The Evolution of Mall Wayfinding

For decades, malls have served as a one-stop shop for consumers to flock and frequent, taking advantage of all the deals every store and outlet has to offer. Despite the many obstacles malls have had to hurdle in over the years and in regards to the pandemic, their importance hasn&#;t waned either. In fact, regardless of lockdowns and other public health-related mandates, malls operating in the U.S. experienced an immense rebound in attendance in late after an initial drop-off in the spring and summer, with mall traffic numbers climbing to near levels of attendance. 

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For the first time since , more mall stores opened in than closed, with overall mall occupancy reported at 95.1% in &#; up from about 92% in . As malls continue to rebound from the pandemic, the need for creating a unique and accommodative shopping experience for consumers has increased tenfold. So what is it that makes a mall truly stand out as a consumer experience in paradise rather than just your average, run-of-the-mill shopping center? 

One of the distinguishing features every mall (hopefully) incorporates into its daily operations is an intricate, accessible, and interactive wayfinding signage system. 

Interactive Wayfinding Signs & Kiosks 

It&#;s one thing for digital wayfinding signage to simply display more visually accessible navigational information that visitors can utilize to effectively map their way around the mall; It&#;s a completely different thing to promote customer engagement through interactive wayfinding technologies.

Interactive wayfinding gives visitors more control over their shopping experience while providing shops and retail outlets with a more interactive path toward appealing to their customers. It&#;s no wonder more malls are implementing interactive wayfinding features into digital signage and kiosk stations to promote engaging and direct communication with customers.

Interactive wayfinding provides many opportunities to communicate with customers:

• Directly lead customers to social media channels

• Promote exclusive discounts and offers

• Highlight upcoming events of interest

• Creating QR code scanning opportunities

• Offer or social media sign-up

• Provide in-depth information regarding stores or brands 

All of these interactive wayfinding capabilities help promote customer engagement that leads to a more intimate and informed shopping experience. 

Mobile Integration & QR Codes

Without even diving into advanced statistics, it can be safe to say that almost everyone shopping at the mall is in possession of a smartphone. These pocket-sized pieces of technological wonders provide ample opportunities for malls to incorporate mobile integrations into their digital wayfinding or signage stations. 

Mobile integration provides customers with the chance to personalize and curate their own shopping experience while allowing retail stores to directly market their brand toward mall visitors. A simple wayfinding display that encourages passersby to scan a QR code on their phones can lead to customers downloading exclusive and promotional content on their phones, informing them of potential purchasing opportunities they would have otherwise been unaware of.

Unsure of how successful QR codes are for marketing opportunities? Statistics show that by , an estimated 5.3 billion coupons, promotional offers, or downloadable content will be redeemed through QR codes! 

Creative Content Management 

Part of establishing better brand recognition and engagement is creating more relevant, informative, and compelling content that will actually intrigue and influence shoppers. Mall wayfinding designs and strategies allow brands to have more control and creativity regarding the content they choose to promote via digital signage displays. 

From designing more intricate, 3D animated, or downloadable maps to providing more localized, relevant content (local news, traffic information, sports updates, etc.) that customers are interested in consuming, digital wayfinding allows for more creative and engaging content management. 

Consistent & Interactive Branding 

Once industries began to realize the branding opportunities digital wayfinding systems could provide, the personalized connection between consumer and retailer has continued to strengthen. With effective mall wayfinding strategies, interactive branding is more accessible than ever through a variety of digital signage solutions that market your mall&#;s logo, colors, message, products, services, etc. 

Wayfinding displays also promote interest in all the stores, outlets, and retailer brands that inhabit the mall, encouraging shoppers to learn more about the places they shop at, as well as find new destinations to explore and do business with. 

Customer Engagement Features 

Today&#;s malls shouldn&#;t be merely shopping facilities that host a number of popular stores and brands; They need to develop a strong connection with their shoppers that promotes comfort and confidence, influencing them to keep coming back. The ways that digital wayfinding systems have improved engagement between consumers and businesses are practically unrivaled. 

