Gen Z Brings Back Mall Hangouts

It turns out that Gen Z is bringing malls back to cultural dominance, re-establishing them as the hub for shopping and social gathering.

Why It Sells: The internet has dominated commerce, communication, and culture over the past decade as ecommerce and social media became the rage. But Gen Z, now looking for a reprieve from online life, is reclaiming physical spaces as places of connection.

Between the Stores: What was old is now new again — malls are cool.

• A 2023 survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers found that 60% of Gen Zers visited malls just to socialize.
• Gen Z is also spending more at their age than previous generations, leading to cumulative sales growing for the past three years and store-vacancy rates hitting a two-decade low.
• Luxury malls, in particular, are having a renaissance, thanks to their aesthetics, a mix of high and low brands, and options for fine dining (Taiwanese chain Din Tai Fung is a favorite on the West Coast).

Checkout: Malls have also embraced live events and the experience economy (American Dream Mall in NJ has a ski slope), making them an ironic backdrop for social media content. To that end, the American Dream Mall (which also houses MrBeast’s Beast Burgers) gives Twitch streamers Kai Cenat and Adin Ross free reign for their videos, and Simon Property Group (the largest mall operator) has turned to influencers for marketing. Expect more malls to create spaces that are both an IRL and a digital destination.