There’s strength in numbers - and having several malls under the same property management is not out of the ordinary. But, some of the greatest impact can happen, when one manages to unite those with one clear and unified message.

In this case study, we will have a look at how MPC Properties has managed to strengthen their marketing position by combining several shopping centers in one app.

MPC Properties is based in Serbia and has many exciting projects in their portfolio. Among those are the three Belgrade-based centers: BEO Shopping Center, Mercator Center Belgrade and UŠĆE Shopping Center - the top performing shopping center in Serbia.

Ambitious goals with a unified message

MPC Properties’ goals were to increase customer loyalty and increase visits and sales while unifying their Belgrade shopping centers in order to increase their competitive advantage.

Initially, three of their Belgrade based shopping centers were part of the app, which will be the focus of this case study. In February 2022, the fourth, Delta City, was added.

The centers are located quite close to each other, geographically, and MPC Properties’ had realized that by combining them, their position in the market would be even stronger.

MPC Properties set out to find a solution which could help them achieve these goals. They quickly realized that Emplate was a great match for them, as their app had everything MPC Properties was looking for, except the three centers in one app feature.

Preparing the app

After choosing a supplier, the next goal was to get MPC Properties’ app ready.

While having three centers into one app was no ordinary request, Emplate started designing and developing, tailoring their app solution for MPC Properties. Soon, an app which could contain all three shopping centers was ready.

Several malls in one app can be a double edged sword:

On one had, it’s one app to rule them all; This means the customer experience is simplified. By having one profile across all malls, the customer will benefit from visit any of the malls. This makes them the obvious go-to choice, no matter where in Belgrade you are.

On the other hand, it’s not so simple for a customer, if they get lost in a shopping center, desperately searching for a store that is located in one of the other centers. After all, the goal is to improve customer experiences, not complicate them. Therefore, Emplate placed a large focus on the user experience.

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^{MPC marketing video explaining the benefits of Tvoj Centar and higlighting the multiple shopping centers in one app.}

The feature was designed so it is always obvious for the customer what center they are looking at in the app, and how to switch between them. This was achieved by placing it front and center on the home tab of the app, right under opening hours information. By clicking on the shopping center name, customers can easily switch from one center to the other, never having to doubt what center’s offers and news they’re looking at.

With an app to fulfill all their wants and needs in their hands, the MPC Properties team was ready to move on to the launch:

A successful launch

For the launch, MPC Properties’ focused on being well prepared with a great marketing campaign and an app filled with exciting rewards.

Throughout the entire process, the team have been very self-driven, with Emplate providing inspiration for their launch campaign and supporting them through the tenant onboarding presentation for the shops, which MPC Properties held themselves.

As the first app of its kind in the Serbian and Balkan region, with three major shopping centers in one app, MPC Properties knew they had to make a statement with their launch, and they did.

They rolled out major marketing campaigns, stretching from OOH advertising, branding in the centers, campaigns on Google and social media and cooperation with influencers to BTL activities across the centers and city and PR.

The key focus was on the unique selling points of having “all in one place” with the Tvoj Centar app, while raising awareness and building brand love for the shopping centers.

Beyond getting people exciting about the new app, the goal with their marketing efforts was also educational - to ensure customers knew they can use the app when visiting all three malls and how their needs of having shopping centers offering more than just purchasing are fulfilled with Tvoj Centar.

As can be seen above, the educational aspect of getting customers to mentally link the three centers, was a key aspect in their communication. The marketing campaigns ensured it was clear to the customers exactly how much great value they got with this one app.

Another impactful aspect of MPC Properties’ launch campaign was the rewards they’d prepared for the app’s loyalty program:

For the launch, the app had been packed with great prizes across all three shopping centers.  The wide variety of rewards spanned from shopping vouchers, branded accosriex and discounts (from 15% to 40%), to treats like ice cream, coffee and cheeseburgers.

Rewards such as vouchers and discounts incentivize customers to shop and treats work exceedingly well for a launch as they’re instantly enticing for customers, who want the immediate satisfaction of a nice treat.

The launch of the “Tvoj Centar” app was a success, with customers downloading the app with great interest. Let’s have a closer look at how it has gone:

Launch results

While the results speak for themselves, we too would like to add a few words:

The app was off to a great start, with a launch in mid November 2021. In the two and a half months from the launch date to end January, they had already achieved:

28k Total downloads

396 Loyalty program rewards created

8.1k Reward redemptions

As we can see from these results, MPC Properties’ has already achieved impressive results, with an impressive download rate across the shopping centers.

What’s more is that the efforts that are being put into creating an exciting loyalty program is working; customers are enjoying it, which can be seen by them very actively redeeming rewards in the app. This in turn plays a large role in MPC Properties’ goal of increasing customer loyalty, positioning the three malls as the obvious go-to shopping destinations in Belgrade.

To summarize

Through planning and determination, MPC Properties had a successful launch of their consumer app. With the help of Emplate, they’ve reached their overall goal of digitalizing, combining the three malls in one app.

Now, the shopping centers are standing stronger than ever, with a unified message. A message that has been clearly communicated to customers through a successful launch campaign. And, the customers are enjoying the many benefits and convenience they get.

Now, MPC Properties are working on their next plans, which includes expanding the number of malls in the app and using the data they get access to with their app to further improve their communicating. The goal is to create even better and more targeted customer experiences.

If you’re interested in learning more about how different shopping centers digitalize, have a look through out other case studies.

If want to hear about how your shopping center can benefit from a loyalty app, book a demo below.