PETALING JAYA: Doomsday prediction of the retail apocalypse is being reversed by innovative malls adopting multi-channel marketing to upend sales drop caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.
ARA Asset Management Limited (ARA) which manages retail malls in Malaysia has set up online delivery platforms in two of its malls that promise to be a game-changer to boost sales.
CITTA Mall and 1 Mont Kiara Mall have recently launched their delivery platforms - myCITTA and my1MK - to match the needs of new consumer behavior that have transformed drastically since the movement control order was imposed early this year.
“The main driver for launching these mall-owned platforms has always been to support our tenants’ businesses as we navigate a new frontier in online shopping,” said John Tam, General Manager of CITTA Mall. “This isn’t to say that it could ever replace the physical mall, but it is only a logical and sustainable step forward in these changing times.”
Customers can shop virtually by visiting the two malls’ websites at www.citta.com.my and www.1mk.com.my from the comfort of their homes.
Be it buying food or signing up for a new fitness program, shoppers can opt for home delivery or self-pickup after making a purchase. Lower delivery fees and discount coupons are some of the incentives currently available.
Tam said retail businesses must now depend on multichannel platforms to attain omnipresence of their products even though some tenants do own their e-commerce sites.
“Unlike some delivery services that limit the distance they cover, myCITTA and my1MK offer local deliveries within and outside of Klang Valley, so shoppers can choose their favorite goods from both malls regardless of where they stay,” he added.
Tam said ARA’s initiatives come with value-adds that are a win-win, benefiting both tenants and the malls themselves.
“Participating tenants will save on free publicity from display visuals within the malls themselves, along with advertorials in mainstream and social media, and the distribution of brochures and coupons and promotional tracts containing their products’ information,” he said, adding that the malls absorbed all of these marketing costs.
