Singapore prides itself as a city which is home to a number of great shopping spots, malls, and event venues, where locals and tourists visit all-year round. There are plenty of great tourist attractions where guests of all ages can enjoy, especially over the holiday period.
This, however, does not keep the city-state from continuously improving and redesigning itself to remain relevant and maintain its position as one of the best travel destinations in the region, not only for business and employment purposes, but also for shopping and recreation, as well.
IT-based Funan Mall Reopens After 3-Year Reconstruction Period
In line with this, Singapore’s Funan Mall has officially reopened its doors to the public last June 28, 2019, following a three-year redevelopment project, as shared in a report by Inside Retail Asia.
The mall houses over 190 brands, which are aptly clustered around six ‘passion themes’: Tech, Craft, Play, Fit, Chic, and Taste.
Over 30 percent of the mall’s tenants are new-to-market brands, concepts or flagships, and more than 60 percent come from Singapore.
Also of note, the new Funan Mall will explore beyond its brand of selling IT products as it did prior to its rebuilding, to incorporate a technology experience throughout the entire development.
Incorporating one of around 40 smart directories in Funan, shoppers can browse and search for trending products before mapping the shortest route possible to reach a store with the guide system. Powered by hi-tech sensors, these smart directories can also make product recommendations based on the shopper’s demographic profile.
By the end of the year, shoppers can expect robot-assisted hands-free shopping and 24/7 click-and-collect drive-through service.
According to Chris Chong, Managing Retail Director at CapitaLand, “the reimagined Funan relaunches the mall as a social retail space for discovery, learning and shopping, underpinned by a digital layer of customer experience to enhance satisfaction.”
Moreover, out of the Funan Mall’s 400-odd car park spaces, 36 are allotted for reservation via the CapitaStar app. Through this new system, upon arrival, drivers will be guided to their designated parking slots by the video-based smart car-parking facility.
Interestingly, in-store smart terminals collect transaction data so that tenants can use the analytics to refine their offerings and enhance customer experiences.
In line with this, retailers are also incorporating digital innovations to enrich their in-store experience. Recently, Courts launched its first “IoT” (Internet of Things)-themed store, which sells the latest smart-home, AI and voice-control technology from leading brands, incorporating interactive in-store experiential concepts and robotics.
The revamped Funan Mall offers an incredible tech-based shopping experience, which goes beyond its products, but even to the way customers interact with stores and in choosing which products they need and are looking for while inside the establishment.