Most retail centre car parks have a corner regular customers know well: the level or spot that’s almost always free. For time-poor shoppers, it’s a small convenience. For owners and operators, it’s an opportunity lost.
To balance customer experience and ROI, we advise retail car parks to aim for 85% utilisation rate at peak times. Above that, you may be losing customers who cannot find a space and decide to shop somewhere else. Below that, the asset isn’t returning what it should, whether that shows up in revenue, in customer access to the centre, or both.
Before you commit to costly upgrades, you need to understand what’s actually driving the underuse, and what can realistically be done about it.
Demand or design: diagnosing the problem
Setting aside external factors, low utilisation generally comes down to one of two causes: insufficient demand or a design that makes parts of the car park difficult to use. Where demand is the issue, commercial measures such as adjusted pricing, additional services, or improved communications and marketing can help rebalance supply and demand.
Repurposing options for space that can’t be filled
When capacity genuinely exceeds demand, repurposing part of the car park can turn unused space into a working asset. Options include end-of-trip facilities, a car wash station, parcel lockers, or converting at-grade areas into public space or amenity.
Each option needs to be assessed against the centre’s specific customer profile and site constraints, but the underlying principle holds: you should not consider unused car park space as another cost to absorb. Look at it as an opportunity worth investigating.
Four ways to lift car park utilisation
When demand is high, but you still have underutilised areas, then the issue might be with the car park layout, signage, or how different user groups are interacting with the space. Consider:
- Reviewing the car park’s design. Implementing a clear and easy-to-navigate traffic flow will help customers reach those initially hidden areas.
- Implementing an effective wayfinding system. Purposely guide customers to underutilised areas by installing effective wayfinding and signage.
- Introducing and monitoring a staff parking policy. When a staff parking policy isn’t enforced, prime customer bays are occupied before the centre opens.
- Maintaining a clean, well-lit, easily accessible environment throughout. Customers will avoid areas that aren’t inviting or look unsafe. Make sure all car park areas have the look and feel your customers deserve.
Why the upfront investment is worth it
ptc.’s traffic and parking experts have long argued that spending more at the design stage pays off. Retrofitting a car park after construction, to correct a design that didn’t work in the first place, is typically more expensive, more disruptive, and less effective for customers and operators alike. Exploring the full potential of a car park from the outset gives investors a better return and gives customers an easier journey from their car to the shops.
Book a car park utilisation review
Get more from your car park. ptc. combines civil and traffic engineering with parking advisory expertise to help retail centre owners and operators maximise their assets, from design advice through to wayfinding and signage.
Find out how your car park can perform better.