers. With the constant release of ‘smarter’ phones coupled with the increase in niche shopping apps, the scenario for brick and mortar retailers is forever getting more complicated.
Brick and Mortars are in serious need of some new ideas to get people into their stores. Apart from running various sales and promotions at regular intervals, what can be done? Make people want to get in their cars and shop the old fashion way. Offer more and step-up your game.
Better Experience = More Customers
As we all know, first impressions are everything. Upgrade the overall look of the property. This will go a long way to attracting more traffic. One of the areas that plays a vital role here is landscaping and green space. Curb appeal is the first element noticed by a potential customer, so this should be high on the priority list.
Let’s face it, landscaping at many retail shopping plazas in South Florida are in need of a well-planned up-grade. The bare minimum just won’t cut it anymore. Not only does an aesthetically pleasing landscape need to be installed but a landscape with function. People want shade it’s hot here. Shopping needs to be a good experience for people otherwise they will stay in the comfort of the homes and order their needs from Amazon.
Here are few landscaping ideas that can help to bring about change and the return of the much-desired foot traffic.
Inviting Entrance
The look of the entrance and it’s path speaks volumes about the property and is the first thing potential shoppers see, so naturally this plays an important role in forming a first impression. In order to make a property look more inviting – proper placement, size and variety of trees, plants, mulch and rock is very important. The idea is to make a property stand out and compel shoppers to visit and more importantly want to visit again.
Do’s for a Retail Shopping Plaza Entrance:
- Right Sized Pants – in front for the signage
- Complementary Flowers – in size and color around the border
- Proper Lighting – to highlight features
Lots of Green Space
The abundance of lush greenery has a very soothing effect on the eyes, especially to the eyes of a weary shopper. This should be reason enough for adding more green space and accompanying landscape to a property. The old way of thinking to adhere to the bare minimums of greenery set by code enforcement simply isn’t enough anymore. This aspect will immediately lift the appeal of the property a quite a few notches.
Invitation to Stay Awhile
Shopping can be an exhausting task especially for those with small children. People need a space to sit down and relax for a bit. The creation of an outdoor green space for families to chill is definitely a game changer. Kid-friendly features like a play area or a water feature can also be a great attraction. Keep the kids happy and they will win influence over their parents as to where they go shopping next outing.
Safe and Secure
Proper lighting of landscaped areas and green spaces creates an attractive ambiance while offering the functional benefit of security. In fact, it’s important for all areas including pathways, sidewalks and the parking lot well-lit. There is no sense in all this effort with allure if it is negated because people simply don’t feel safe to walk around. Shoppers should not feel apprehensive about roaming the property, landscape lighting will add a layer of security to the property.
Going out shopping simply is not a necessary errand anymore. People go out now to shop for an experience and to be entertained therefore the experience must be a positive one. A big part of transforming a shopping center into a place for a good experience is to step up landscaping and overall green space.
