Patras Open Mall- Supporting our own city!
Patras Open Mall (www.patraopenmall.gr/en) is an initiative originated by Patras Traders Association aiming to transform Patras City into a Smart City, where the citizens-consumers are able to cover their commercial needs within the frame of a specific area.
It aims at highlighting the shopping center of the city as well as the commercial enterprises of the wider commercial area. It provides a range of options from shopping along with suggesting landmarks of cultural interest or entertainment, the focus is the benefit of the market and the quality of providing services of commercial shops, hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, parking facilities, cultural institutions. All the information for the participants at Patras Open Mall initiative is provided through information material, info points, brochures and mobile applications available for free to any interested person.
This is the first time that 129 SMEs of Patras city collaborate to create a common identity, design and promote joint actions that will attract more consumers and boost the local economy by exploiting novel ICT tools. The mobile application (app) is available for free for the consumers/visitors via their smart phones, and the entrepreneurs are able to update information related to their business (photos, new collections, offers etc) in real time with minimum cost.
The greater advantage is that members of the Patras Open Mall have increased their turnover by participating in this business cluster/ network. They have a common identity and can organize common activities that will boost the economic sustainability of the city center. A similar structure of Open Malls has been implemented in more than five Greek cities (Athens, Piraeus, Alexandroupoli and Thessaloniki) under the supervision of the “The Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship” www.esee.gr with encouraging results.
