Challenges faced by shopping centers at busy times

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Customers who want advice before they decide on a new electrical device, or want to try on clothes and shoes before they buy them, go to the nearest shopping center or shopping arcade in a big city. They not only support local retailers, but can also take their purchases home directly.

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However, seasonal discounts, as usual in upcoming winter sales, often bring Retail challenges and his employees with him. Because the special offers attract bargain hunters to the shopping streets and shopping centers. The onslaught is inevitable and poses challenges for shopping centers in particular. If customers have to queue all the time, it can cloud their spirits: at the entrance barrier to the parking garage, at the cash registers in stores and finally, full of shopping bags, at the parking machines.

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Customers who have already been annoyed by looking for a parking space are then sooner or later faced with shop employees who are working at the limit due to the onslaught and are also stressed as a result. No matter how quickly they cash in, lines form and the customer's mood slips into the basement, because when hunting for bargains, the rule is: “only while supplies last.” The next special offer in the nearest store is not waiting!

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Managing the influx of visitors: The key role of parking space management in shopping centers

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However, a visit to the shopping center can also be relaxed in the middle of the sales hustle and bustle, namely when the first hurdle is removed: the stressful search for a parking space. It can therefore be worthwhile for shopping centers to rethink their parking space management and how “daseinstein” shopping center in Munichto rely on a digital, barrier-free system.

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One such solution works with privacy-compliant license plate recognition at entry and exit. From the time of arrival and departure, the system automatically calculates the parking time of customers and compares whether they have paid the amount for the entire parking period. Customers pay for their stay just before departure at touchscreen vending machines with user-friendly menu navigation and entering their license plate number. Depending on which vending machine the shopping center has installed, it can only be installed on cashless payment bet, or also offer cash payment. On request, parking users will receive a receipt for the parking fee paid. Alternatively, payment can be made with a smartphone via parking apps such as EasyPark or Parkster or online. This completely eliminates the need to go to the pay machine. After payment, parking users have around 15 minutes — depending on the size of the parking garage or parking space — to leave the parking area.

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A visit to the shopping center becomes even more attractive when there is a free parking period. The introduction of such a limited free or maximum parking period is also suitable for shopping centers or shopping arcades that have not yet opened their parking space supervise or cultivate, because they keep long-term parkers away without additional personnel costs. At the same time, nothing changes for customers as long as they leave the parking area within the free or maximum parking period.

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Benefits of innovative parking systems during peak shopping hours

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Reduced operating costs

For shopping centers, it is worthwhile to use digital parking management systems also financially, because these solutions require only a small amount of hardware on the floor space and are therefore relatively inexpensive to purchase. The digital systems are also economical in operation, as they have virtually no components susceptible to wear and tear, which saves repair, maintenance and maintenance costs. Digital parking space management systems also automate parking space management steps and processes, which eliminates sources of error and saves workload. Solutions that work with automatic number plate recognition do not require on-call service, as is necessary for barrier systems, because there are no barriers at exit and entry. This also eliminates the expenses for maintaining one. By dispensing with classic parking tickets, shopping centers are also saving paper and plastic waste and costs.

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Flexible pricing through smart evaluations
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A parking space management system based on license plate recognition also provides real-time data on the use of parking spaces without the need to install additional sensors. Shopping centers can view and analyze information about their parking spaces via a user-friendly dashboard. The option of this evaluation makes it possible to introduce a flexible pricing model based on space utilization. Data on current occupancy can also be transferred to websites and displayed on displays in or at the parking area.

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Seamless entry and exit for parking areas and parking garages

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Barrier-free access is particularly relevant during peak hours, such as Saturdays or during shopping events such as “Black Friday,” because customers and employees can seamlessly enter and exit the parking area at any time. There is no need to stop and withdraw tickets, which prevents backlogs at entry and exit. This not only speeds up the parking process, but also reduces CO2 emissions at the parking area.

Shopping centers offer even more convenience when they enable their customers to pay parking fees via a parking app or via a mobile website. This allows parking people to finish their visit to the shopping center without waiting at the vending machine even when it is busy.

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Happy customers and employees

Customers who enjoy their shopping stress-free even at peak times are not only happy to come back, they also express fewer complaints. This in turn contributes to a better mood among employees, who can concentrate on their actual tasks instead of dealing with customer complaints and inquiries in connection with parking spaces.

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Fewer wrong parkers
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Wrong parkers who use the parking area without paying or park their vehicle there beyond the permitted maximum or outdoor parking period can be traced almost completely thanks to license plate recognition. You will receive a payment request for an increased parking fee set by the shopping center. This will make the Parking space uninteresting for third-party parkers and parking spaces remain free for customers. That's when a visit to the shopping center starts relaxed, even at the final sale, instead of a stressful search for a parking space.

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This is how the Härder Center handles peak times with Peter Park
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The Härder Center is a shopping center in Lübeck's old town, offering customers a wide range of shopping and services on 10,000 square meters. The Härder Center includes an underground car park with 250 parking spaces, which is operated by KWL GmbH, a subsidiary of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. In autumn 2022 The shopping center replaced the barrier-based parking system with the digital solution from Peter Park and thus opened the first barrier-free parking garage in Lübeck. The new, digital parking system is significantly more cost-effective and less vulnerable to operation, as maintenance-intensive wear parts such as defective barriers are dispensed with. Thanks to GDPR-compliant license plate recognition, parkers can now access the underground car park seamlessly and without stopping at entry and exit: “With the new barrier-free parking garage, the city of Lübeck benefits from a parking system that not only makes parking in the city center easier, but also prevents traffic jams and reduces CO2 emissions,” explains Dr. Ralph Bruns, Parking Division Manager at KWL GmbH. Parking people can pay for their stay in the parking garage in cash, by card and via app.

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In addition to the Härder Center in Lübeck, the shopping center, for example, also “The Einstein” Peter Park's digital parking management system in Munich.

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