Alaska Malls: still attracting customers in tough economic times.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: RETAIL

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In this turbulent economy, many people are choosing to save money .instead of spending it, and retailers are reacting to this trend by putting off ideas of expansion or moving into new markets. Still, malls in Alaska have been able to keep their doors open, not only by marketing heavily to retailers outside of the state, but by finding unique ways to communicate to and encourage prospective customers.

According to Maegan Kaser-Lee, director of mall marketing at the Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall, the recent back-to-school season bodes well for those in the retail industry. "This year, we've been very excited about the level of traffic we've seen--we saw a lot of customers in the mall for back-to-school sales and events," she said. "We're encouraged by this; it's a very good thing for our retailers."

While the mall's busiest time is around the holidays, the back-to-school season is comparable. "Because we're a publicly traded company, I can't provide numbers, but I will say that we're seeing a general increase in traffic now compared to last year," she added.

Established in 1987, the Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall was purchased by Simon Property Group in 1994. Tenants include anchor stores JCPenney and Nordstrom, as well as Coach, The Body Shop, Gap, Banana Republic and Ben Bridge Jewelers.

To attract customers to the 499,000-square-foot mall, Kaser-Lee says that mall staff constantly provide unique events to bring traffic in. "We held a back-to-school fashion show that enabled our retailers to showcase different looks that customers could then go in and purchase," she explained. "We also offer Shop Smarter Savings online and at every entrance to our facility, so that customers know what's going on inside the mall."

One of the newest ways that malls are attracting customers is through the use of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. "These sites are great because they allow us to hear directly from our customers and to see what they want," explained Kaser-Lee. "For example, one of the questions we ask is 'what new stores do you want to see?' We also continually post events and get feedback from customers about their experiences."

In June, a mall Facebook page was launched which gained 700 fans in one month. "We were surprised by the response we got--the numbers are great for the size of our market," Kaser-Lee said. "The sites are also really helpful in letting us respond to customer problems and questions; they help...