Retailers must keep innovating

Dubai - Shopping will soon be a three-dimensional experience, say experts at RECon

Dubai is a melting pot of cultures, and the unique retail environment that has cropped up as a result has presented retailers with a series of challenges that need to be effectively addressed, speakers at RECon Middle East & North Africa 2015 noted on Monday.
Ron Kaufman, founder of UP! Your Service, led a panel discussion on the importance of engaging everyone from the top down to create a customer service culture. A leading educator and motivator for uplifting customer service and building service cultures, Kaufman described shopping malls as "a world that is constantly evolving".
Jointly organised by the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres and the International Council of Shopping Centres, RECon Middle East & North Africa 2015 brings together retail industry professionals and service providers.
Speaking on the challenges and lessons learnt in the region, Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, senior director of property management, Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Group, said that MAF believed in direct dialogue with customers. "We rely on customer feedback to help us provide them with the best possible service and meet all their expectations. It is important to be proactive and listen to the ideas that customers have."
Ross Milton, managing director of Bounce, spoke on the importance of social media in engaging with customers. He said Bounce's Facebook page had over 100,000 likes and that on any given day, up to 15,000 people are sharing the experiences they had at the venue. "With this concept, we focused on entertainment that included everyone, and as a result, we have world class engagement rates."
Stephen Holbrook, group director of the clothing division, Kamal Osman Jamjoom, said one of the challenges of the retail service culture in the region was providing good service with different expectation levels.
"One of the things that would be great to see in the future would be more individuality in malls in the region. The malls in Dubai stand out from the rest of the region in that they are all known for having a niche attraction. One should be cautious that any upcoming malls are not identical to each other," he added.
Speaking on the growth of e-commerce in the region, the panelists talked about how the growth in online retail was not a threat to shopping malls.
"I see it as an opportunity and just another channel; it doesn't have to be one or the other to me. Dubai has a fantastic advantage in that it has some of the most fantastic shopping malls and attractions. As long as shopping malls and the attractions that they offer keep innovating, I have every confidence that they will continue to provide amazing experiences. What we will be witnessing in the future is omnichannel activity - it's going to be a much more three-dimensional experience," Holbrook said.
Sharaf added that MAF had witnessed a growth in activity since online shopping in the region took off. "People who come to shopping malls don't just come for the shopping; they are looking for new experiences. As long as malls keep innovating, then retail will remain on a steady growth trajectory."
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com