Theme parks enhance shopping experience in China

Entertainment and experiential shopping is set to step up a gear as China’s leading centre prepares to welcome a theme park.

RSUN Plaza, China’s shopping and entertainment centre will re-open on 28th April 2018. RSUN Business Group, a subsidiary of real estate developer Hongyang Group, will relaunch its RSUN Plaza in Nanjing, China.

The next level

Hailed as an integrated mall, RSUN Plaza will feature two shopping centres and a theme park, indicating a move towards the new O2O era, which encourages an innovative shopping experience.

Enhanced customer experience is becoming a key strategic and marketing drive for many physical stores. RSUN Business Group has focused on this at RSUN Plaza as it introduces consumers to one centre field, two theme blocks and three experience areas.

A shopping landmark

"We aim to make the new renovated RSUN Plaza the new commercial landmark in Nanjing and in eastern China," emphasised Sha Yong, Senior Vice President of Hongyang Group.

The developers hope to capture the attention of the younger demographic in particular: "With the new mall, we are building a new integrated and upgraded shopping experience in the hope of making it a go-to place for entertainment for the younger generation in Nanjing. Also, the mall will bring new business opportunities to Nanjing's commercial scene."

Cosmetics and fashion scene

Beauty, fashion and luxury will feature highly in the shopping centre. Increasingly the relationship between beauty and fashion industry has increased as styles, trends and insights complement each other. Cosmetics store, Sephora, that features around 300 brands and its own private label, will open in RSUN Plaza.

Globally recognised designer premium shops including Stayreal, Hardy Hardy, INXX, and Chinese designer brands, such as Vaawow and Hi Panda are expected to appeal to younger shoppers. Renowned fashion brands such as H&M, C&A and MUJI will open branches in the Jiangbei area of Nanjing along with other fashion brands Charles&Keith, Mo&Co, Mu and Guess.

Loyal shopping

A theme park, named Future World will also feature in the main shopping area and will contain four experiential areas: intelligence, energy, life and adventure. Shopping consumers will also have access to the tallest Ferris wheel in Nanjing, a 360-degree cinema, a VR experiential centre and an F1 race track.

Encouraging consumer loyalty, Future World will integrate advanced technology to offer an interactive experience where consumers can earn shopping points after wearing ID bracelets with sensors that provide access to a variety of experiences.

"As a leading company for developing the urban shopping lifestyle, RSUN Business Group integrates asset-light and asset-heavy strategies, and is dedicated to opening more stores across the country," added Yong.

Strategic plans

Looking at its strategic plans, Yong commented: "We aim to open and manage 100 home furnishing malls and 20 shopping malls by 2020 and become the leading commercial real estate operator in the country."

Headquartered in Nanjing, RSUN Business Group has grown to over 20 cities in China and has opened shopping centres in Changzhou and Hefei.