These digital signage resources invite shoppers to utilize a number of navigational and informative features, ranging from: 

• 3D, animated navigational mapping for improved wayfinding

• Direct marketing of social media platforms

• Membership reward programs for exclusive discounts or offers

• Multilingual and closed-captioned options to accommodate more shoppers

• QR-code scanning displays for promotional opportunities or signup 

The more wayfinding features you make available for customers to utilize, the higher engagement levels your mall can start to experience. 

Smartphone Apps

Nothing has changed the landscape of digital wayfinding signage quite like the integration of smartphone technology. Through mobile app development services, malls can create wayfinding applications for their shoppers, which in turn creates a more customized shopping experience that, more often than not, will increase the amount of time shoppers spend at any given store or department. 

Consumers are downloading smartphone apps at record rates, with the average U.S. consumer using at least 10 mobile apps a day and an estimated 30 different apps per month. The more customized you can make the shopping experience for your customers through developing a mobile app, the more comfortable and willing they&#;ll be to connect with your brand and spend more money shopping. 

Accommodating Analytics 

In addition to promoting brand awareness and customer engagement, perhaps the most useful resource digital wayfinding systems can equip malls with is all the detailed analytic reports they can provide. 

When shoppers download your mall&#;s custom mobile app, you can gain access to a variety of insightful data, from how much time they&#;re spending shopping at your mall to which discounts, promotions, or QR codes they&#;re actually engaging with. These revealing details give you more awareness as to what marketing strategies are successful with your shoppers, allowing you to make more informed business decisions. 

What Can Digital Wayfinding Systems Do for Your Mall? 

Remember navigating your way through the mall back in the old days? Figuring out the mapping keys and legends. Spending precious time getting lost and accessing different floors. Trying to pinpoint your favorite store when it turned out it was right behind you when you initially set out on your voyage.

The mall used to be a total time capsule where going astray was essentially half of the experience. Fortunately, mall wayfinding technologies today have made visiting the mall a more time-efficient, punctual experience. From enhancing consumer engagement to customizing the customer experience, mall wayfinding technologies are enhancing the way visitors interact and participate at shopping malls. 

Mall wayfinding has progressed tremendously from its initial origins. Back in the day, the sheer sight of digital signage was enough to stop shoppers in their tracks to inspect the holographic spectacle. But nowadays, innovative mall wayfinding stations and displays are essentially the norm, and the future of these digital navigational resources continues to evolve rapidly. 

While new technologies continue to change the way shoppers utilize their surroundings at the mall, it&#;s important for mall managers to know what wayfinding resources are available to them now and in the future to help create the ultimate user experience possible. The bottom line is that we&#;ve come a long way from digital wayfinding signage systems being more visually stimulating versions of advertising. 

When you need new solutions to better engage with your customers, Oppna Digital is here to equip you with custom wayfinding strategies that will unlock your mall&#;s customer service potential! Contact us today to learn more about how we cater to your industry&#;s customers, or call us at 651-237- for immediate assistance. 

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When visiting large shopping malls, many people feel stressed out. A large number of shops, crowds of customers, incomprehensible stands and signs - all this causes unpleasant emotions and makes it difficult to move around the building. Fortunately, managers can now improve customer experience by implementing indoor wayfinding technology. Efficient mall navigation enhances customer experience and helps develop a strategy to dramatically increase sales with loyal customers.

What is indoor wayfinding?

Indoor wayfinding refers to an indoor navigation system, which is introduced into the infrastructure of the shopping mall and helps visitors quickly build routes to points of their interest. It&#;s enough for the shopper to use the mobile app on a smartphone to find the necessary stores on the map and find the easiest and shortest way to them. This makes the task easier because there is no need to study stands and signs, determine which way to go, where to turn, and so on.

Indoor wayfinding for shopping malls is versatile and can be applied to any shopping outlet. Its key features are the following:

• determining the user's location;
• navigating on the territory of the mall and adjacent areas (parking);
• route building;
• sending push notifications;
• creating heat maps;
• collecting analytics to control and optimize the operation of the shopping mall.

How does the navigation system inside the mall work?

Indoor navigation is based on determining the user's location in real time. The system calculates the location of a person with high accuracy and helps them get from one point to another.

