Guide to the Placement of Cotton Candy Machines in Shopping Malls: Precisely Target high-conversion floors to Ignite a Consumption boom

In the current increasingly fierce business competition, how to enable cotton candy machines to achieve a dual breakthrough in traffic and sales in shopping malls has become a core issue of concern for operators. Recently, many shopping mall operators have been engaged in heated discussions on "how to determine the floor for the placement of cotton candy machines". Based on the floor distribution patterns of large shopping malls and the characteristics of consumption scenarios, a precise placement strategy has gradually become clear. ​

The floor zoning of large-scale comprehensive shopping malls often presents distinct functional attributes:

The first floor, as a prime location, is mostly occupied by international big brands, beauty collection stores, etc. It has the highest density of people flow, but the consumption purpose is strong and the stay time is short.

The second floor mainly features clothing, shoes, hats and fast fashion brands, with a customer base mainly consisting of young people and housewives.

The 3rd and 4th floors are the gathering places for children's business formats, including parent-child playgrounds, children's clothing stores, early education centers, etc., and have become the core activity areas for family customers.

The fifth floor and above are mostly occupied by dining areas, cinema chains and fitness centers, mainly focusing on leisure and entertainment consumption. ​

From the perspective of the product features of cotton candy machines, children are the core consumer group. Therefore, the children's areas on the 3rd and 4th floors have become the best choice for placement. Data shows that during weekends and holidays, family customers in the children's area generally stay for more than two hours. Children have a strong immediate demand for marshmallows during their play, and parents' purchasing willingness is also significantly higher than that in other areas. After a certain shopping mall placed a cotton candy machine beside the children's playground, its daily sales on weekends were more than three times higher than those on other floors, confirming the potential of this area. ​

Apart from the children's area, the free rest and play area in the shopping mall is also a prime location. Such areas are mostly located near floor corridors and elevator entrances, equipped with seats, children's play facilities, etc. They are the first choice for consumers to rest during their shopping trips. When parents take their children to stay here for a short while, marshmallows, as convenient and highly attractive snack foods, are very likely to trigger impromptu consumption. In addition, placing cotton candy machines in combination with milk tea shops, bakeries, etc., can form a "dessert consumption cluster", and increase the purchase rate through associated consumption scenarios. ​

It is worth noting that although the first floor is crowded with people, it is not an ideal choice. Most consumers in this area are in a state of "rushing", and the atmosphere of high-end brands has a relatively low match with the casual nature of cotton candy. As a result, the conversion rate is even lower than that of the vertical customer group area upstairs. The consumption scenarios in the dining area mainly focus on formal meals, and the immediate demand for marshmallows is relatively weak. Therefore, it is more suitable to be used as a supplementary location rather than a core layout. ​

Precise floor selection is the first step to the successful operation of a cotton candy machine. Subsequently, it is necessary to continuously activate consumption potential by combining time period promotions, flavor innovations and other methods. Whether it is the precise reach targeting the children's customer group or the impromptu consumption guidance based on the rest scenarios, only by grasping the functional attributes and consumption psychology of the floors in the shopping mall can the small cotton candy machine release the greatest commercial value.