Shopping in a mall has always been an experience. For some, it is a chance to get out of the house or a local and convenient place to pick up some new items. Others might make a day trip to visit their favourite retailers. Owners and operators of shopping malls continually find ways to incorporate digital aspects into their physical spaces to offer an improved and intuitive shopper experience. 

Digital maps are one way to do this. They provide instant access to information so shoppers can find their destination with ease. They can also enhance the shopper experience before your customers even arrive. An interactive mall map on your website allows shoppers to pre-plan their route, even down to the parking lot that is closest to their ideal entrance. Here are five benefits to using digital maps in shopping malls. 

Accurate mapping experiences

As the world goes increasingly more digital, shoppers have come to expect seamless digital experiences wherever they go. The three largest outdoor mapping applications have a combined total of 200+ million active users. People have grown accustomed to having accurate location information at their fingertips. Digital maps are intuitive and more importantly, allow businesses to keep their location information up-to-date. If your mall is undergoing renovations, closing certain areas for cleaning or maintenance, leasing available units, promoting a pop-up store, or facing any other temporary change, a digital map platform allows you to relay this information to your customers. By implementing an accurate map, you can greatly reduce shopper confusion and frustration. 

Powerful search and discovery

A map of your shopping mall helps shoppers to easily understand the layout. An interactive map goes one step further and allows users to zoom, pan, and rotate to see all of the stores and services that are available at your venue. Category listings are another way to showcase your retailers and adding location details can help customers make informed decisions. For a seamless omnichannel experience, shopping malls can even highlight Curbside Pickup locations on their maps. A powerful search feature can assist different types of shoppers, from the ones that have a specific store or product in mind, to those that are hoping to browse your venue for some product inspiration. Mappedin’s Smart Search, for example, is an AI-driven tool that offers predictive results and allows shoppers to search by store, brand, or product. 

A branded and unified experience 

Customize your property maps with branding to be consistent with other digital or in-person experiences that your customers are interacting with. A digital mapping platform allows shopping malls to deploy their venue maps across devices, including large digital directory displays, mobile applications, or a responsive web browser. Your team can remove duplicate work and slow processes with a robust Map Editor suite. Any edits to your mall maps can be made in one centralized editor but deployed in real-time across all of your map and wayfinding experiences. This approach provides customers with the most up-to-date version of your property maps, regardless of device. 

Highlight events and promotions

Shopping malls can further enhance the visitor experience by showcasing relevant deals, events, or promotions that are happening around your venue. Manage dates, locations, event details, and more in the Map Editor so that your shoppers can focus on the current information. Events and promotions can be added to your mall mobile applications with a Mapping SDK and integrate with indoor positioning technology to enable push notifications as shoppers travel through your venue. Alternatively, highlight this information with a Digital Directory display so that it is front-and-centre for shoppers entering your building. 

Shopper insights and analytics 

Unlike static maps and other signage, digital platforms can show proven return on investment and allow businesses to collect valuable insights on their shoppers. An Analytics Dashboard can reveal the most popular searches and category selections, common language selections, device usage, session length, and much more. A favourite report of Mappedin customers is Missed Searches which show the locations, categories, and brands your visitors are looking for that don’t currently exist at your venue. This report can help identify potential areas for investment.

A digital mapping platform can greatly improve efficiencies for shopping malls as well as their visitors. As shoppers come to expect a seamless and often digitized experience, digital maps provide them with easy-to-access information and simple navigation. For mall owners and operators, digital maps are an additional touchpoint with their customers, provide valuable data and insights, and streamline the process for creating and maintaining shopping mall maps.  

To learn more about our indoor mapping solutions for shopping malls, visit our website or contact us today.