Mall owners are eager to remain relevant in the era of Internet shopping
By Esther Fung | The Wall Street Journa;
Add another category to the growing list of companies monitoring their customers: shopping-mall landlords.
As more shoppers tote smartphones while browsing in stores, shopping-center owners are tracking their movements and spending habits to try to figure out how best to arrange stores and mall layouts to boost shopping activity.
Some landlords measure how long people stay in the mall, how long they linger in particular stores or displays, and where they were before and after heading to the mall. That gives them a better idea of which stores benefit from being in proximity to one another.
