The Mall Group eyes experience-led retail with CRM and AI focus

The strategy focuses on increasing customer dwell time.

The Mall Group is continuing its shift toward experience-led retail, focusing on customer relationship management (CRM), artificial intelligence (AI), and expanded loyalty ecosystems across its shopping mall portfolio.

Speaking at the Retail Asia Summit 2026 Thailand, Punnic Jotinujit, vice-president for marketing innovation and data intelligence at The Mall Group, outlined how malls are evolving beyond traditional retail spaces into integrated lifestyle destinations that combine shopping, dining, entertainment, and data-driven customer engagement.

He described The Mall Group as a “customer and brand interface” rather than a passive landlord, saying the company aims to create a modified shopping model where tenants, customers and data systems are tightly integrated.

The group currently operates a portfolio of malls, department stores and gourmet markets, including premium retail destinations such as Emporium, EmQuartier, and EmSphere in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit district.

The key strategy of The Mall Group is its membership ecosystem, which now exceeds seven million members.

Punnic said the system has evolved beyond basic loyalty cards into a financial and digital ecosystem. This includes co-branded payment cards with Bangkok Bank and Visa, allowing customers to earn points both inside and outside mall premises.

“Whenever you select a card, you earn points. Whenever you swipe cards outside the store, you also earn points, or you earn versions worldwide,” he said.

Punnic outlined a framework for customer value built on innovation, convenience and sustainability. “If you're talking about the customer value now, what our customer actually values in your plan, your product, or your service,” he said, referring to how customers assess value in products and services, adding that key drivers include product innovation, rewards and efficiency.

“If the customer spends less time, or they use less time, or they use less money, it will be of bigger value to the customer,” he said.

Beyond efficiency, he said environmental and social impact will play a growing role. “If your product service provides what we call the power of goods for your people, planet, and also the place, it will be of exponential value.”

The Mall Group is also increasingly integrating AI into its retail experience, including navigation, tenant discovery and personalised recommendations.

Punnic said AI tools are being used to analyse customer behavior and suggest restaurants or stores based on preferences.

The company is also developing a virtual shopping assistant, which can interact with customers in multiple languages and provide personalised recommendations.

The group is pushing to increase dwell time by turning malls into lifestyle and entertainment hubs, incorporating cinemas, dining zones, attractions, and digital engagement through mobile applications. Interactive features include mobile coupons, gamified rewards and in-mall engagement tools designed to encourage repeat visits.

The company is also investing in experiential installations, including themed attractions and social-media-friendly “Instagram spots” such as character installations and immersive displays.

Punnic cited the importance of digital and physical integration, including high-speed connectivity, LED streaming infrastructure and real-time content displays in malls.

He said malls are being designed to support livestreaming, influencer content creation and interactive digital engagement.

Looking ahead, The Mall Group said it is exploring subscription-based retail models alongside traditional loyalty programmes.

He added that data from customer behaviour will be used to improve tenant performance and predictive recommendations, helping retailers understand purchasing patterns and cross-category behaviour.

Moreover, Punnic pointed to the growing importance of sustainability-linked retail metrics, saying environmental compliance will soon become a key retail standard across Asia.