Olena Obukhivska
Communications Director of Arricano
Retail hacks by Arricano 

Prospekt shopping mall regularly hosts various thematic events, both chamber and larger-scale, depending on the requirements of social distance. A performance, master class, or BTL promotion in a shopping mall solves several marketing tasks. First, attract an audience of shopping mall visitors. Second, to strengthen the emotional bridge of loyalty, because the shopping mall today is a social space where guests come to fill up, spend their leisure time, while solving their consumer needs.  This is the job to be done - JTBD that visitors tend to solve with a purchase bonus.  
One step before making a purchase
Every performance in the shopping mall is a good reason to communicate with audiences who are regular or potential participants. Most retail brands have already appreciated the benefits of direct interaction with customers in the shopping mall. The buyer in the shopping mall is one step away from making a purchase, because they do not need to be caught up either in digital, on boards, or with other advertising. He/she has already arrived, it remains only to give her/him a hand and invite him/her to the store. 
In this seemingly simple model "shopping mall - retail-brand - buyer" there are several business nuances that are important to find out. 
About the main service option of the shopping mall
A shopping mall in the marketing sense is not just an object, place, or space. This is a product that the service provides. As well as a mobile phone, bank, or private clinic that has a program for interacting with corporate B2B clients and individuals. The same is in the shopping mall: corporate clients are retail brands whose stores are represented in the mall. And individuals are consumers, visitors, and buyers. The main service option of the shopping mall is a comfortable offline shopping experience. This is the superpower of the shopping mall – to combine consumer demand with the supply of retail brands in one place. 
The shopping mall provides a confident, centuries-old, understandable shopping experience, when you can look at storefronts, mannequins, layouts, installations, try on and carefully purchase clothes, shoes, accessories, cosmetics or equipment. 
Online via offline
Many retailers use the "warm" traffic of the shopping mall and invite customers to their online stores through the offline channel of the shopping mall. "Buy Online" layouts are pasted in fitting rooms, distributed at the checkout, and an additional discount is provided for paying for purchases through a special online checkout. In other words, the audience of the shopping mall that comes offline can simultaneously make a shopping tour online. Because the ways, motives, consumer habits and patterns among buyers of traditional and e-commerce fashion trade are different. 
Even during the lockdown, when everyone insisted on staying at home, and this seemed to open up prospects for online sales, offline became an even more anticipated and desirable place for shopping. This is understandable even according to the laws of physics: when there is an action, there will be a counteraction. A shortage leads to an increase in demand, and prohibited access leads to a mandatory presence. 
Job to be done 
This consumer insight is described in the marketing concept "job to be done". Translated as "a task that needs to be completed" to understand how and why consumers make a purchase/service decision. One of its popularizers was Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, who insisted that consumers have a need/task that needs to be met/fulfilled. And they are looking for a way to do it, that is, to be done: prepared lunch, delivered water, bought dress or shoes. 
Remembering lockdown
Returning to the sensations during lockdown, was the most important job task then to make a purchase? That is, to order online, pay and wait for delivery, or pick up at the post office and again "stay at home", increase the reach of the refrigerator and write posts about boredom? Among the loyal customers of Prospekt shopping mall during the lockdown, we conducted a study and found out that more than 95% of our respondents look forward to the opportunity to go shopping in the shopping mall again and once again feel the atmosphere of "freedom of choice" and instant accessibility that they missed. 
Job to be done for the mall
Job to be well done in a shopping mall for B2C customers is to get a shopping service: on your own customer journey, with emotional and empathic leisure and consumer experience. This year, we are starting to explore more deeply hidden insights in different target groups. For example, parents learn more about their children's preferences during informal warm conversations. The same can be said for young spouses, and for couples who communicate when discussing purchases. Instead of sitting on the phone, everyone is on their own wave. 
Segments by interests
Another reason for Job to be done in the shopping mall is thematic events of segmented audiences, which are passionately united by common interests or hobbies.  We have been testing this format in Prospekt shopping mall for several years.  We held a chamber meeting over coffee with theater-goers in the concept of "smart consumption" of high-quality artistic performances. Famous theater actors, theater bloggers and theater ambassadors came to us.  By the way, the theater, like the shopping mall, is offline. 
Another interesting event was held with sketchers who first made sketches of the interiors of Prospekt shopping mall, then discussed lifestyle, fashion and shopping. Their works were published on the Instagram and Facebook pages of the mall, which turned into an online art sketch gallery for a week. And Prospekt shopping mall as a brand demonstrated cordiality, respect and loyalty to this hobby, forming a bridge of emotional connection with this audience. And the audience itself reciprocated by fulfilling their Job to be done – meeting with like-minded people and hobbies-leisure.
The same model of working with audiences was used with bloggers, comedians, and recently with Kyiv guides. The reason to invite Kyiv guides to Prospekt shopping mall was the celebration of the birthday of the entertainment journal Weekend, a permanent media partner of the shopping mall. 
Guests are incredibly enthusiastic about their hobbies and life hacks, and it is important for them to be listened to and heard. This is the Job to be done with an emotional effect – to feel your demand, which is solved at performances in the shopping mall.
Loyalty, commitment, friendliness, atmosphere and comfort – these are the attributes that form a shopping mall as a product that provides a shopping service for its corporate B2B retail customers. 
Source: rau.ua