Mall owners are harnessing digital technology to stem an erosion in their tenant base by online retailing and to promote shopper attendance to their centers.
Hammerson which is a leading European real estate company in London, United Kingdom (http://www.hammerson.com) plans to use a system which tracks shoppers to its malls by using signals from their mobile phones. Australia’s Westfield Group, Ltd. (http://www.westfield.com) plans to set up a virtual mall. Also, the Simon Property Group, Inc. (SPG) of Indianapolis (http://www.simon.com) and Paris-based Unibail-Rodamco SE (UL), are seeking to encourage consumers to add new smartphone applications.