Commercial Guidebook | Real Estate Investor Magazine Commercial Handbook 2013 | Page 62

RETAIL TRENDS the giants of shopping centres? The king of Facebook is Canal Walk, with 72 134 “likes” at the time of writing, followed by Montecasino, Melrose Arch, Galleria Mall in Amanzimtoti and V&A Waterfront. Sandton City is winning the Twitter race with over 12 000 followers, followed by V&A Waterfront, Melrose Arch, Gateway Theatre of Shopping and Montecasino. While in countries overseas the trend veers more towards to online shopping than shops online, here in South Africa more and more people are looking towards their cellphones, iPads and tablets to find the shops and brands they want. Social media is becoming not just a marketing tool but the marketing tool. Where will this retail trend head to next? “WiFi presents a huge opportunity,” says Stops. “Because of the massive numbers of South Africans who rely on their cellphones for Internet access, we should increasingly see shopping centres providing customers with free, fast in-house Wi-Fi networks.” Much like the US and the UK which both offer free Wi-Fi in the majority of the shops and restaurants. There is plenty of evidence that online retailing is gaining traction in South Africa. A recent survey of 600 South African mobile phone users found that two-thirds of South Africans reported shopping online at least some of the time. The MasterCard Worldwide Online Shopping Survey reported that the proportion of South African Internet users shopping online grew to 58% in 2012, up from 53% in 2010 and 44% in 2009. A similar survey of Internet users by the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA), found that people who had spent at least 5 years using the Internet were 50% more likely to do so, which is important because it means that the number of online shoppers will grow as more South African Internet users spend more time online. And one of the fastest modes of accessing the Internet has been cellphones. With faster, smarter and more technologically equipped phones coming out every five minutes, the Internet has become a staple in almost every South African’s 60 Commercial Handbook 2013 day, whether they use it to just browse or to search for an item or to update all their social platforms. So how can you ensure that your technological strategy grows your sales? 1. Make your mobile plan work Make sure your mobile retail site is user-friendly, eye-catching and engages your audience. The right mobile retail site will ensure that you increase your potential pool of Internet shoppers. 2. Make sure your delivery schedule works for your customers One of the biggest problems with Internet shopping is the delivery time; your package either takes too long or simply doesn’t arrive. The easy fix solution to this is to ensure you are close to your customer base. Ensure your warehouse is situated close to your biggest pool of customers, and then use a reliable and fast delivery service. 3. Share your stories There is no better way to get free advertising than word of mouth. Getting people to share their positive stories about your site and merchandise will increase your brand recognition. By encouraging people to share their stories, more people will want to use your site-free and easy marketing. 4. Navigating is key! The real secret to success for any site is the actual site itself. If your site is easy to use and navigate then half the battle is won. People don’t want to have to learn how to use a site, or struggle with navigating a site, if this happens then they will simply click onto another site. Make sure your site is simple, easy-to-use and eye-catching. There are thousands of examples of good and bad websites online, make sure people are talking about your site for the right reasons. RESOURCES South African Council of Shopping Centres www.reimag.co.za