In this case study, we’re having a look at Rosengårdcentret’s record breaking mall app launch - here’s what you’ll learn:

• How the mall set themselves up for success by being well prepared.
• How the digital communication agency, STEP, played a large role in the process.
• What specific initiatives meant the mall and mall app buzzes with activity.
• How everyone involved manage to make the most out of lockdown restrictions during the implementation process and found new opportunities for success.
  

Rosengårdcentret is a Danish shopping mall located in Odense and it is a part of shopping mall history, as it is one of the first shopping malls to ever be built in the country in the early 1970’s. Rosengårdcentret is a relatively large mall and houses more than 160 different stores. Rosengårdcentret is operated by ECE, which has around 200 different shopping centers in management.

The implementation process:

They say that Odense, the hometown of Hans Christian Andersen, the author of works such as “The Little Mermaid”, is the home of fairytales - and the successful launch at Rosengårdcentret certainly doesn’t prove this wrong.

As Center Manager Casper Bach Andersen describes in the interview, Rosengårdcentret had set out their goal on digitalizing as they wanted to be digital first movers and secure Rosengårdcentret a place with the future consumers, combining the digital with the physical in-mall shopping.
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As a whole, the implementation process at Rosengårdcentret was colored by Covid19, which was not optimal, but the reality that had to be faced. This meant that both the mall and Emplate had to get creative and be flexible. Another thing which was special was that Rosengårdcentret’s digital agency, STEP, played such a substantial role in everything from the kick-off meeting to helping in the continuous running of the app after launch. STEP is a data-driven communications agency who brought their knowledge on digital communication to the table when working with the center management on finding the best solution.

STEP is a Communications Collective believing in data and in people. That combining hardcore data and human insights pave the way to the hearts of people and the growth of brands. Spread over the headquarter in Odense and the office in Copenhagen, +100 specialist produce creative, strategic and data-based communication throughout the entire client journey.  

Because of lockdown and having to find a suitable spot in the calendar, the launch was pushed several months into the future. This in turn meant that most of the process was moved online, which was a bit of a funny albeit necessary process. The waiting game was not all bad though, as more time gave the opportunity to develop extra. The result was new design options available for the consumer app, which Rosengårdcentret decided to get. This in turn meant that Rosengårdcentret could present their customers with a customizable digital mall experience, catered specifically to Rosengårdcentret and it opens up the option to make use of skins that fits how Rosengårdcentret wants to brand the mall each individual season.

The onboarding process:

“STEP are data-driven like Emplate, so those two companies combined could see a lot of new opportunities that we could benefit from.”
- Casper Bach Andersen

The onboarding of the shops took place over 2 days, with few shops being onboarded at a time, due to Covid restrictions. Emplate sent the customer success manager who’d been getting Rosengårdcentret’s center management ready for launch to Odense, so he could introduce the app to the tenants, answer their questions and make sure they got off to a flying start. Along with Emplate, there was also a representative from STEP and center management there to help the tenants get set up for great results.

The launch:

The launch of Rosengårdcentret’s mall app was a resounding success, and a lot of that came down to:

• Rosengårdcentret being well prepared and efficient in how they approached the launch.
• STEP being an active part of the process for the mall.
  

Rosengårdcentret added 3 different types of introduction prizes to the app, which customers could get by downloading the app and earning points in the loyalty system. All in all, this meant that Rosengårdcentret had 4 thousand individual prizes ready to be collected. Beyond their own efforts, Rosengårdcentret also took action in regards to helping their tenants get a great start by contributing with a certain amount that each shop could use on prizes for their store in the app. This meant that the app, from the very first day, was buzzing with activity from customers and shops alike. Rosengårdcentret was set up for success - they  were sprinting from the moment their feet hit the ground.

The results:

Big results require big ambitions, as the saying goes; Rosengårdcentret had done their homework and prepared everything they could, with help from Emplate and STEP for the mall’s big entry into the shopping mall app arena. And, their results matched their efforts. Let’s have a closer look at the numbers the first 3 months:

As is evident from the numbers above, Rosengårdcentret performed well on all fronts from the very start, and the numbers have only kept growing from there. Now, in the 4th month of Rosengårdcentret having a mall app, the question arises: what will Rosengårdcentret want to do going forward on their digital journey:

Going forward:

“The ambition is quite high, but we don’t have an exact goal at the moment in terms of followers… when there’s good quality and we have a lot of stores launching things in the app, then we can say, what the next steps are. Of course we need to have all our customers and the island using our app, but that’s half a million people, so that’s the really long term goal for us.”
- Casper Bach Andersen

Throughout this case study, we’ve seen how Rosengårdcentret has had a chart-topping launch with great engagement and footfall. Rosengårdcentret is ambitious, and while that’s been evident from the start, it is also clear from the quote above of Casper Bach Andersen describing the goals for the Rosengårdcentret. Now, the mall can consider what is next in terms of their success, such as including wayfinding and data integration going forward. The mall has been highly successful with the launch of the app by being well prepared, doing their work well and having their agency STEP be part of the process.

If you’re interested in learning more about successful shopping mall digitalization.

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