In the era of digital revolution, customers plan their shopping to be optimal and convenient, using both physical stores and e-commerce as needed. About 60% of customers visiting shopping centers engage in omnichannel behaviors, according to the “Scale of Omnichannel Behaviors in Retail Centers” report conducted by the international research agency GFK under the patronage of the Polish Council of Shopping Centers. Omnichannel-related expenditures account for 16% of all customer spending in the surveyed shopping centers.
“The study of omnichannel behaviors confirmed that during visits to brick-and-mortar stores in shopping centers, 61% of consumers intuitively combine traditional shopping with online-related behaviors. These behaviors most commonly include viewing and checking products, picking up items purchased online, or returning and exchanging them. The value of such activities accounts for 16% of all customer spending in the surveyed shopping centers, indicating that the infrastructure of shopping centers strongly supports online shopping,” said Marcin Klammer, Managing Director of the Polish Council of Shopping Centers.
“Before making a purchase decision, customers want to ensure that the product meets their expectations and matches the online description and photos. Therefore, viewing and checking the product in a shopping center store before buying it online is the most common omnichannel behavior, reported by 28% of shopping center customers,” stated Przemysław Dwojak, Senior Director at GfK.
Slightly fewer, 27% of consumers, admit to picking up items ordered and paid for online at a physical store. Another 21% pick up items ordered online but pay for them at the store’s checkout upon pickup. Additionally, 18% of shopping center customers have used parcel lockers located within the center to pick up their online orders.
Visits to malls, outlets, or retail parks also offer customers the opportunity to easily and freely return unwanted products bought online and delivered by courier. This option has already been used by 17% of consumers, and 16% have exchanged online purchases at a physical store in the shopping center.
The “Scale of Omnichannel Behaviors in Retail Centers” study found that the turnover in the 105 analyzed retail centers accounted for 40.9% of total retail trade within their catchment areas. This means that approximately 40,000 stores located in 600 shopping centers are responsible for about 40% of retail trade turnover, while over 60,000 online stores account for about 8.5% of the market share.
The study covered 105 shopping centers of various characteristics. These centers provided comprehensive data on the number and structure of tenants, visitor traffic, and turnover in different categories, allowing conclusions to be drawn about the scale and scope of omnichannel behaviors. Additionally, GfK utilized data on the population of customers within each analyzed center’s catchment area, their purchasing power in traditional and e-commerce retail. Exit-poll interviews were conducted with a sample of 5,071 respondents in 12 shopping centers representing different types of facilities, along with a nationwide online survey with a sample of 2,500 respondents. This comprehensive approach makes the GfK study the largest and most reliable analysis of omnichannel behaviors in shopping centers, providing an accurate picture of the entire industry.
