Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/528948
T H E C O M M O N A R E A 10 S C T / J u L Y 2 0 1 5 Ikea goes online Ikea is joining the omni-channel retail world after many years of brick-and-mortar-only sales. The Swedish furniture chain announced that it will make home deliveries in all countries where it has stores. While it is already doing this in such longstanding markets as Sweden, France and Canada, elsewhere it has only allowed customers to use its website for checking the availability of products in stores. Social media not child's play Retailers and shopping cen- ters turning to social-media marketing on Pinterest, Facebook and other sites can't afford to merely dab- ble in the practice. "Most people jump into social media on the back end," said William Ward, director of education strategy for Al- bany, N.Y.–based Hootsuite Media Inc. and a Syracuse University professor. "They never set up an objective." If a retail company's social media content doesn't at- tempt to entertain, educate, persuade and convert, it won't work well, Ward sum- marized. "And if you aren't doing this — sharing infor- mation that is useful and helpful — consumers will find someone who is." Companies tend to heap social-media duties atop their marketing person, "who is typically already overwhelmed," said Corbett Guest, CEO of Dallas-based Imaginuity, whose chief client is JLL. Companies should hire full-time staffers, typically tech-savvy Millenni- als, to perform that all-impor- tant function, he said. 54.5 45.5 81.8 18.9 16.2 75.3 24.7 83.8 Department Store Apparel Electronics & Appliances Jewelry Meet and greet At RECon, PREIT launched the rollout of a web-based communication tool that allows franchisers and fran- chisees to connect regarding opportunities at the firm's malls. The service, called PREIT & Meet, enables franchisers to advertise their brand's specific opportuni- ties at PREIT properties on the individual mall websites, while PREIT works with the franchiser and the fran- chisee to help streamline the search process. Contact information for potential franchisees will be sent to the franchiser, who can then contact candidates directly. "We pride ourselves on col- laborating with our retail partners to create environ- ments in which they are able to grow their brands and connect with their custom- ers," said Joseph F. Cora- dino, CEO of PREIT. "We want to give them all the tools we can to help their businesses thrive — whether building on our relation- ships or using technology to engage new partners." E-commerce share vs. bricks-and-mortar S o u r c e : S p e n d i n g P u l s e t M