GenZ are returning to malls – Here’s why

Picture: iStock Shopping malls are not dead. They’re just different, and Gen Z is returning to shopping centres in ways that are forcing a rethink of purpose. Mall-ratting could be staging a slow-burn comeback as it’s becoming the weld-point between digital living and physical expression.

Research showed that a significant portion of younger consumers are choosing to spend money in physical stores, despite being the most digitally fluent generation. The appeal is directly related to a growing nostalgia trend and a return to physical media, 90s fashion and music. It’s a trend that draws back to authenticity.

But shopping and instant purchase gratification only tell part of the story, said Ingrid Pollak, a social worker in private practice. “Malls have become one of the most contained and ‘safest’ spaces for young people,” said Pollak. “It’s a ‘one stop shop’ where many parents of Gen Z feel is safe for their children to hang out and gives the parents a sense of security.” There is a sense of safety, she said, that creates a wider appeal.

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“It’s a space where youngsters can hang out with their friends, meet new people, interact with the opposite gender, have social interaction, be seen and experience life in real time,” she said. This as reportage continually creates a backdrop of Gen Zs isolation caused by digital living. “They have grown up hyper-connected digitally, but this hasn’t translated into feeling deeply connected with others,” she said. “I’m seeing more and more Gen Z’s venting about not having friends, difficulty making friends or changing friendships quickly instead of working through relationship difficulties.”

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