“Park Station serves as a major transport interchange, with commuters from Soweto, as well as from the west and south of Johannesburg. Of these travellers, a lot are business, but interestingly, research shows that a growing number of people are using the Gautrain at off-peak periods to travel to and from large shopping malls, previously not accessible to them. They now do not have to worry about congested traffic routes,” Adelaide McKelvey, Continental Outdoor Media sales and marketing director.

Continental Outdoor Media has what is known as the ‘Born to Shop’ outdoor advertising package available to clients at Park Station and the wider Gautrain route. “We encourage advertisers to remember that shopping malls have become less about shopping and more about entertainment. With apps and technology to serve up deals to customers the minute they step through the doors, malls are firmly embracing the smart phone crowd. Creative campaigns should take this into account when purchasing this network package,” said McKelvey.
The research also revealed that shoppers who spend time in retail shopping malls are more likely to make impulse purchases than those who shop online. “There are a large number of retailers whose locations exist almost exclusively within larger malls. The challenge for these stores is letting customers know that they exist and that they offer products and services that Park Station commuters would be interested in,” McKelvey noted.

Meanwhile, Continental Outdoor Media has also devised a Gautrain ‘hip and happening’ network package. The research indicated that 44% of the group defined as ‘hip and happening’ travel on the Gautrain on a regular basis. Characteristics of this marketing cluster include an aversion to taking on 'adult' burdens and being tied down by bonds and children, preferring instead to prolong their youth. A significant number of this group are already earning substantial salaries and wish to cram as much as they can into each day with preferred leisure activities being out of home. “This is a hence a key target group for outdoor advertisers,” said McKelvey.