From access to simple services – such as paying for parking and finding stores – shopping mall apps have evolved into strategic platforms for data, loyalty and consumer journey personalization. Mobility now combines transactional functions (parking payments, billing) with relationship software and information tools that allow for segmented campaigns and greater integration between customers, retailers and malls. In some cases, 30% to 44% of shopping mall purchases are actually made through apps.
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For Luiz Alberto Marinho, Managing Partner at Gouvêa Malls, apps are no longer just informational tools but have become relationship and personalization platforms. He explains that applications were treated as simple consultation channels, but they began to operate within the concept of Web 2.0 and are now moving towards 3.0, with the increased use of data and digital intelligence.
Therefore, its use was no longer limited to the occasional scanning of invoices in promotional campaigns, and began to encourage ongoing registration, commitment to loyalty programs, and increased participation.
— The app stops being a source of information and becomes a source of interaction. This represents a major shift in the type of marketing that shopping centers can do today. I don’t need to go to the media to talk to everyone, when in fact I want to talk to a specific segment for each campaign or each presentation I run. So, it’s very relevant.
A clear example of this transformation is Multi, from Multiplan, owner of projects such as BarraShopping and VillageMall. The network app was launched in 2019 and has already surpassed 8.5 million downloads. In Q3 2025, Multi registered more than 1.5 million active customers, with a monthly average of more than 900,000 unique users.
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According to Richard Svartman, Director of Digital Innovation at Multiplan, the platform centralizes the company’s ecosystem of solutions: automatic payment by license plate reading, relationship software, and exclusive features and tools that integrate data from the physical and digital environment.
– If previously apps were just service channels, today Multi is a personalized platform, able to adapt offers, communications and journeys to each customer, powered by data and artificial intelligence (AI). Next steps include expanding this personalization and enhancing integration between customers, retailers and employees.
Multiplan has already generated sales of R$2.5 billion in the first nine months of 2025 via the app (44% increase compared to 2024) and the number of customers receiving benefits increased by 42% during the year. Functions such as automatic payment collect more than 1.4 million registered vehicles and account for more than 60% of transactions in some projects.
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Through the app, consumers collect points, redeem products and access benefits in stores, gastronomy and entertainment; Most repeat customers also have the Platinum status, with free parking, valet parking, lounges and exclusive invitations.
Svartman explains that Multi’s built-in intelligence allows you to map complex data, such as frequency of visits, average ticket, categories consumed, and behavior patterns. He says AI improves the timeliness of communications, which has increased the open rate of app notifications by 260%. Additionally, it provides store owners with business intelligence tools, such as the “Know Your Customers” dashboard, which provides demographic information, allowing adjustments to be made to mix, campaigns and service.
This digital transformation is not limited to Multiplan. Ancar, owner of Botafogo Praia Shopping and Shopping Nova América, has an app that has already surpassed 1 million downloads in 2025.
The technology agenda to improve the consumer experience has also been accelerated and the company maintains two apps (one for consumers and one for retailers). In addition, it developed the virtual assistant Ana, which since 2024 has acquired a conversational function and began to suggest itineraries, products and gifts via apps and WhatsApp.
— Previously, our role was to bring flow to the mall. Today, it’s also about getting to know the customer. Who are these people? What are your habits? Shopping promotions, discount coupons and relationship programs are important tools for understanding the customer and allow us to communicate in a personal way with the customer.
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By analyzing behavior and purchasing, the mall can direct more accurate campaigns. If there is sponsorship for a race, for example, it is possible to offer benefits or coupons only to customers with a sporting background or profile.
Retailers use the app to publicize launches, send coupons, track views, compare store performance with sector performance, as well as monitor the busiest times. For Cecilia, every interaction is a source of information.
-The more we know about the consumer, the more solid our value proposition becomes. This information helps guide our strategy, by aggregating these benefits. Assists in determining schedule, calendar of events and benefits package within programs. It also supports the merchandising area when we get a deeper analysis of sales and store performance.
At Allos, in projects such as Shopping Leblon and Shopping Tijuca, the focus on the relationship program has achieved big numbers: the platform brings together more than 2 million CPFs and 630 partner brands. Furthermore, 30% of sales in the group’s shopping malls are already recorded via invoices registered in the app.
According to Pedro Villarino, the company’s director of new business, growth and digital products, customers who join the program begin frequenting malls 17% more frequently in the following 12 months, and the company identifies clear gains in both engagement and behavioral data.
— If a consumer has never bought from Store X, but usually buys from Y, and we know that those who buy from one tend to like the other, we can offer a promotion. We already use this personal connection. There are even some ways to know a person’s presence inside the mall, such as the license plate number. If we know the consumer is there, we can deliver the offer at the best time.
Scoring technology has also evolved: today, half of shop owners use a system capable of automatically scoring using only CPF information upon purchase, eliminating the need to manually upload results.
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