Shopper behaviour at community shopping centres is bucking industry expectations with footfall tracking 8% higher in these locations than overall UK shopping centre averages. So says Ellandi in its newly released 2022 National Real Shopper Survey.
Carried out across 20 UK locations, the survey provides detailed, location-specific insights into what shoppers think about their local centres, how they use them and how this has changed over time. Ellandi said these insights show us how shopping centre owners can adapt to the changing needs of the people that use them.
Key findings include:
• Internet shoppers are most engaged by multi-use town centres. Those who shop online most are also the most likely to visit their local shopping centres for retail or leisure services (+34% and 24% respectively) and for health and community services (+24%) as their main motivation. Frequent online shoppers are also more likely to purchase F&B when they visit, with a 40% above average F&B spend.
• The biggest shifts in behaviour since 2019 are from teenagers and those in their 60s and 70s. Those aged 80 and above are the least likely to have changed their shopping activities, with 86% never shopping online in 2019 vs 83% in 2022.
• A range of local, independent retailers is an important factor when choosing a shopping destination for most shoppers, but particularly to older age groups, with 45% of the over 70s viewing this as ‘extremely important’ vs 38% of under 30s.
• Shoppers want to use their town centres as community meeting places – 39% see them as more than just a place to shop. Features such as support for local charities, representing local businesses and general community support are highly valued. There’s a strong connection between this perception and usage of centres: average visit frequency for those who view centres as more than just a place to shop is 35% higher than those that do not.
• There is clear demand for new civic uses and services in town centres, with health and wellbeing and community-based services particularly popular potential additions, requested by 24% of our shoppers.
Sam Fox, Ellandi’s head of research and analytics, commented: “Our Real Shopper Survey has once again shown the degree to which consumer research is still relevant. It not only allows us to understand how our town centres need to evolve, but also allows us to understand the impact of bringing in additional uses”
Mark Robinson, Ellandi’s co-founder, added: “We call it the ‘real’ shopper survey as it’s a listening exercise done out of peak trading to really understand our communities, so we can serve them better, not create statistics for brochures. Sam has gleaned real insight from this year, some of which cuts across the accepted group think.”
