The shopping mall is a business that covers many target demographics for fashion and other accessories. It’s a place that holds potential for a variety of customers to explore.
In recent time, however, there has been a change that has brought the possibility of a brand new demographic to be reached for mall shoppers, Gamers.
In this article, we will go over what has inspired this discovery and how it can affect the mall industry.
The Main Objective
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Now shopping malls have had a hand in appealing to gamers before. This includes video arcades, Gamestops, and other stores such as Hot Topic and ThinkGeek that sell clothing and other merchandise related to video games. However, there might have been a new perspective as to whats next.
There has been a decision to turn several of the abandoned department stores into places for gamers to log in to MMO’s. The two games that are being tested with this plan are Fortnite and a brand new MMO titled “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.”
The locations will include multiple PC computers open to players willing to pay a fee, similar to arcade lodges, and will allow players to create a more local experience if they don’t already own a PC.
The idea will be brought forth as according to sources Simon Property Group (SPG) has invested as much $5 Million into turning this plan into a reality. This has happened so far in malls around New York and Los Angeles.
The Future For Shopping Malls
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As of now, there is not too much to note when it comes to what this plan may do for the future for all malls, but it can be predicted that shopping malls may benefit for the esports industry. The esports industry has a net worth as much as 2 billion dollars.
Therefore if this plan becomes successful in the long run, esports can host more competitions and increase the income revenue in mall sales. This will also lead to more publicity for the mall in question seeing how tiny most malls have in the way of promotion. More games can also be included in these stores such as overwatch, league of legends, and much more.
However, if not careful, this may lead to problems down the line. It may lead to stiffer competition for video arcades and other public gaming venues. Not just in the video game market but also other stores in the malls may fear replacement if this plan becomes over-saturated.
However, that may seem unlikely if the balance of demographics is kept in the industry.