In a shopping mall environment, the network audio solution is capable of providing Revenue Generating Return On Investment (ROI) features to the mall operators. This can be accomplished by creating a unique and pleasant environment for the shoppers through the distribution of background music and actively inviting these shoppers to try specific offerings by tenants (shops) in the mall.
The main challenge faced by malls today is attracting online shoppers back into their brick-and-mortar premises. As online shopping affords buyers greater convenience and better pricing compared to a physical store, malls are trying to convince shoppers to seek out an experience rather than just purchasing a product. To get online shoppers back ‘off-line’ into the malls, mall operators must convince shoppers that coming down to the mall will give them an enjoyable experience that online shopping can’t provide. To accomplish this, are turning to technology to create the experiential element for these shoppers.
Helping tenants to increase their sales and thrive in the mall is the main prerogative of any mall. The precision sound invitation is a way to engage the shoppers and actively drive up revenue for the tenants in the mall.
To accomplish this, firstly, malls should look into setting up ‘rest areas’ or ‘sitting areas’ for the mall shoppers. These would be the areas the network audio solution can target shoppers with its precision sound invitation.
There are a few advantages of using a ‘Sound invitation’ to target resting shoppers as opposed to the traditional visual posters and screens. A sound invitation doesn’t require any eyeball attention from the shoppers so it can easily reach them. Secondly, research shows most shoppers are open to suggestions on how to spend their time in the mall.
In these pockets of areas, a network audio system with its flexible zoning capability makes it easy to target these shoppers to try certain new offerings in the mall. This actively helps tenants to promote themselves and drive up the sales of the tenants.
The buzzword for most malls these days is ‘experiential’. Creating a unique experience for the shoppers. To date, the audio space has been most neglected in shopping malls while more attention is given to the visual interior design. In the past, most malls will simply rely on plain simple background music over the Public Address (PA) speakers. Unfortunately, the PA system speakers are tailored for evacuation and speech announcements. This by no means makes it suitable for music or to create a good background music experience for the shoppers.
Today most malls are opting to create themed areas, dedicated areas in a mall that are fashioned as a park, a rain forest, or a mythical land. In ideas like this, a network audio solution will have a great role to play in providing the overall music soundtrack for the space and the 3D sound effect to bring the space to life.
Apart from creating the 3D soundscaping effect, a network audio system with its more precise zoning allows the streaming of different playlists to different areas of the malls. This can be done effectively allowing zoning reconfiguration and playlist assignment on the fly. This allows the mall to effectively alter the music streams to the various precincts/areas in the mall as and when required.
One simple example is having a more kids-orientated music playlist to the children's area in the mall and at the same time a piece of jazzier upbeat music to the men’s fashion area in the mall. These are features that can’t be achieved by traditional analog or digital PA audio solutions.
With the technological systems in place for the tenants to help gain them more visibility and increase their sales via the use of the Sound Invitation, mall operators can convert this into a revenue stream for themselves.
With a proven track record to increase sales and purchases in the tenant shops, mall operators can monetize this and charge a small fee to the tenants. Business audio solutions for malls are usually designed to be self-serving without the need for many resources from the mall operator. Tenants will log in to the Sound Invitation portal, upload their ‘invitation/media content’, select their desired times slots and provide their payment details. Once their media content is vetted and approved via the mall operator, the payment will be deducted, and the system will stream it out at the desired time slot.
All this is designed as a passive income stream for the mall operator and as such, it should not require many human resources from the mall management team. To conclude, we strive not just to deliver and manufacture the equipment but aim to provide the ultimate Return On Investment (ROI) for malls. The perfect Win-win solution.