38% of Romanians would be willing to pay for a monthly private parking subscription even 150 lei per month, if this service would be available and they would live near a shopping center with parking.

OVERVIEW

Reveal Marketing Research, together with Tritech Group, conducted a study regarding urban subjects on their needs concerning parking facilities offered by shopping centers and their visits to various shopping locations such as malls or shopping centers. The subjects come from cities with over 100,000 inhabitants, the research being conducted between 10-15 June 2020.

The study involved 817 respondents, 310 women and 506 men, over the age of 18, drivers who use the car at least 2-3 times a month. The collection method was the online questionnaire, the margin of error being +/- 3%.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN CHOOSING A SHOPPING CENTER?

The results show that almost half of Romanians (46%) visit shopping centers 2-3 times a week, and 13% – almost daily. The preferred means of transport for them to reach them is the car.

Shopping remains a pampering and relaxing activity. For the respondents, on the top of the criteria for choosing a shopping center are:

The diversity of stores (82%)
Familiarity – to have had a pleasant previous experience (81%)
To have a complete experience – leisure spaces, food court, playground, organised parking, etc. (76%)

A short distance away is the attribute to have a modern, organised parking lot, 7 out of 10 Romanians considering this aspect as important and very important, especially for the youngest of them – millennials (84%).

The use of an organized car park (with barriers and cashier / payment machines) is very important on occasions such as going to the movies or in leisure spaces, when they stay more than 3 hours in the mall, or when going out with the family.

Although Romanians have gone through a state of emergency and we are on alert due to the COVID-19 crisis, attributes such as not being in a crowded area or not being a crowded shopping center are in the last places with 60% percent respectively 58%.

ORGANIZED PARKING VS FREE PARKING SPACES

The study concluded that paid parking lots in shopping centers are preferred by 1 in 3 respondents when visiting this type of space.

They want to avoid problems such as the difficulty of finding a free place on the street (77%) or the long distance from the car to where they need to go (49%), so a car park provides first and foremost benefits related to comfort. Another important advantage is safety – 47% fear that the car parked in undeveloped places is not safe, or that it would block a place belonging to someone else (26%).

NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS REGARDING ORGANIZED PARKING AREAS

Romanians’ expectations regarding the facilities of an arranged parking lot are also structured under the umbrella of safety and comfort. Thus, 9 out of 10 Romanians classify ensuring the protection of the car as being of major importance for them, this aspect being on the first place among the respondents’ mentions (89%). The number of parking spaces, the quick finding of a parking space and vending machines are criteria considered important or very important for 87% of respondents, and multiple payment methods (card, cash, SMS) are relevant for 84% of Romanians.

For the youngest respondents (those up to 30 years old), modernity (to use the latest technologies) is a criterion that weighs significantly for them in the evaluation of a parking lot (66% compared to 58%, percentage of the entire population).

ROMANIANS AND THE PROBLEM OF PARKING PLACES

4 out of 10 respondents show an increased interest in paying a parking subscription if they live or work near a shopping center, and this service would be available. The amount they would be willing to pay is between 75 and 150 lei / month.