The big shopping centre anchor tenants are working hard to bring back customers lost to cool specialty shops and online retail venues

For example J.C. Penney, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue and Kohl's have changed their retail merchandise mix and in-store environments. Note the celebrity-designed fashions, mobile marketing and better fitting rooms.

It is all about youth culture as well. Get the kids to come in without turning off their parents. Here is the logic. Consumers are cutting back on spending. The reasoning: But, even as parents tighten their belts, they still spend freely on their children. If kids can get their parents to drive them to stores, the parents will end up shopping for themselves, too.

This trend supports our assertion that online experience marketing – targeting kids who are more web savvy is a powerful way to build revenues.

Understanding the needs and experience of each target group is critical to success, and successful retailers are going one step further, introducing a range fo cutting edge tools that give them real time feedback and continuous engagement from their customers, and the marketplace.

They need a "retail magnet" and a number of suppliers are taking the latest engagement and feedback trends to the next level of success..