Mall of America, the US’s largest retail and entertainment destination, recently debuted nearly 100 digital directories to help guests navigate the 5.6 million square foot property with added ease. This industry-leading project is the first of its size and scope, and was developed by Express Image.
With 700,000 unique sessions in a month since the tiered installation began, Mall of America has seen the average dwell time from the physical directories drop from over three minutes to less than 40 seconds on the digital directories.
This decreased time spent searching, provides the guest with the information needed to more easily find their destination, whether that is a retailer, attraction or dining spot. To further cater to the guest, the directories offer the option to text a map view with step-by-step navigation to a cell phone, at which point the guest has the opportunity to text live with a Mall of America digital concierge.
The personalised experience of interacting with an individual through the digital concierge program leads guests to further discover the property in ways they may not have considered, ideally increasing the overall length of stay at MOA. Whether it be a gift recommendation, dining reservation, question about brands or a parking reminder, the guest can take the guessing game out of shopping and entertainment, allowing them to use their precious time in the way that they want, rather than searching for answers.
Mall of America partnered with Minnesota-based Express Image to launch the first-of-its kind, property-wide digital directory program. “It was a pleasure to work on this project with MOA because they knew exactly what they wanted to provide their visitors and worked closely with our technical and development team to collaborate on a solution,” said Jeff Sarenpa, President of Express Image. “The result is something we both envisioned and can be proud of – a unique, truly revolutionary personal wayfinding experience.”
Jeffery Sarenpa, Director of Customer Facing Technology, “The directories are built on Google’s Chrome OS platform, utilising Intel technology because of its security, reliability, and ease of development. Chrome OS removes typical operating system headaches and allows us to focus on what we feel is most important – building immersive, effective experiences for our customers and their end users.”
The digital directories are a part of the continued development of services and offerings that enhance the guest experience for more than 40 million annual visitors. The directories can be translated to nine different languages in order to accommodate international visitors and multilingual guests, including Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Somali, Portuguese, Hmong, Japanese and Arabic.
“We want our guests to spend their time having fun at MOA, not searching for answers, and these directories save a significant amount of time and ease navigation around the property. We continue to find ways to accommodate our guests – both in person and through innovative technologies like our directories – and make sure they have the best experience possible,” said Jill Renslow, SVP of Marketing and Business Development at Mall of America. “Express Image understands that need for our guests and has helped develop an outstanding product to help our visitors during their stay.”