Question 1

1. Do EV chargers actually increase footfall, or just serve people already coming?

Accepted Answer

Both, but the split matters for planning. Baseline EV owners who already shop with you will use chargers regardless of placement. Incremental footfall — drivers routing to your property specifically because it charges — depends heavily on visibility from the entrance and whether the amenity is advertised on maps/apps, which is why placement and signage carry as much weight as the charging hardware itself.

Question 2

2. Should retail EV charging be free, discounted, or full price?

Accepted Answer

There's no single right answer — it depends on whether you have the footfall to sustain ad-funded free charging, an existing loyalty scheme worth tying points to, or long-dwell anchors that justify full-price positioning as a destination amenity. Properties without a loyalty programme or ad-sales scale generally do best starting with standard paid pricing and adding a loyalty layer later.

Question 3

3. Where exactly should chargers go in a mall or supermarket car park?

Accepted Answer

As close as possible to your longest-dwell anchors — cinemas, food courts, hypermarkets, department stores — and visible from the main entrance road. Avoid overflow lots at the property edge; a charger a customer can't see before they park doesn't recruit new visits, it only serves drivers who already knew to look for it.

Question 4

4. How can a supermarket tie EV charging into an existing loyalty program?

Accepted Answer

The simplest model — proven at scale by Sainsbury's Smart Charge — is points-per-currency-spent on charging, redeemable across the wider loyalty programme, at standard charging prices. This requires the charging platform's billing data to sync with the loyalty system's ledger, ideally in near-real time so points appear before the customer leaves the car park.

Question 5

5. How much dwell time does EV charging typically add at a retail site?

Accepted Answer

Ultra-rapid bays (150–300kW) typically add 20–30 minutes per session; standard-speed bays common at supermarket-adjacent, ad-funded networks run closer to 35–45 minutes. Match the charger speed to the anchor: a 20-minute session suits a quick grocery run, while a 45-minute session suits a cinema or food-court visit.

mall ev charging

Retail EV Charging Strategy: A Footfall Playbook For Malls And Supermarkets