Retailers: STILL on the sidelines about "social media"? Watch this!

Hasn't Every Mall Lost its "Real" Anchor?

Retail is a mirror of society. And "society" is moving away from malls.

Consider the important social networking role that stores - and malls in particular - have played since their inception. They were the place that people would go to see and be seen, to meet with friends and neighbors; they were the new, clean, comfortable "Main Street", the new "Town Centre".

And many retailers and malls especially served this "social networking" role for teenagers, or for senior citizens walking their laps in a safe, climate-controlled environment. Pedestrian traffic was assured.

So, what's different today? Digital social networks. Malls as social networks have been supplanted. Now we have Facebook. Twitter. Texting. Even email for those a bit older. Socializing has not gone away, but it has moved away from malls.

In fact, when you are in a mall or shopping district, have you noticed which stores actually are busy? Yep. The Apple Store! Then, the cell phone stores. Are we suggesting that all retailers must sell smart phones in order to succeed? Not at all. But clearly, shoppers still seek social networks, and the tools that enable them to accomplish that.

We believe that every mall has a new kind of competitor; it's no longer the development at the next interchange, but the new emerging forms of social networking that engage the time and attention of customers.

Retailing IS a mirror of society. Isn't it time to bring more of a social networking experience into your stores? Malls aren't going to do it for you.