CREview Ep. 69
How to Market a Shopping Center with Vacant Units
Marketing a shopping center with vacant space takes more than a “space available” sign doing its best. Josh and Dylan unpack how retail leasing teams can help the right tenant see the opportunity, not just the square footage.
Key Takeaways
MARKET THE VACANCY AS A SPECIFIC BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, NOT JUST AN EMPTY SPACE WITH SPECS.
TELL THE STORY OF WHO SHOPS THERE, WHY THEY COME, AND WHAT ROLE THE RIGHT TENANT COULD PLAY IN THE CENTER.
USE EXISTING TENANTS AS PROOF OF DEMAND BY SHOWING HOW THE CENTER’S TENANT MIX WORKS AS AN ECOSYSTEM.
TURN TRADE-AREA DATA INTO A STORY THAT MAKES THE COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY EASY FOR A TENANT TO UNDERSTAND.
USE VIDEO, LANDING PAGES, AND VISUALIZATION TO HELP PROSPECTIVE TENANTS PICTURE THEIR BUSINESS SUCCEEDING IN THE SPACE.
Marketing a shopping center
Market the space as a specific business opportunity rather than simply advertising square footage. Show prospective tenants why their concept could succeed there using the center’s story, tenant mix, trade-area data, and visual content.
Include the tenant mix, trade-area demographics, daytime population, foot traffic, nearby growth, competitor gaps, and a clear explanation of why the opportunity makes commercial sense for the right tenant.
Do more than list the numbers: turn demographics, foot traffic, population growth, and void analysis into a clear story about demand and opportunity in the market.
Existing tenants provide proof that customers already have reasons to visit the center. Showing how grocery, fitness, restaurants, services, and other uses drive traffic at different times can help a prospective tenant understand where they fit.
The episode recommends targeted social campaigns, short-form video, email sequences, dedicated leasing landing pages, and content tailored to specific tenant categories rather than relying on one generic leasing flyer.
Yes. A dedicated landing page can bring the space, trade-area data, tenant mix, site plan, video, and void analysis into one place while also allowing the brokerage to track prospect engagement.
AI-assisted visualization can help prospective tenants picture a vacant unit as a café, fitness studio, wellness concept, or other use by adding signage, furniture, people, and other visual elements to the existing space.
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