With sparse crowds and none of the stampedes of holidays past, some retail watchers started to refer to Black Friday as Blasé Friday instead—and that was even before Covid-19 hit.
The sluggish in-person traffic reported last year was expected to thin out further this year, as mall-wary shoppers trade in midnight doorbusters for digital deals. But don’t let the shift to online shopping fool you: It’s still shaping up to be a record year for holiday retail sales (and the logistics companies that’ll deliver them).
Malls approached the holiday season much differently this year. But the retailers, small businesses and restaurants at shopping centers owned by CBL & Associates Properties are making it work, according to CEO Stephen Lebovitz.
At one of his malls in Kentucky, where indoor dining is restricted, a health-inspector-approved tent was set up in the parking lot. Santa sits behind plexiglass. There’s no sitting on his lap, of course.
“Even though the crowds aren’t what they’re going to be in a 2019 Black Friday, they’re still strong crowds, and we’ve seen strong traffic across the board,” Lebovitz said in an interview. Shoppers who do venture to the mall have a higher conversion rate; they’re often leaving stores with bags in their hands.
And Lebovitz was betting the Santa of past Black Fridays will return, including with photo ops for pets.
“This year we haven’t been able to bring our pets to get their picture taken with Santa. That was very popular,” he said. “I guarantee you that that will be something that will come back.”
CBL owns 68 malls and open-air retail centers.
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