Malls take the Santa experience high-tech
NEW YORK: Hop on a virtual sleigh ride to the North Pole. Stand on the “Naughty or Nice O’Meter.” Snap a selfie and see your face on a dancing elf. The Santa experience has gotten a makeover as many malls install shows and games they hope will lure shoppers who are buying more online.
About 40 malls in the US and one in London have the high-tech Santa displays, most of them located near major cities that tend to house pricier stores. Taking photos on Santa’s lap costs about $30 and up, around the same as at other malls, but most of the malls say people can walk through without purchasing anything. “It was a half-hour of entertainment that was free,” says Katie Mass, who took her twin daughters through Santa’s Flight Academy, a 3,000-square-foot setup at The Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey.
She had gone to the mall to return some dresses, but had to stop when her 2-year olds saw the spectacle. “They started running,” says the stay-at-home mom from Westfield, New Jersey. The girls tapped touch screens, pulled levers and watched as flight suits were virtually fit over their bodies on a screen. The final stop was a two-story tall enclosed sleigh that dropped fake snow upon them. One girl made snow angels on the floor while her sister danced under the colorful lasers. “It was extravagant and well done,” says Mass.
Malls are hoping the over-the-top Santa visits remind people what brickand-mortar stores can offer. They’re increasingly trying to offer special experiences as they compete with online rivals, says Howard Davidowitz, chairman of New York-based retail consulting group Davidowitz & Associates. “The parents love it, the kids love it and Amazon can’t do it,” says Davidowitz.
Santa’s Flight Academy was developed by mall operator Taubman Centers Inc., which spent two years on the idea. After testing it last year at The Mall of San Juan in Puerto Rico, the company rolled it out to 11 other Taubman malls this year, replacing a low-tech ice palace that had housed Santa for years. Like other malls with elaborate Santa sets, Taubman declined to say how much it spent on Santa’s Flight Academy.