Let Them Loiter
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that shoppers aged 18 to 24 make 62% of their purchases in physical stores, compared with 52% among older shoppers. [1] Yet, just a couple of months later, the Journal reported on mall policies requiring visitors under 18 to arrive with an adult. [2]
Nobody wants to shop somewhere that feels unsafe, but banning all teenagers because a small number have caused trouble seems like a good way for the mall revival to shoot itself in the foot before it’s even properly got started.
A teenager who spends three hours on TikTok is a ‘highly-engaged user’ while the same teenager spending three hours at the mall is considered a nuisance. How’s that fair? It’s galling because digital platforms obsess over dwell time, with TV shows automatically rolling into the next episode before you’ve had a chance to find the remote and infinite scroll removing the natural point at which you might think to stop and do something else. Platforms are designed this way because every extra minute can become data or another opportunity to sell.
Brands have spent years learning how to maximize time spent online because they know that the longer people remain in an environment, the more likely they are to spend. Physical retail ought to remember that lesson: give people somewhere entertaining to spend time, then sit back and watch the money roll in.
Up to 95% of 13-to-17-year-olds use social media (not shocking), with a third reporting that they use it almost constantly (slightly more shocking). The U.S. Surgeon General (the same one that puts the subtle warning on the side of cigarette packets) says we cannot yet conclude that social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents. [3] Young people appear to have worked this out for themselves anyway, and they’re looking for somewhere else to go.
For a teenage Gen X, the mall was one of the few places where they could spend time without adult supervision. They could wander around, try things on, buy some fries, and socialize. Having a generous allowance made the whole experience better, but there was no real cost of entry.
That freedom had personal value to Gen X and commercial value to brands. The original ‘Mall Rats’ are now fully-grown consumers with way more spending power than they had in the 90s. Today’s teenagers deserve the same long-term view. They might not spend much on every visit, but they’re building habits that can last a lifetime. A mall full of teenagers might feel a bit chaotic at times, but without them it can feel like one of those eerie ‘liminal spaces’ to which entire sub-Reddits are dedicated.
Following the rules of ‘broken windows theory ’, it’s possible to speculate that the malls that are in more severe decline might be the exact environments that could encourage the kind of teen delinquency that brings about curfews and adult chaperone policies. Research does show that unstructured socializing among young people is associated with higher risks of anti-social behavior, while stronger community supervision can reduce that risk. [4] The path to an outcome that better suits all parties is better programming, not necessarily more mall cops.
In short, if Gen Z wants to hang out at the mall, give them something to do while they’re there.
Netflix House has moved into 100,000 square feet of a former Lord & Taylor at King of Prussia Mall, filling it with games, food and ticketed experiences based on Netflix shows. Netflix understands better than most how to keep people inside a branded environment. But expecting it to lead America’s return to offline life feels a stretch because its core business is still built around staying at home consuming content for hours on end. Even the Bloomberg writer who visited described four hours there as “like being stuck on autoplay, gently buffeted by an endless stream of experiences.” [5]
Dick’s Sporting Goods might have a stronger claim to the back-to-IRL revolution. Its House of Sport stores contain climbing walls, batting cages, and sometimes even ice rinks. Schools and teams can use the facilities, while customers can try products before buying them. Dick’s says these locations generate around $35 million in their first year, compared with $14 million at newer small-format stores. [5]
But you don’t need 100,000 square feet to participate; Coach and Canada Goose are seeing similar benefits from smaller-scale yet similarly immersive stores, including longer visits and stronger traffic. [7]. Smaller brands can earn outsized attention; all it takes is the right creative concept to generate footfall and trial. You don’t need Dick’s or Netflix money to get in on the action.
Brands have spent years perfecting the art of maximising online dwell time. Now Gen Z are dwelling IRL. Brands should build around that behavior rather than escorting them out the door.
Let them loiter, because they might just save one of the great American pastimes.
[1] The Wall Street Journal, “A New Generation of Mall Rats Has Arrived.” [link]
[2] The Wall Street Journal, “Teens Helped Bring Malls Back to Life. Now They’re Getting Banned.” [link]
[3] U.S. Surgeon General, Social Media and Youth Mental Health. [link]
[4] David Maimon and Christopher R. Browning, “Unstructured Socializing, Collective Efficacy, and Violent Behavior Among Urban Youth,” Criminology. The study found a relationship between unstructured socializing and youth violence, with stronger collective efficacy reducing that association. [link]
[5] Bloomberg CityLab, “Can Netflix Help Save the American Mall?” [link]
[6] The Wall Street Journal, “Inside a Dick’s Sporting Goods Megastore, Complete With an Ice Rink and Climbing Wall.” [link]
[7] The Wall Street Journal, “Shop Slow, Spend More: The Retailers Hoping That Customers Linger.” [7]
