The document provides an agenda and findings from research conducted on digital and social media marketing strategies for the Christiana Mall. Key points include: 1) The mall wants to increase frequency, spending, and off-hours shopping through targeted digital and social media marketing. Research examined consumers' platform usage, engagement, and content preferences. 2) Research methods included interviews and a survey that found most consumers actively use Facebook and email. Engaging content like discounts and giveaways were favored. 3) Recommendations include focusing social media on Facebook, hosting community events, better promoting the mall club through email, and tailoring content for different demographics.

1. Danielle Andrade Sean Carey
Alex Pizzala Chris Hartnett
Steve Zawada

2. Agenda
•Opportunity
•Industry
•Challenges
•Research Methods
•Findings
•Recommendations

3. Opportunity
● Despite the Mall’s success, management believes there
is always room for improvement
● Specifically through marketing with digital and social
media:
○ Entice target consumer to:
■ Shop more frequently
■ Spend more per visit
■ Increase shopping during the malls off hours

4. Opportunity
● In order to meet these requests our team aimed to
investigate the following in regards to the target
consumer:
o Current social media, email and mobile usage patterns
o Engagement Patterns
o Platform Preferences
o Content Preferences

5. Industry
● Technology is changing the way we shop
o Changes in lifestyle
o Ease of ordering
o Expedited delivery options
o Window Shopping
● Shopping Malls/Centers are on the decline
o Less than 80% of malls nationwide are considered to be healthy
o Those that are healthy are thriving

6. Digital Marketing in the Industry
● Mall of America’s Strategy
o Three Pillars
▪ Listening, Connecting and Engaging
o Employee Training
o Reach out in new ways
● PlaceWise Media
o Working with 600+ shopping centers nationwide
o Fastest growing company in the industry

7. Challenges
● Corporate Marketing Experiment- no access
to the following:
o Christiana Mall Club email list
o Christiana Mall social media accounts
o Christiana Mall assistance to post our survey
● $0 Budget
● Getting respondents on our own
● Permission denied from UD Alumni Group

8. Research Findings
● Our research has identified the following
information about the Christiana Mall’s core
consumer:
o Social media usage patterns
o Platform favorability
o Favorability and consumer perceptions towards
different types of content
o Perceptions of the Christiana Mall’s digital marketing
o Consumer desire for digital marketing

9. Research Methods
● Quantitative and Qualitative
● Qualitative: In-depth Interviews
▪ Conducted in the mall: 5-10 minutes per interview, 8
total
▪ Gained perspective on personal social media habits and
shopping behaviors / preferences

10. Interview Findings
•Usage patterns:
• Primary and secondary target are most active on
Facebook
• Access from computer, tablet, smartphone
• → WiFi & GPS capabilities
• Usage patterns = Early morning & before bed
• Everyone was active consistently on email

11. Interview Findings
•Engagement Patterns:
• Low rate of engagement with stores and companies
• Target market appreciates consumer-centric focus
from stores
• Favorability towards email interaction
• Email is perceived as less intrusive and discounts/
coupons/ updates are more often looked at

12. Interview Findings
•Christiana Mall Club:
• Lack of knowledge stemming from poor promotion
• Interest in Mall Club services
• Opportunity to increase email engagement and
customer foot traffic

13. Research Methods (cont.)
• Qualitative: Focus Group
▪ 90 minute duration
▪ Mall store managers: American Eagle, Victoria’s
Secret/PINK, J.Crew, Wilson’s Leather, Sidney Thomas
▪ Helped to identify current trends and relationships
that exist between social media, advertising, and
consumer engagement

14. Focus Group Takeaways
• Mall underutilizing email correspondence
• Social media campaign success, dependent on
targeted demographic
• Social Media should be used to reach younger
demographics, using primary target’s monetary backing
• Social media giveaways, extremely effective
• Need for mall identity and community-centric
content
→ pulls foot traffic

15. Research Methods (cont.)
● Quantitative: Online Survey
▪ 101 respondents
▪ Casted over a four week period, reached out to personal
networks, university network, local businesses, mall
shoppers
▪ Made several trips to the mall in order to conduct
intercept interviews on our own laptops and tablets.

17. Very Often
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

20. Social Media Post
Content
Post Content Preference

21. Company Email Signups
• Education
• Gender

22. Recommendations
• 69% of consumers listed Facebook as their favorite
social media account
• Facebook - sole focus of social media communication
• Most engaging content consists of trends, discounts,
celebrity news, and giveaways
• 75% of respondents would like to see sales and
deals on social media sites
• Active engagement and distribution from the
Mall’s end

23. Recommendations
• Create an identity for the mall = connect to
consumers
• Host events that bring consumers to the mall = instant
foot traffic
• Usage patterns lead to an opportunity- Post content
before work and after dinner time (catch the most
eye balls)

24. Recommendations
• Christiana Mall Club
• Only 8 participants were current members → lack of
knowledge due to low promotion
• Promote the club on social media, during events, and
through store distribution
• Opportunity for email communication
• 89% of respondents are active or very active on email
• 67% of respondents agreeing to enjoying emails from
stores

25. Recommendations
Independent T-test takeaways
• Remind shoppers of opportunity to shop for loved
ones (optimize on current consumer shopping behaviors)
• Well liked mall events = fashion show
→ geared towards female demographic
• Use Pinterest to interact with the “YoungFamilies”
target market

26. Recommendations
Community
Activities
- Yoga
Fashion
Shows
Car Shows
Recreational
Events:
- cooking
- painting
classes
Small
Concerts

27. Questions