Walltopia Group, a world leader in the climbing and adventure & leisure industries, has shared details of its range of solutions which aim to help increase footfall and dwell time at shopping centres.
“As e-commerce grows, malls need to diversify their offerings to stay relevant and bring back customers to the physical place,” says the firm. “By creating an arena to meet, spend time together and actively entertain themselves, malls can deliver the only thing people cannot get online – experience.
“Transforming from “places for shopping” to “community hubs” and becoming part of the fabric of society again, will mean not only more footfall for malls, but will also make them indispensable.”
Engaging family experiences
There is a growing demand for physical entertainment, reports Walltopia, with a particular focus on family activities:
“Millennials have families with kids, have strong buying power and are health-conscious. In the midst of the global health and exercise obsession and the mounting evidence against “screen time”, they place great importance on physical activities, strive to spend more time with their kids and are more devoted than ever to get their kids to be active. So, the attractions in the mall can be the perfect opportunity to spend time together being active, promoting both health and fun.”
Encouraging repeat visits & longer stays
Walltopia’s portfolio of 16 active entertainment attractions offers a range of options for creating new anchor points. All provide a blend of excellent design, functionality, capacity, and efficiency. These products effectively utilise unused or irregularly shaped areas in retail environments and range from affordable solutions to premium attractions.
The Tree Course stands out with its unique design, adding both aesthetic appeal and functionality to the public space while diversifying income generation. This creatively designed ropes course features a range of difficulty levels and encourages repeat visits and longer stays, with lift-accessible viewing decks that include all members of the family in the fun. In addition, the sculptural attraction provides an excellent setting for social media content creation.
Fun Walls are interactive climbing walls designed for both kids and adults, providing a challenging yet enjoyable climbing experience. These climbing walls are suitable for beginners, and are can be used by children from as young as 4 years old. Fun Walls are ideal for stimulating children’s cognitive abilities and supporting the development of balance, coordination, and agility.
Over 70 vibrant and unique climbing wall models are available, and the Fun Walls’ engaging activities offer an alternative to outdoor play as well as encouraging repeat visits.
One wall can accommodate up to 20 people per hour while offering a cost-effective approach: the Self Belay add-on simplifies operation and reduces staff requirements, while the new Fit-in range allows customer installation, cutting overall costs by up to 35% for flexible and efficient planning.
Kid-friendly attractions, like Soft Play, Puff Play, Bloc Play, and Signature Playgrounds, create exciting experiences, attracting families to retail venues. These spaces provide a safe environment for children to explore, allowing parents more shopping time. Combinations with other attractions like Slides, the Adventure Trail, or Cloud Climb enhance the overall appeal.
Re-inventing retail
Further products from Walltopia’s portfolio for shopping centres include:
- The Adventure Hub. This is an anchor attraction that can combine various products within a common aesthetic theme, for example, a Ropes Course, Electric Rollglider, and Net Maze. With its appealing design and activities for both children and adults, the Adventure Hub can become the centrepiece of a shopping centre and will encourage visitors to stay longer and visit more often.
- The Electric Rollglider. A premium attraction designed for easy installation, fitting well under ceilings and around other features. This aerial roller coaster offers a thrilling experience at speeds up to 30 km/h, accommodating up to 60 people per hour and adding value to the shopping mall location.
- Jump&Run. A variant of the Rollglider, Jump&Run is an exciting adventure race that combines a dual-line racing Rollglider track with obstacles inspired by adventure courses. Riders will experience the thrill of being a real-life video game hero.
- Caves. The adaptable design allows it Caves to fit into any available place. The speleology experience can be turned into a physical challenge, learning experience, or treasure hunt thanks to the variety of obstacles and features, with a gamification option which increases interactivity.
- Ninja Courses. A fun and challenging high and low ropes courses that offer a thrilling height experience. Ninja courses provide a unique workout, engaging balance, flexibility, strength, and courage in a solo or competitive setting.
“In conclusion, whatever the current situation of the retail venue is, investing in attractions is a great solution for increased footfall and a boost in overall revenue,” says the firm. “It is time retail venues get re-invented to fit in the experience economy and investing in the appropriate attraction can be the decisive step in this direction.”
Walltopia Group recently shared its insights into Artificial Caves, which can be utilised to provide a fun and educational experience at family entertainment centres (FECs).
