Christmas sales exceeded $35.1 billion last year in Australia, and marketers across the country have been focused on how their centres can get a slice of the big pie of transactions available at Christmas time. One shopping centre in particular has reported an increase of more than $10 million in sales, thanks to the introduction of new retailers as well as its innovative and creative marketing strategy.

Brisbane’s iconic shopping destination, Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, reported an increase in sales of more than 5% with department stores, beauty, and retail services scoring the biggest year-on-year growth.

The centre had a successful Christmas season, with the integration of activations and services boosting foot traffic and customer engagement throughout the entire period.

Driving shopping centre foot traffic
Indooroopilly Shopping Centre is the heart of the community and so it was integral for the centre to build a festive space that wasn’t just a place for selling but a space where cultural and community-oriented services could coexist and compliment alongside retailer stores.

The key activations and services included Santa’s grand arrival and photos, festive fashion and feasting, complimentary ride sharing, free childcare, a free wine bar and personal shoppers.

The strategic activations and services of support resonated strongly with shoppers, with nine experiential offerings quickly booking out, which contributed to the centre attracting over two million visitors across November and December. Santa’s grand arrival parade drove the most traffic with more than 15,000 customers in attendance.

Jessica Tye, Senior Marketing Manager at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre said this was the biggest festive season to date and trade continued to track expectations into the new year.

“The centre was buzzing with customers as we always had something on, and it was great to see customers returning to explore the latest offerings and experiences available.

“It was a very busy, yet cheerful time of the year – the outcomes make it evident that our customers felt the festive fun and ultimately had an enjoyable fun-filled Christmas at Indro,” said Tye.

Steven Ihm, Centre General Manager said the centre was determined to bring joyful experiences despite the cost-of-living and Christmas period pressures.

“It’s important to provide our customers with more than just a place to shop – Christmas shopping shouldn’t be stressful, hence why we offer a suite of services and special offers to support every type of shopper,” said Ihm.

“We saw a noticeable difference in spending behaviours, with customers being selective over their purchases and utilising Black Friday to complete their Christmas shopping.

“We ultimately wanted to make shopping at Indro as convenient as possible during the busy Christmas period, giving back to the community to create an enjoyable festive experience,” he said.