The results of “The Big Vote” City Centre Bahrain have been revealed, detailing what mall customers would like to see in the mall of the future. Phase two of “The Big Vote” campaign that was launched in June included the placement of a large boardroom table in the mall that encouraged visitors to “take a seat’ and vote on their preferences and desires.
The campaign seeks to help Majid Al Futtaim better understand what customers would like to experience in the mall moving forward, as well guide the development of a more connected and personalized community space. So far, more than 3,000 respondents have given their feedback in categories such as dining, entertainment, shopping, occasions, future trends and what matters most to them.
Most notably, the survey has found that food and dining continue to be an important factor to their experience and attraction as mall visitors; that digital and experiential features and services are increasingly sought after; and that more family orientated areas, as well as sustainable shopping options are desired.
Duaij Al Rumaihi, Mall Director at City Centre Bahrain commented on the campaign: “At Majid Al Futtaim, we are incredibly proud to have launched the Bahrain version of the ‘Big City Centre Vote’ as part of the ongoing regional campaign to build consumer-centric malls. As one of the biggest malls in Bahrain, City Centre has always been a favorite for residents, nationals, and visitors to the Kingdom and we hope to continue our enhanced services that cater to the needs and wants of the modern consumer.
Shifts in consumer behavior have impacted the way we have built campaigns, and through this initiative, we want to dig deeper and really understand what our communities are looking for at their local community mall. We are putting the future direction of City Centre Bahrain directly into the hands of our customers, and we are placing our full trust in their opinions on how they want to shape their mall of the future.”
Growing interest in dining options
“The Big Vote” has revealed a growing interest in casual, outdoor dining, and culinary oriented offerings. Healthy dining and beverage options have been a growing trend among customers as they are increasingly interested in pursuing a healthy lifestyle. Digital-first is also a growing trend as customers would like to order food digitally and have it delivered to their table, or the option to order online and pick-up their orders in-store.
Mix of physical and digital entertainment
Trends have shown that customers prefer speed and tech-driven offerings such as touchless technology and personalization. While they enjoy going digital, they also embrace the physical mall presence in the “phy-gital experience”. They would like more exciting app features such as getting invites to exclusive events, advanced cinema bookings, scan & go and the option to choose products online and then try them out at the mall. . Bringing back its hands-free services is a priority for City Centre Bahrain shoppers to compliment other services. To ensure a smooth and seamless shopping experience, they also voted for reserved parking spots before arriving at the mall.
More fun experiences for kids
City Centre Bahrain has continuously provided entertainment options for children throughout the years. This year the mall introduced “The Nutty Scientists”, a new tenant that provides educational and interactive workshops for kids. The findings have shown that they would like the mall to continue the trend of more educational activities for kids. They also expressed that they would like more active play areas around the mall with the adoption of virtual worlds that included their children’s favorite characters.
Thinking sustainably
Sustainability has been a key area of focus for the mall, with roughly 31.8 tons recycled on a monthly basis. Furthermore, City Centre Bahrain is working towards being a plastic-bag free mall by encouraging tenants to not use plastic bags, QR-code menus over printed menus and more. According to “The Big Vote” results, roughly 40 per cent of those surveyed would like to see more recycling bins across the mall. The rest would like to see discounts on clothes and products when donating for upcycling and bicycling racks encouraging a more sustainable lifestyle.