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The Urban Studies Shopper Index (USSI) has once again revealed the top-ranking super-regional shopping centres in South Africa. It’s become clear that we Saffas love a laarney shopping expedition.

This ranking, based on Google Review ratings, has revealed the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town has once again taken the crown as the best mall in the country.

In today’s fast-paced retail environment, shoppers increasingly rely on online reviews to guide their choices, and in light of this trend, the USSI focuses on the consumer’s online voice to provide insights and track performance and service levels over time for retailers, property managers, and investors.

The index is calculated on a rating out of five, aggregating Google Review ratings for shopping centres with a Google Page. While it’s unclear how affected these ratings are by tourist visits, the data has confirmed that both Sandton City and the V&A Waterfront shopping centres stay untouchable in the top two spots.

Before your next outing to your local mall, check out the top three below, complete with each mall’s Google Review rating score, to make sure you’re hitting SA’s high retail experience standard.

1. V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Score: 4.77
Highlight: Consistently high customer satisfaction, showcasing excellence in shopping experience and service.

2. Sandton City, Johannesburg
Score: 4.68
Highlight: Maintains a strong position, reflecting its status as a premier shopping destination.

3. Eastgate Shopping Centre, Johannesburg
Score: 4.66
Highlight: Close on the heels of Sandton City, demonstrating significant consumer approval.

While these three retail behemoths are not likely to drop the ball any time soon, there are some honourable mentions we’ve also included, and who knows, maybe some of the rising star shopping destinations will knock the top contenders down a notch in the next few years.

Mall of Africa, Midrand
Score: 4.62
Highlight: South Africa’s most popular mall in terms of visits, showing a strong upward trend in customer experience.

The Pavilion Shopping Centre, Durban
Score: 4.59
Highlight: Remarkable improvement from 4.37 in the 1st quarter of 2024, climbing from number 12 to number 6. Reviews praise the variety of shops and restaurants, renovations, and improved shopping experience.

On the other side of success, we have a couple of iffy contenders, with USSI data revealing feedback akin to a teacher’s ‘needs more improvement’ comment in the margins.

Fourways Mall, Johannesburg
Observation: The largest mall in South Africa sees notable dips and rises, suggesting variability in customer experiences.

Cresta Shopping Centre, Johannesburg
Observation: Similar to Fourways, it experiences fluctuations in customer feedback, highlighting potential areas for improvement.

East Rand Mall and Westgate Shopping Centre, Johannesburg
Observation: These malls tend to stay on the lower end of the ratings, indicating significant areas for potential enhancement in customer satisfaction.

It’s normal for retail spaces to remain in flux, especially considering SA’s confusing and volatile history of inflation and economic instability. That being said, the overall index presented by USSI shows confirmed growth for all the top malls in the country. A good sign, even as consumer practices change and evolve.

If you thought your Google Review was just being thrown into the abyss of the internet, think again.

[source:businesstech