The Innovation Forum is always a buzzy area at MAPIC, with delegates keen to hear about the key tools and latest tech offerings, so we were glad to be part of the Innovation panel at MAPIC DIGITAL. ART Software Group Director, Gareth Jordan discussed our analytics platform Retail Advantage and fresh approaches to data collection. Innovative approaches to leasing were also the order of the day’s discussion, with property owners, landlords and retailers keen to create more collaborative models. Matt Thompson, Head of Retail Strategy at Colliers International led the panel which also included Angela Maurer, Head of Innovation at Landsec and Maxim Karbasnikoff, Head of Retail & Property Management at ADG.

Lockdown gave destination teams the time to launch new innovative products much more quickly, which in turn is leading to new data feeds. Another angle that the last six months have highlighted is the people on the front lines of the industry and retail destination teams adapting to the changing consumer in an ever-changing situation, so Gareth Jordan of ART reiterated the important part that tech has to play: “I think what is important, going forward, particularly as we gain access to more data – that there needs to be a much more people-centric approach to ensure insights get to the people that need them, and that tools cater to the needs of individual users and their specific tasks and roles.”

From the use of data to find pinch points and design Covid-secure one way systems to data that supports the creation of shopping malls like neighbourhoods with community tools, the group agreed that it is integral to stay close to the consumer and constantly measure the impact of different actions and initiatives to understand where strategy needs to change.

Matt Thompson of Colliers raised the landlord/occupier relationship, which has been redefined this year, and the role that data has to play in improving this relationship with greater transparency. Angela Maurer, shared learnings from discussions that Landsec has had with their retailers, and commented: “it was really clear that in terms of the partnership that we need to have going forward – given the big structural challenges that we have in retail – that we can only solve these if we work together, and that includes the sharing of data… which was quite a defining moment.” Angela explained that unanimously everyone agreed that we have got to work together: “There is the community of consumers, but there is also the community of your retail businesses.”

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Image Courtesy of Mapic & LeisurUp Digital

This year’s MAPIC theme was Retail Remixed – Rethinking spaces & places. The trend toward mixed-use environments is definitely breathing new life into developments, but it invariably increases complexity when managing and measuring what is and isn’t working. We have seen and worked closely with developers, owners and managers as the market has matured, so we started the conference with the Outlet Summit to share insights through the example of London’s Wembley Park.

Based upon our longstanding experience in destination intelligence tools, the asset & property manager, Realm and developer, Quintain gave us the opportunity to apply our retail performance suite to broaden insights. We have been working with this hybrid regeneration scheme since the launch of London Designer Outlet in 2013.

One of the main industry-wide changes to impact the retail property sector is diversification. Previously sidelined, out of town and away from traditional retail, outlet shopping is now trending. This has paved the road to the heart of the city with the emergence of new urban outlet centres alongside traditional retail, restaurants, hotels, apartments and co-working spaces.

We are seeing these sites perform exceptionally well in the new retail landscape, acting as cornerstones of community in cities. But just because you make the place for it, this doesn’t mean community just happens, so we shared examples with delegates about how data can power community.

Our Retail Advantage software is designed not only for the management of community destinations, but also for connected working. The platform gives users across the business access to analytics and the communications they need. Often there is a lot of importance given to leveraging the consumer relationship, their loyalty and maintaining that. However, we also see a need – and believe this is becoming a more widely held view across the industry – to deliver community access for staff and industry professionals. Those managing retail assets rely on visibility and strategic tools are essential to give brand-partners the information they need to capitalise and convert sales.

ART’s director, Gareth Jordan delved into tools to track the evolution of different metrics, exploring how to capitalise on London Designer Outlet’s strengths as a destination for tourists, and analysing the impact of events. We also unveiled our newest 3D mapping tool, which is tailored to manage projects such as the extension of Wembley Park for what will be an 85-acre neighbourhood, offering 8.8 million sq. ft of mixed-use development, including over 500,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space.

Today we really understand the value of data, which makes it even more frustrating when it is not used properly and cannot live up to its potential, so we also shared some key points to achieve a better ROI from your data at MAPIC’s Innovation Forum.

Innovation in retail was a dominant theme throughout the conference as technology and new uses continue to radically change retail and leisure destinations. Data is integral in these changing times to allow us to experiment and test things that have never been done before. 

Please get in touch to start a discussion about your data strategy.

Conference images courtesy of MAPIC & the Wembley Park image is courtesy of Quintain.