Here’s a test. Walk through the complete parking lot of the strip center or lifestyle shopping center that you manage. All the way from the furthest point at the back of the parking area, walking straight through the parking spaces right up to a storefront.

Do this tomorrow, AFTER the close of business.

I know, you never do this – you take the closest parking spot or park at a rear entry point. So, you don’t normally see the discarded bags, diapers, urine-filled bottles and gum.  But your tenants’ customers do see the details of parking areas just outside their stores.

It is no surprise that a customer places a high value on her initial perception of your shopping center while walking up to a storefront.

In his book, “Predatory Marketing: What Everyone in Business Needs to Know to Win Today’s Consumer,” C. Britt Beemer identifies a telling statistic- “53% of shoppers base their initial perception of your store and their decision to buy on the appearance of the store exterior.”

The parking lot area that customers traverse to reach stores creates that first impression. This is true whether you manage a free-standing big-box store, strip center, mall or lifestyle center.

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