Many shopping centre owners think the customer experience begins at the entry doors. In practice, it begins earlier, in the car park. How easily a space can be found, how the car park looks and feels, and how simple the journey is from car to shopfront all shape a customer’s impression of a centre before they even step inside.
For owners and operators, the car park is genuinely part of the overall customer experience, not just the place customers leave their car.
What shapes a customer’s experience in the car park
A customer’s impression is built from a series of small, cumulative details: clear entry signage, an intuitive traffic flow, easy access to a space, well-maintained surfaces and line-marking, and a straightforward, well-signed route from car to shopfront.
Where these elements are missing or inconsistent, customers notice, even when they can’t always explain what feels off about a car park.
Case study: improving customer experience across a national retail portfolio
One of Australia’s largest retail landlords (the Client) identified the car park as a critical part of the customer journey. They had a vision of ensuring consistent customer experience across their portfolio.
The Client engaged ptc. to review car parks at over 20 shopping centres across four Australian states.
Ensuring consistent experience at car parks
The first stage of the project involved site visits to all centres, organised into 13 trips to manage travel time and cost efficiently. Two ptc. consultants attended each site, documenting issues using a checklist developed in conjunction with the client. Across the portfolio, an average of 709 photos and videos were taken at each centre to support the findings.
The review identified areas of concern relating to traffic flow, signage, accessible parking, drop-off zones, pedestrian crossings, trolley bays and loading areas, among other issues. Findings were presented in a detailed report, prioritised into short, medium and long-term recommendations. The analysis also informed a Design and Linemarking Guideline the client can apply consistently across new and existing sites.
In the second stage of the project our civil engineers developed the designs and solutions to address the identified issues.
The Client first obtained a plan to achieve consistent customer experience across its portfolio of car parks. Then, ptc. supported them through the implementation of the solutions.
What car park reviews typically uncover
- Traffic flow conflict points, between vehicles and between vehicles and pedestrians
- Design and location of pedestrian crossings
- Parking provision for specific user groups, such as parents with prams or electric vehicles
- Location of drop-off areas for taxis, rideshare, private vehicles and emergency vehicles
- Regulatory and wayfinding signage
- Condition of surfaces, line-marking and other aspects that affects how a car park looks and feels..
A combined approach: parking, traffic and civil engineering
ptc. combines civil and traffic engineering with parking advisory expertise to give you a complete view of your retail car park. How your customer feels in the car park can be improved by a design review, safety check, or wayfinding and linemarking upgrades.
Book a car park review call
If your car park is shaping your customers’ experience before they reach your shopfronts, it’s worth understanding how our civil, traffic and parking team can help you. We can review your car park and recommend practical improvements.