Predictions: what will Westfield Rise see more of in 2025?
Westfield Rise looks at key trends and behaviours shaping experiences in our malls for 2025.
Bold, surprising and on the edge of 'unhinged'
Expect to see more moments where they are so bizarre, it's probably genius.
Experiences are competing for attention. In a world of social media frenzy, being able to stop a scroll to interact is the name of the game. The same goes for physical experiential and smart media advertising - we're seeing more creative ad placement as well as surprising, odd and downright silly content to get us to take a second look.
It's seeing Duolingo birds rock up at Charlie XCX events, giant Percy Pigs from M&S creating parallel worlds in pop culture (M&S Percy Pig defying Gravity anyone?) or the madness of a giant pop tart at American football games certainly make us stop, see the brand in key cultural moments and reconsider, well, everything we thought we knew about the brand. Brands connecting to culture, in an era all about experience, is what will come out on top.
Brand experiences go beyond just physical and 'traditional' experiential
There's a fluidity between digital and physical, and we're seeing more tech that can safely follow the consumer journey across different mediums. Making experiences more connected into the audience's media usage is becoming more sophisticated.
A hybrid era - think the Sphere, Disney Theatre, think Horizon VR immersive experiences at Westfield... The experience extends past a physical moment for immersive events.
Return on Experience
Measurement models are critical. We can't deny the adoption of AI and the tools marketers have to now drive meaningful campaigns that are rooted in solid KPI's. The experiential market is quickly catching up and use AI and data to lessen market fragmentation, improve consumer experiences and create more effective and meaningful brand interactions. We are seeing more investment in data for planning, monitoring and measuring with our clients, and with Westfield Rise's innovative data platform across Europe, we are seeing clients value this more than ever.
Luxury and Gen Z: More redefined than refined
The time is now for Luxury to entice Gen Z with more than the usual reliance on 'heritage' and 'aspiration' styled creative and experience. Just as we are seeing more brands focus on the element of surprising/unhinged and creative 'interesting-ness', we expect to see Luxury brands amp up its relevance to Gen Z more this year. This demographic cohort is set to spend on luxury goods at a rate three times faster than other generations. Zoomers spend a quarter of their day on content, and content that is beautifully executed, but uninteresting, won't draw in their attention. Gen Z could account for nearly a third of luxury purchases by 2030, Bain reports. With Gen Z coming of age, and earning potential, expect more collaborations, more unusual 'absurdity' and a wider net in our spaces to capture the elusive Gen Z attention.
New categories, new inspiration
Westfield Rise is seeing a boom in new categories that weren't previously seen in experiential and media. For example, the evolution of the wellness market and the crossover from beauty is reflected across multiple markets in Westfield. A variety of wellness, premium healthcare and private educational institutions are dipping their toe into the experiential water and seeing the benefits of customer education and engagement. After our How We Shop report last year, one of the key trends was surrounding the rise of Wellness hubs.
Our research indicated a future rise in medical hubs in non-traditional settings, offering a diverse range of medical and wellness treatments. We expect to see a growth in how we use our retail environments as well as experiential spaces to better service the growing demand.
Want to brainstorm more on how we can help shape the future of experiences at Westfield Rise? Get in contact with us, we'd love to chat!