More than 20% increase in the efficiency of information flow, over 1,500 man-hours and 15,000 pieces of paper saved: this sums up the benefits for JSE-listed EPP, the biggest shopping centre owner in Poland, after the first six months of using EPP Connect – its innovative application for communication between shopping centre management and tenants. The app is already being used by 90% of retailers in 16 of EPP’s shopping centres and has proved that this new technology not only improves and speeds up communication but also saves time and resources.
EPP Connect combines the functions of an easy-to-use social media, a “bulletin board” and an advanced reporting and facilities management tool. It allows for an easier and faster flow of data necessary for cooperation between a centre’s landlord and tenants, enables EPP to get instant feedback from its business partners, and provides an analysis and reporting system. It was designed for EPP by Chainels and implemented in March 2021, and immediately received a positive response from its users. An impressive 90% of tenants at EPP’s shopping centres that offer the application have already activated it, and it has reached 100% engagement at “pilot” EPP Connect locations, such as Park Handlowy Zakopianka in Krakow.
“The EPP Connect platform has quickly proven to be a great success. We have taken our communications with tenants to a new level using modern technology. EPP Connect allows for a more streamlined flow of information, speed of action and rapid responses. We can reach all tenants and their teams with key messages in real-time. This literally saves time and money,” says Tomasz Trz, CEO of EPP.
The app has achieved tangible operational costs savings for the company and enabled a transition to paper-free communication. Using EPP Connect has improved work efficiency and saved around 96 hours a year per property. For 16 EPP centres, this amounts to 192 working days in total.
Another great advantage of EPP Connect is its social aspect. The app makes it possible for all employees and tenants to participate in the life of a shopping centre. The most important messages and information about events taking place in the mall instantly reach all staff, regardless of their position, and can be read both on mobile phones and computers. Tenants’ employees willingly get involved in building the community of their shopping centre, which is made easy by the user-friendly interface and modern functionality of the app. This way of communicating has proved to be effective – currently, up to 93% of tenants’ staff receive the information available on the EPP Connect app. In contrast, according to Chainels’ calculations, traditional methods reach about 70% of employees.
“We have succeeded in providing a simple and efficient tool to manage communication and strengthen relationships at the tenant-property manager level and between tenants themselves. And we are pleased to see the high level of engagement of both store managers and their employees. The “Tenants for Tenants” discount programme, where businesses can offer attractive discounts to their “neighbours”, is particularly popular. Also, the industry-wide initiative in Poland to put masks on mannequins faces to promote mask-wearing while shopping was popularised among retailers via the app. Our tenants responded swiftly to the call and joined the campaign. The outcome exceeded our expectations. And this is only one example of the tremendous potential of the EPP Connect app,” comments Wojciech Knawa, Head of Property Management at EPP.
