How Today’s Mall Has Adjusted to the Rise of eCommerce

Etaily.

Etaily is a one-stop, omni-channel solution that helps businesses sell virtually. Whether it’s content production and channel creation to warehousing and fulfillment, Etaily offers a full suite of services encompassing anything a brand would ever need to get closer to their customers, complete smooth transactions, and bring the product to their customer’s doorstep.

So far, Etaily has worked with SMEs, fashion conglomerates, and Fortune 500 companies such as Vans, Mossimo, Terranova, and more to launch and run their e-commerce businesses at start-up speed.

The Challenge.

Malls have had to adjust to the fact that people are shopping online more than ever. Even in countries like the Philippines where malls have remained comparatively popular, retail vacancy is expected to hit 17% in 2022, the highest level ever since 2002. Even with vaccination levels rising in the country, mall foot traffic is unlikely to hit pre-pandemic levels.

The situation for malls is the same globally. In the US, 25% of malls are projected to close within the next five years.

In contrast, e-commerce marketplaces grew exponentially. Merchants from e-commerce company Shopify, for example, saw total sales grow by 76% in 2020.

Filipino mall developer Ayala Malls felt the impact of the pandemic acutely, seeing declining foot traffic, stores shutting down, and health protocols strictly enforced once retailers were allowed to operate again.

The Plan of Action.

Malls have adjusted to e-commerce’s growing popularity by putting up platforms/marketplaces of their own and selling from there. Many malls see it as a ‘shop-local’ strategy rather than traditional e-commerce per se, seeing as it offers the advantage of having products swiftly shipped from a nearby physical location (the store) rather than a remote warehouse.

There are examples both in the Philippines and abroad of malls helping shoppers get what they want from the comfort of their own homes. These efforts range from offering a virtual personal assistant that can go around a mall and pick up orders, to a full-on online marketplace that replicates the physical mall.

For many, setting up shop online has become a way to ‘future-proof’ the malling business. Yet it’s worth acknowledging the move comes with unique challenges of its own.

For Ayala Malls, the move online was made possible by a partnership with e-commerce enabler Etaily.

Implementation.

Malls can implement a sharper e-commerce strategy by partnering with an end-to-end e-commerce enabler like Etaily.

Jumping into e-commerce has made many mall owners acutely aware of the hyper-competitive nature of e-commerce. Malls have also had to face rising concerns over retailers’ loss of control over consumer data, the pressure to deliver bulletproof real-time inventory accuracy, and the fact that only a part of the total assortment is available online.

With Etaily however, Ayala Malls gets help with fulfillment, inventory tracking, content creation, and much more. The e-commerce enabler takes care of several key aspects of selling online. For example, Etaily has experience crafting content for department store Landmark, recreating an in-depth shopping experience with beautiful products photos and clear product descriptions. The Etaily team also worked with Landmark to quickly browse through the inventory and packs orders to ensure proper packaging depending on the items, leading to better fulfillment. This was the level of expertise available for Ayala Malls.

Outcome .

So far, Etaily has worked with SMEs, fashion conglomerates, and Fortune 500 companies to launch and run their e-commerce businesses. Ayala Malls represents another name in a long line of satisfied clients.

With Etaily, Ayala Malls was able to launch a robust online platform that allowed people to live out the experience of its malls online. Without having to sacrifice quality or compromise on its principles, Ayala Malls was able to move into the modern retail landscape.