Various technologies can be used to implement indoor wayfinding. For example, many shopping centers use Bluetooth® Low Energy, which determines the location using special iBeacon beacons. Sensors are installed throughout the shopping mall and regularly send out signals that are picked up by customers' smartphones and help transfer certain information to users or build routes.

Indoor Navigation and Wayfinding BLE Kit - Kontakt.io Hardware

Try all location-powered capabilities with the Navigine Indoor Navigation and Wayfinding BLE Kit - Kontakt.io Hardware

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Another efficient location technology is Wi-Fi. It can work with already existing access points and uses special labels that allow you to find users through a multilateration approach.

The interaction between sensors and reading devices is provided by a special software package called Navigine SDK. The accuracy of the system depends on the number of beacons (tags) and the type of smartphone, but on average it&#;s up to 3 ft for Bluetooth® LE and up to 10-16 ft for Wi-Fi.

An example of a mobile app interface with indoor navigation

Implementing the system using QR codes

In addition to the above mentioned technologies, the navigation system can be implemented using QR codes. At the entrance to the shopping center, the visitor scans a QR code with their smartphone, after which they open a map of the shopping mall with the possibility of building routes. The user can select the desired points and easily find places of interest without stress and wasting any time.

The navigation system based on QR codes has advanced features. So, for each object on the map, additional data can be provided, for example, information about discounts and sales. This improves the customer's user experience and allows them to navigate to the store where they can make the most affordable purchases.

Scan the QR code and see how QR navigation by Navigine works:

What opportunities open up with the introduction of indoor wayfinding in shopping malls?

Wayfinding solutions for shopping malls open up a wide range of opportunities for creating a personalized customer experience. Using the system, you can create routes, send targeted push messages, receive analytics to optimize the operation of the shopping center, and develop marketing campaigns.

Seamless navigation outside and inside the mall

Using indoor wayfinding technology, you can organize indoor-outdoor navigation, which allows you to easily move not only inside the store but also in the surrounding area. The system ensures seamless movement from the building to the street or vice versa without causing disruptions to the mobile application. It can be used in cases when a visitor needs to get from the mall to their car in an open or multi-level parking lot.

The operation of the platform indoors is based on Bluetooth® LE or Wi-Fi technology, and outdoors on GPS and other navigation systems.

Building a route to your car in the parking lot

Many shopping malls have large parking lots, where it can be difficult to find your car. Not every visitor remembers where exactly they parked their car, so after visiting the store they spend a lot of time searching and wandering around the parking lot. The indoor wayfinding system helps solve this problem. Using only a smartphone and a shopping mall application, a visitor can quickly find their car on the map and get the shortest route to it. This increases customer loyalty to the shopping center and encourages them to come there again.

Promoting sales with an additional advertising channel

After installing the shopping mall application with the indoor wayfinding feature, the store management gets a new marketing channel at their disposal, which helps with stimulating sales. With it, you can set up personalized promotions and provide customers with more relevant content. Expected benefits from the system include:

• attracting new visitors;
• increasing the loyalty of existing customers;
• collecting feedback;
• opportunities for more effective promotion of a particular product or brand.

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Sending targeted push notifications

The location feature allows managers to send targeted push messages to customers' smartphones. They may contain various information, such as:

• greeting at the entrance to the store;
• promotional offers;
• information about products or brands;
• notifications about sales, discounts, and promotions.

Notifications can appear near the mall, at the entrance, or when the shopper passes by a particular store inside the mall. This approach allows you to provide targeted advertising that grows profits and increases customer satisfaction from visiting the mall.

Obtaining analytics on the attendance of various areas of the shopping mall

Wayfinding technology for shopping centers collects detailed analytics that help with optimizing business processes. It builds heat maps of buildings, maps of customer flows, and provides analytical data on customer behavior with the identification of the frequency of their visits to certain stores. Using the system, you can easily determine the attendance of different areas of the shopping center, which further helps optimize the placement of certain objects indoors.

Navigine can help with the implementation of an indoor wayfinding system for a shopping mall. We provide our clients with an efficient Navigine SDK software package that is embedded in mobile apps and allows for solving a wide range of location-based tasks. Our staff will help with the settings and provide technical support at every stage of implementation. To learn more about the product, leave a request on our website or book a free Zoom demo:

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