Mobile apps have become an integral part of the shopping experience for many mall patrons. Malls can utilize the power of mobile technology to gather customer feedback and data to improve operations, merchandise selection, promotions and overall shopper satisfaction. Integrating feedback system into a custom mall mobile app provides numerous benefits. Integrating a robust feedback system into a mall’s mobile app empowers shoppers to directly submit feedback that management can analyze in real-time to continuously improve operations, service, and experiences.
Key Reasons to Add a Feedback System
Adding a feedback system into a mall’s mobile application allows for:
- Gathering real-time customer opinions, reviews, and suggestions
- Identifying problem areas that need improvement
- Monitoring metrics like customer satisfaction scores
- Increasing engagement through feedback surveys and polls
- Streamlining feedback analysis with centralized data collection
- Providing customers a direct communication channel
Implementing structured feedback capture functionality creates a feedback loop between patrons and mall management. This allows malls to rapidly respond to shopper feedback rather than waiting for periodic customer surveys.
Design Considerations for Integration
The design of an integrated feedback system in a mobile app requires careful planning regarding:
Placement
Feedback features should be prominently placed for easy discovery and access. This includes entry points on the home screen, menu and individual store/service pages. Icons should clearly signify leaving feedback.
Feedback Submission Process
The channels, steps and questions posed to gather feedback should be concise, convenient and strategically structured. Each question should link to an actionable data point. Allow customers to rate stores, services, amenities, events and the mall overall.
Notifications
Alert shoppers via push notifications when the mall responds directly to their review or implements a suggestion they provided. This closes the feedback loop.
Moderation
All feedback requires moderation to prevent publication of inappropriate language and spam. Automated moderation filters supplemented by human oversight works best.
Analytics
Robust analytics provide segmentation of all data points, allowing deep analysis of metrics and benchmarks. Feedback analytics should integrate with other mall analytics like foot traffic, sales data and operational statistics.
Technical Implementation
Several technical considerations exist when integrating a feedback system into an existing native iOS or Android mall app.
Custom Development
For full control or custom feedback requirements, developers can build proprietary systems into apps:
- Native app capabilities like standard UI elements, geolocation, notifications and analytics tracking can be leveraged.
- Backend integration securely stores data in cloud databases like MongoDB or SQL.
- Web admin portals allow mall staff to manage feedback.
User Authentication
Associating feedback with a user account, while maintaining anonymity, allows improved data analysis. This requires integration between the app login system and feedback platform.
Key Feedback Features
Well-designed feedback systems contain structured submission forms, review capabilities and data analysis tools.
Feedback Forms
Forms standardize incoming data for easier reporting. Useful fields include:
- Location (map store/area selection)
- Department/category
- Type (complaint, suggestion, etc)
- Ratings (score aspects on scale of 1-10)
- Comments (freeform text)
- Images/video
Address common shopping pain points with targeted questions. Offer a general “contact mall management” form.
Review Creation
Shoppers appreciate reading feedback from fellow customers. Enable visitors to leave public reviews of stores, dining and entertainment. This builds social validation.
Sentiment Analysis
Mine text feedback for actionable insights. Sentiment analysis groups text by tone – positive, critical, or neutral. Trend patterns inform strategy.
Data Visualizations
Present key metrics through tables and charts. Show sentiment ratios, approval ratings over time, response times and resolution rates. Provide feedback leaderboards.
Moderation Tools
Automate moderation by flagging blacklist terms, spam patterns and suspicious behavior. Manual review ensures accuracy.
Benefits of Feedback Management
Mall feedback management via a well-designed mobile system provides:
For Customers
- Direct communication channel
- Ability to impact change
- Improved shopping experience
For Malls
- Valuable shopper insights
- Rapid issue resolution
- Increased customer retention
Key Takeaways
- Mobile apps enable structured feedback capture from mall patrons
- Integration with reviews and analytics maximizes value
- Design for broad adoption with convenient interfaces
- Use data to directly enhance customer satisfaction
Feedback systems promote transparency between patrons and mall staff, fostering lasting loyalty. They demonstrate that the mall values open communication and responsive service. With robust participation, mall analytics achieve a new level of richness and precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to common questions about integrating mall feedback systems:
What proprietary platforms best facilitate feedback management?
Power Reviews and Reevoo offer robust paid SaaS solutions tailored to retail, while centralized IT systems can also suffice.
What techniques encourage customer participation?
Incentives, gamification through points-based systems, alerts and streamlined submission forms boost engagement. Associate feedback to user accounts.
How should negative feedback be handled?
Negative reviews require prompt yet thoughtful responses. Demonstrate action taken while avoiding defensive tones. Identify systemic issues.
What visitor data should integrate with feedback?
Link feedback to purchase history, visit frequency, demographics and survey responses for context. Derive deeper insights.
How can feedback system adoption be measured?
Track submissions rates across channels, completion rates of feedback forms, user sentiment ratios and admin portal activity.
Conclusion
Mobile applications enable malls to put actionable, real-time shopper feedback directly into the hands of management and staff. By thoughtfully designing the submission process, moderation tools and analytical capabilities, malls can reap data-driven gains in visitor satisfaction and operational performance. Structured feedback loops implemented via mobile apps provide malls with their most direct conduit to the voice of the customer. Listening to and acting upon this voice is the surest path to driving improvements and excellence.