Project Restart
Ayala Malls pivots to meet the needs of shopping in the New Normal. Patty Coronel and Tin Yabao shares what’s in the bag
Words by RHYS BUCCAT
Missing your favorite mall? Perhaps, not as much as the self-professed shoppaholics Patty Coronel and Tin Yabao. As marketing managers of Ayala Malls, they call themselves “professional mall rats” who live and breathe malling. That is, until malls were closed temporarily during the first weeks of the lockdown.
“Around March, when the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, we were already anticipating massive changes in the market,” Tin said. They arranged a big meeting with the heads of all 32 Ayala Malls from Luzon to Mindanao and unanimously decided to scrap all the plans they laid out for the rest of the year. Instead, they launched “Project Restart.”
Team effort. Malls may have closed during the lockdown, but the team continued to work behind the scenes (and at home) to protect merchants and prepare for reopening. Jennylle Tupaz, President of Ayala Malls, with the Central Marketing Team in a photo taken in 2019. Left to right: Ana Sison, Patty Coronel, Joan Mejino-Sy, Eunice Velasco, Tintin Enriquez-Yabao, Ernest Valencia, Arrianne Moreno-Nadurata of Alabang Town Center, and Jara Lucero of Glorietta.
“They arranged a big meeting with the heads of all 32 Ayala Malls from Luzon to Mindanao and unanimously decided to scrap all the plans they laid out for the rest of the year.”
Serving the “New Shopper”
Each department head was assigned to conduct research in her area and generate insights into people’s changing shopping behavior. Such steps enabled them to respond quickly when the government implemented the Luzon-wide community quarantine in the middle of March and malls had to be shut down.
According to Patty, each mall came up with unique ways to continue their operations and thus serve the needs of the community. Glorietta converted its activity center into a pick-up area for shoppers ordering online, while Alabang Town Center proposed building pop-up stores in their parking area where shoppers can drive through. These initiatives gave birth to what they now call “Drive-Buy” shopping, where people can simply call the merchant to place their order and pick them up in a designated zone by the mall. Contactless payment is also preferred.
Breaking boundaries. Drive-Buy brought the “mall” experience outside of the mall, helping small businesses who relied on foot traffic and empowering customers with both choices and convenience.
“We actually compare the experience to being picked up by your parents at the airport. You tell your dad or mom to meet you at a certain bay,” Tin said.
According to Patty, the main beneficiaries of Drive-Buy are the merchants, who are mostly SMEs and rely on the mall’s foot traffic for income. It has also been a great service for people who cannot enter the malls, including senior citizens, pregnant women, and teenagers.
“People didn’t feel safe enough to expose themselves to the mall. With Drive-Buy, at least, they are safe inside their car. And they don’t have to leave their cars in order to collect their items,” Patty added.
Familiar Faces, and still Comforting Places
However, Patty and Tin agree that nothing beats the malling experience we’re used to. “The environment inside the mall is very different,” said Patty. “When I enter the mall, you see familiar faces. I’m sure I’m gonna see Tita something here and Tita something there – that whole environment.”
But Drive-Buy is a part of the new normal. Generating millions of sales on its initial run, Tin said Ayala Malls’ fast response to fill the gaps has been very much appreciated by merchants and customers alike. It’s a testament of Ayala’s commitment to make shopping as convenient and delightful as possible. (Read more about Ayala Malls’ response to the crisis in “We’re In This Together”.)
Shopping therapy. For many Filipinos, the reopening of the malls were a sign that life was slowly returning to normal. They could enjoy familiar favorites and satisfying customer experiences, with proper safety protocols.
“I think this service made our customers feel that we are still there. I mean everywhere, the malls may be closed. But you know, we’re finding ways to reach out to them and still offer them what they want diba? in their own terms, at their time,” Tin said.
Drive-Buy enabled people to order food from their favorite restaurants and thus satisfy their cravings without getting exposed outside. Some people purchased books for reading during their extra time, while others bought home essentials for their work-from-home set up. Many also bought essentials for their fur babies and succulents. Indeed, no one is left behind. #
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 11, 2020
