by Susan Hagerty Bonsak, CEO Placewise
From Placewise’s perspective, as we look to 2026, placemaking will be defined by how well physical destinations can behave like digital products while remaining deeply human. Shoppers no longer compare a visit to a center with another mall – they compare it with the best apps or websites that they use. They expect recognition, relevance, and a feeling of being genuinely valued.
Susan Hagerty Bonsak
CEO of Placewise
For shopping centers, the key trends are clear: demand for hyper‑personalized experiences, the rise of AI-driven services, continued pressure on sustainability, and the repositioning of assets into mixed‑use, community hubs.
The winners will be those who own their shopper relationship through strong first‑party data, not just footfall.
“The winners will own the shopper relationship.”
This creates huge opportunities for our industry and for Placewise. By connecting websites, apps, marketplaces, loyalty programmes, and on‑site touchpoints, we can turn anonymous visits into permission‑based relationships, unlock new digital revenues for landlords and tenants, and use AI to orchestrate tailored content, offers, and services in real time. The challenges are equally significant: fragmented legacy systems, skills gaps, regulatory complexity around data and AI, and the budgets to support change.
When it comes to the outlook for placemaking: Across Europe, we continue to expect solid development in the placemaking industry, with regional differences: mature Western markets will focus on optimization/repurposing of existing assets, while Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe offer the greatest new growth potential.
To capture this potential and ensure a sustainable and prosperous future, our industry must treat digital infrastructure like utilities – essential, shared, and always on – and adopt AI in a transparent, privacy‑first, human‑led way. If landlords, tenants, and technology partners collaborate around data, experience, and trust, shopping places can remain the most relevant, loved marketplaces in a digital‑first world.
