Danbury Fair Mall augments Internet with brick and mortar

Melissa Eigen, senior manager for marketing at the Danbury Fair Mall. Photo by Bill Fallon

The National Retail Federation pegged 2013 seasonal retail sales numbers up 3.1 percent compared with 2012. This year”™s uptick is looking better still, with an NRF-predicted 4.1 percent improvement.

Melissa Eigen, senior manager for marketing at the 1.3 million-square-foot, 180-store Danbury Fair Mall on Backus Avenue in Danbury, has been assessing the holiday shopping scene since early November when it began in earnest and sees the favorable metric playing out in full bags and packed parking lots. The mall generates 25 percent to 30 percent of its annual traffic in the holiday season.

Eigen said she sees technology in the form of smartphones and tablets used not to bypass stores but to hone and improve the in-mall shopping experience. The day she spoke was so-called Cyber Monday; the mall”™s crowds that built into the evening hours seemed not to care. “C”™mon,” came the timeless prompt in the parking lot. “Remember where we parked.”

“Today people use all kinds of tools to shop,” Eigen said during a post-Black Friday sitdown at the Macerich-owned mall, one of 60 shopping centers in the California-based company”™s portfolio. “They shop in stores, they shop online, they shop from mobile devices. But it”™s clear that the in-store experience remains a very important ”” in fact, dominant ”” part of the mix.”

Eigen said lower gas prices could be part of the profitable equation this year. In-store promotions that compete with the Web are also an attraction.

Eigen cited a 2014 study conducted by Chicago-based global consultants A.T. Kearney, saying, “In total, 90 percent of all retail sales are transacted in stores.

“It”™s really not a question of bricks-and-mortar versus online shopping ”” shoppers today want both,” she said. “They want exceptional, in-person experiences in stores and at the mall and they also want digital access. The best retailers understand that real relationship-building happens at the store and they leverage this through great salespeople. A salesperson is something you don”™t get online.”

Eigen said yearly mall attendance is in the millions and that the customers are knowledgeable. “When they come, they know what they want,” she said. “They are prepared, and this is a good place to be to satisfy those needs.”

The new Uniqlo store opened in the mall Nov. 7. From left, assistant managers Laron Louis and Dana Sepkovic, and store manager Frederick Tatum. Photo by Bill Fallon

Black Friday still exists ”” mall doors opened at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving and did not close for 26 hours ”” but shopping early birds increasingly buy earlier in November. “That”™s when we started seeing the holiday promotions,” Eigen said. “Black Friday has become an event. It”™s exciting. Families come together and it becomes an outing. The Web helps with information on what stores have and their sales.”

Danbury Fair now has its own app and its Santa HQ is both a tech- and nostalgia-driven experience.

Santa HQ is at 10 Macerich malls across the country. In Danbury Fair”™s setup, the old-fashioned New England holiday is recalled with a comfortable leather couch harking to Irving Berlin. Eigen called it “a totally immersive, digital experience that of course features a real, live visit with Santa.”

Eigen said Santa HQ is a big hit with children, who begin with a naughty-or-nice computer assessment. Sotto voce, Eigen admitted all the kids receive “nice” readings. Macerich is partnering with HGTV for the setup.

The mall has six large stores in its mix: Sears with 178,000 square feet, Macy”™s with 220,000 square feet, Lord & Taylor with 80,000 square feet, J.C. Penney with 132,000 square feet, Dick”™s Sporting Goods with 56,000 square feet and XXI Forever ”” often called Forever 21 ”” with 78,000 square feet.

The mall for the holidays hosts seasonal stores, including national specialty purveyors Harry & David; the Westchester Broadway Theatre from Elmsford, N.Y.; and go-cart company On Track Karting in Wallingford and Brookfield. As always, there are three tiers of eating: the food court, which recently picked up a Chick-fil-A franchise; a pair of so-called fast-casual restaurants in Chipotle Mexican Grill and BGR ”” The Burger Joint; and four full-sized restaurants: Kusulyn, Red Robin, The Cheesecake Factory and Brio Tuscan Grille.

Besides dining options, Eigen highlighted another advantage to in-person retailing: the buy that leads to another buy. “The retailers are reporting their best discounts saw the customers coming and then purchasing the gifts they had come for, plus multiple items,” she said. “This year, so far, so good.”