Australians are less likely to see shopping as a social pleasure in a post-COVID world – and the trend is expected to stick.

Queensland University of Technology consumer and retail expert Gary Mortimer told TND shopping centres’ COVID-safe protocols implemented during the height of the pandemic have had a long-term impact on consumer behaviour.

Comparing pre- and post-COVID consumer responses, a research team that included Mortimer found the experiences Australians seek at shopping centres have changed.

While many used a visit to a shopping centre as an opportunity to socialise, there is a new emphasis on “functionality and transactional value”.

“We’ve always believed that shopping is a recreational activity; we like to wander around and browse, and have coffee with our friends. [The new research shows] while it was still important, it was less important than ever before,” Mortimer said.

‘Other ways to entertain ourselves’

“And the reason we believe that’s the case is that during COVID, when many non-essential retail was closed, nobody went to the shopping centres and wandered around.

“So we found other ways to entertain ourselves. A lot of that was through exercise … catching up with friends in the park, doing social events outside of that, and those trends have held today.”

Now, customers want to simply get in and out when doing their shopping, as COVID restrictions increased the take-up of functional innovations such as click-and-collect, and transactional services such as QR code menus and contactless payments.

Mortimer said it’s hard to tell whether there will be a shift back in consumers’ priorities, but most habits tend to stick around for a long time, even when it comes to shopping.

For larger complexes which have long marketed themselves as social destinations, such as Westfield and Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping complex, he said the research shows management should put more focus on smoothing the consumer experience.

Recommendations include making it easier for customers to access shopping centres, wider car spaces, and more click-and-collect opportunities.

‘Get my stuff immediately’

Mortimer also pointed to a recent bout of concierge services offered by some larger shopping centres, particularly around Christmas.

“If you order online, rather than having to wander around a centre and collect all your purchases … someone would run around and collect all your purchases from different retail brands, and be waiting downstairs for you,” he said.

“What we’re finding is that shoppers are now becoming more time-poor. They see the shopping centre as more about functional value, in that ‘I can get in, I can get my stuff immediately, and I can leave’ and it’s slightly less about social values.

“So we’re more likely to go to a bar with our friends or go for a picnic with our friends or go for a walk with our friends than go shopping with our friends anymore.”

The findings from Mortimer and his fellow researchers were published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.