The world of retail and shopping is constantly changing, as are the layouts, role and content of the shopping centers. We believe that in the coming years finding ways to promote interaction and personalized relationships with visitors, as well as the greater integration between online and offline, will be key.
Shopping centers will increasingly be more experience and shopping media oriented
For these reasons we developed a plan focused on innovation, designed to improve and personalize the visitors’ customer journey, the plan is developed based on the specific features of each asset and is divided into different areas of action: merchandising mix, layout, digital marketing/CRM and events.
With regard to the merchandising and tenant mix, our goal is to make some models, which have already proved successful in some of our shopping centers, scalable/replicable across the portfolio and continue scouting for new emerging tenants and new formats.
| Best practice in place | Targets | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | HEALTH AND WELLBEING | - 21 dental clinics opened from 2013 and 1 medical center in 2021 | - Medical centers and fitness centers - Services for citizens and families - New tenants and formats - Healthcare facilities |
 | HOUSEHOLD GOODS | - 5,500 sqm shops (house furnishing, accessories and monobrand) opened in the last 2 years | - Scouting of new tenants and new format to extend the offer |
 | FOOD COURT | - >1,000 sqm of restaurants opened in 2021 | - Ethnic/bio/healthy restaurants - High quality restaurants - Food truck in the external areas and family restaurants with playground areas |
 | TECH | - 15 new shops opened in the last 2 years | - New brands and focus on emerging brands - Specialized shops for gamers - Shops of remanufactored high tech products |
 | SPORT | - 3,000 sqm of shops opened in the last 2 years | - Specialized retailers complementary to the sports areas developed outside and shops specialized in motorcycle accessories |
 | FAMILY STORE | - 8 Pepco opened in the last 2 years equal to 4,900 sqm | - Shops and services dedicated to children - Leisure areas dedicated to children |
Find out more on the retailers of our shopping centers
In terms of layouts, IGD will focus on creating new piazzas and food courts, areas dedicated to sports, entertainment and smart-working, taking advantage of outdoor areas, also (parking lots, rooftops) and increasing green areas.
In response to the greater need for experiences and socialization, as well as the greater presence of digital, over the next three years events will increasingly be exploited to bring more people together. It is our intention:
Find out more on our events
As regards to digital marketing, in 2021 we implemented a centralized CRM/data-lake system, linked to the “AreaPlus” initiative, a reserved area on the shopping centers’ websites where visitors can access increasingly personalized offers for shopping and leisure.
The goal over the next three years is to transform the data gathered into strategic information that can be used:
As part of the multi-channel approach, digital tools connected to the CRM system will allow to order from restaurants, reserve fields or other spaces in the shopping center.
In this way we intend to expand the range of services offered to our visitors and offer them an experience increasingly tailored to their needs and interests.
Our commitment to increasing the commercial offer con tinued: in 2021 we introduced 34 new tenants in the Italian Shopping Malls and the first medical clinic was added to an IGD Shopping Center.
Compared to 2020, a year in which all types of events were suspended in the Shopping Centres (with the partial exception of commercial ones), in 2021, particularly from the second half onwards, greater social interaction was demanded following the lockdown period, and a significant spread of digital formats was witnessed. During the year, 338 events were organized in Italy and 90 in Romania.
