ICSC CONFERENCE: Why men have less attention span than fish

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The ‘menaissance’ might be driving a rise in men’s clothing brands (the menswear market is forecast to grow 22.5% by 2020 according to reports), but shopping centres have a long way to go if they are to keep men entertained in the mall itself, according to Michael Bjerregaaard.

 

Addressing over 600 retail real estate professionals at ICSC’s annual European conference in Warsaw, Bjerregaaard provocatively stated: ‘I hate shopping malls.’

Bjerregaaard is the global sales director of Danish experiential provider Realfiction, which creates visual experiences ‘that leave memorable impressions of a brand’. Using mixed reality such as holograms and next-generation displays, Realfiction helps brands get their message out, at the same time apparently entertaining men who don’t enjoy more traditional shopping, and catching their attention.

‘These days people have a shorter attention span than a fish,’ he said. ‘In a shopping centre I typically get dehydrated and headachy,’ said Bjerregaaard. ‘Nothing captures my attention.’

Realfiction helped a Danish confectionary product boost sales in a top Danish department store. A holographic film was made and the three-dimensional information flowed around the products on display. In the first week sales increased by 110%.

‘We don’t think of what we do as providing a return on investment, but a return on attention,’ said Bjerregaaard.