For decades, retail success revolved around one strategy: secure a big-name anchor tenant. These household brands would draw in shoppers, who would then explore the rest of the mall. But times have changed. Today, consumer behavior is more fragmented, competition for retail space is fiercer, and anchor tenants alone can no longer guarantee a mall’s long-term success.
In this new landscape, the true anchor is data — specifically, footfall data.
The Shift: From Big Brands to Big Insights
Anchor tenants like supermarkets, department stores, or cinemas were once the cornerstone of a mall’s leasing strategy. But with e-commerce competition, changing consumer habits, and more specialized retail formats, leasing teams need a new way to prove value to tenants.
That’s where footfall data comes in.
By understanding where, when, and how visitors move through a mall, managers can highlight not just that shoppers are coming, but which zones attract the most traffic, how long visitors stay, and where opportunities exist to boost engagement.
How Leasing Teams Use Footfall Data
1. Attracting New Tenants
Brands want proof of opportunity before committing to a lease. Footfall analytics give leasing teams hard evidence of daily visitor volumes, peak times, and zone strengths.
2. Supporting Renewal Negotiations
Long-term tenants often question whether their location still delivers. With people counting data, managers can show historical performance, growth trends, and zone comparisons — providing confidence to renew leases.
3. Optimizing Tenant Mix
Not every tenant drives equal value. By analyzing traffic flows, malls can identify underperforming zones and strategically place food & beverage outlets, lifestyle brands, or entertainment spots to balance traffic.
4. Enhancing Marketing Campaigns
Data-backed insights help leasing and marketing teams work hand-in-hand. Campaigns can be targeted at low-footfall zones or scheduled to coincide with peak visitor times for maximum tenant benefit.
Example in Action
A mid-sized mall was struggling to fill a retail wing with low visibility. Instead of offering blanket rental discounts, the leasing team used zone-by-zone footfall data to show prospective tenants that while overall traffic was high, this wing simply needed stronger attractions to activate it. They successfully repositioned the area with a mix of food, lifestyle, and event pop-ups — and over time, data showed a 25% lift in traffic.
Without footfall insights, that wing might have remained underutilized. With data, it became an opportunity.
Why Skywave?
At Skywave, we’ve worked with malls and retailers across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia for over 28 years. Our people counting systems don’t just track entry counts – they deliver zone-level insights, long-term traffic trends, and actionable reports that leasing teams use every day to strengthen their tenant strategy.
Whether you manage a boutique mall or a mega lifestyle destination, the right data is your strongest anchor.
The New Anchor Tenant
In 2025 and beyond, success isn’t about chasing the biggest brand names – it’s about proving value through data. Footfall insights give leasing managers the power to attract tenants, support renewals, and optimize the mall experience for shoppers and retailers alike.
📊Talk to us about turning data into a revenue driver : Contact – Skywave
