Back to the future: Gen Z hits the mall

Fashion Outlets optimistic about future

√ Spirit Halloween store headed to Fashion Outlets

By Jan Czech

To quote Bruce Springsteen, “Glory days. Well, they’ll pass you by.” The same could be said of the shopping mall. Shopping under one roof became popular in the 1960s and peaked in popularity in the decade between 1970-80 when they became hubs for socialization, attending movies and a place for people to gather, people watch, dine and purchase goods and services.

Hanging at the mall was a rite of passage for teens of that era. Sometimes referred to as mall rats, they flocked to a middle ground that was not home or school or work but a place to meet friends, gather in the food court, window shop and loiter, perhaps without buying anything. But in the late 1990s through 2000, with the advent of Amazon and internet shopping, malls went out of favor. They couldn’t compete with customers being able to shop at all hours from anywhere when a single click on “buy now” got them what their hearts desired. The COVID pandemic was also a death knell.

Numbers vary but, according to the Mall Tracker website, the number of malls across the U.S. peaked in the early 1980s at 25,000. An article in USA Today asserts that an average of 1,170 malls closed every year between 2017 and 2022. Currently, about 700 still exist but some are “zombie” malls. Those that haven’t been repurposed or torn down – some technically open but virtually empty except for a small number of tenants and the occasional pop-up while others are deserted shells of their former selves. Going, going, gone are the large department stores that anchored the malls. Locally, that meant the closure of Saks Off 5^th at the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls.

Dire as the numbers are, retailers are cautiously optimistic that we are on the cusp of a mall resurgence. Generation Z, commonly known as Gen Z, comprises people between the ages of 14 and 29. And they like to shop in person in brick-and-mortar stores.

Susie Swiatkowski, marketing manager at the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls, thinks she knows why.

“I think they’re a little tired of their screens and being stuck inside the house,” Swiatkowski said. “They’re tired of being on their phones. They want to get out.”

She’s right about that. This generation grew up with screens and, due to the COVID pandemic, a certain amount of isolation. They went to school online. They shopped online. They worked remotely. Most of their social interaction was online. The mall experience gives Gen Z an opportunity to turn that all around.

Swiatkowski can speak to the fact that Gen Z is back shopping at the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. “Even walking through the food court, I see Gen Z having lunch, so they really are looking forward to having that interaction again.”

Mall culture for this age group has not changed very much from the halcyon days of the 1970s and 1980s. Going to the mall is an opportunity to socialize face to face whether grabbing a snack, shopping with friends, seeing a movie or just hanging out. The mall experience has advantages not found in online shopping. Being able to touch and try on items helps the customer determine if something really is for them. Returns can be made for free at the store level, eliminating a trip to the post office to pay postage to send an item back.

Swiatkowski explained the mall experience this way: “You want to shop somewhere you’re comfortable.”

Of the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls, she added, “It’s social, it’s pleasing, and it’s really easy to get around in.”

Recently, “Good Morning America” visited one of the malls owned by the Macerich Company, which owns the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. The topic was – you guessed it – what Gen Z returning to malls to shop will mean to retailers.

Swiatkowski talked about what Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls is doing to entice Gen Z to the mall.

“We put a Gen Z group of our employees together to try to market specifically to that age group,” she said. “We’re reaching them online. It really is encouraging to see and I’m excited about it.”

What’s on tap for Fashion Outlets? When asked if there were plans to fill some of the empty storefronts, Swiatkowski replied, “There are always plans to do that.”

She explained the process for finding tenants this way: “That’s when we work with our leasing team. We have a boots-on-the-ground leasing manager. She looks for vendors that are looking to make the next step into a brick-and-mortar or looking to open a cart or something seasonal. Some of them are looking for long-term inline stores.”

She went on to explain that the leasing team on the corporate level is always on the lookout for big name stores on the local, national and international level. The latest temporary addition to the mall is Spirit Halloween. Its offerings include Halloween-inspired items such as costumes for the entire family and animated displays available for purchase.

Although the Macerich Company doesn’t share specific numbers regarding foot traffic in the mall, when asked if there was an uptick in cross border shoppers, Swiatkowski said, “I can tell you especially in the summer we see cars from all over the place.”

The mall doesn’t keep a tally of where shoppers come from and, judging by the variety of license plates in the parking lot, it would be nearly impossible to do so. Swiatkowski noted busloads of shoppers also flock to the mall to take advantage of outlet prices. Recently, one of those buses was full of Canadian shoppers.

“It is encouraging to see Canadian buses come back,” she said.

When asked if Gen Z was the answer to shopping mall resurgence Swiatkowski is optimistic: “Things are looking up for malls in general. The future’s bright. We’re really excited about this new generation.”

The Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls USA is located at 1900 Military Road, Town of Niagara; and online at https://www.fashionoutletsniagara.com/.