Aspect Market Research recently took part in researching how shopping centres are using social media for commercial gain and to provide practical guidance to centre managers on behalf of BCSC (British Council of Shopping Centres). In particular, the study set out to discover what consumers look for from a shopping centre on a social network and study how centres are using these networks, how they are resourcing and managing their activities, and what outcomes they are measuring.

The evidence of this report is that like a lot of businesses, shopping centres are still in the experimentation stage. They are still discovering that social media is not like any other medium at their disposal. That there is not a silver bullet of measurement for an activity that crosses advertising, PR, market research, community relations and customer service but that is not a reason to turn away from social media. It is more of an opportunity to ask, ‘if social media is growing at a furious rate, what do we need to do to be more relevant to the customers who are using it?’

Some of the key findings include:

  • 77% of the shopping centre managers who completed the survey described themselves as confident users of social media;
  • 74% consider that social media is a central element of their marketing strategy;
  • 63% say it is a central part of their customer service strategy;
  • Despite this stated strategic importance, 60% have no written policy to manage social media output;
  • About half of centres make no attempt to segment their customers who use social media;
  • Only a quarter create different messages for different types of shopper;
  • Barely 3 in 10 make any attempt to measure their efforts; and
  • 80% of centres do not recruit staff with social media skills in mind, even when it is appropriate to the role.

Take a look at the report in full by clicking here 

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