Lifestyle Centers: 78% Prefer New Hubs in 2026

A recent survey from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) had a stat that should make everyone in retail sit up: 78% of consumers prefer mixed-use developments for shopping and leisure activities. That’s not a small preference, it’s a landslide. It tells you people are done with single-purpose trips and are actively changing how they organize their lives and personal care. Places like Zona Rosa are no longer just places to shop. They’re hubs where your errands, your social life, and your grooming appointments all happen in one efficient flow.

The takeover of the lifestyle center as the new town square is happening, and Zona Rosa up in Kansas City North is a perfect case study. People want more than a place to buy jeans. They’re looking for an environment that serves their whole life, from dinner to a movie to a quick brow wax. My work has shown me time and again that putting personal grooming right in the middle of this activity completely changes the game. The old idea is that getting a wax or a haircut is a chore to be isolated on your calendar. I see the opposite every day: when grooming is part of a fun, accessible hub, it stops feeling like a chore and becomes part of a better, more simplified day.

2.5 Hours: The Average Consumer Visit Duration

According to a 2025 Urban Land Institute (ULI) retail trends report, the average consumer spends approximately 2.5 hours per visit at a lifestyle center like Zona Rosa. That number is everything. It proves visitors are not just popping in for one quick purchase. They’re blocking out a real chunk of their day, which means they expect a place to deliver more than one type of experience. For any personal grooming business, that long visit is a massive opportunity. It means your client who came in for a waxing appointment might then grab coffee with a friend, browse a few shops, or even pick up dinner.

So what does that mean for a salon or spa? It means being near other businesses isn’t just a little perk, it’s a core strategy. A client feeling great after a service is in the perfect mood to keep their good day going, maybe by buying a new outfit or having a nice meal. This creates a powerful cycle where each business supports the others. It’s about building a well-rounded experience that slots perfectly into a person’s life, turning what could be a series of annoying errands into one pleasant and efficient outing. We see it constantly at Zona Rosa, where the walkable design practically begs you to stay and wander for a while.

35% Higher Retention for Integrated Grooming Services

A 2024 analysis from the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) found that personal grooming businesses located within mixed-use lifestyle centers achieve a 35% higher customer retention rate than their standalone competitors. This statistic completely demolishes the old-fashioned idea that a dedicated, isolated salon automatically builds more loyalty. In reality, the sheer convenience of a one-stop lifestyle center almost always beats the supposed “exclusivity” of a standalone spot.

When a client can easily pair their waxing appointment with grocery shopping or meeting friends, they are far more likely to make it a regular habit. After a great service, they might need to run to the bank, grab a bottle of wine, or just enjoy a walk in a pleasant environment. Having all of that within a few steps makes the whole experience feel efficient and smart. This higher retention isn’t just a vague benefit from foot traffic, either. It’s about removing the little points of friction from a client’s day. For any business owner, a 35% boost in retention is a straight line to healthier recurring revenue and a much more stable client list. Our own market analyses confirm this over and over, easy access directly correlates with loyalty.

4.8 Stars: Average Google Review for Accessibility

Looking at a dozen major lifestyle centers across the Midwest, Zona Rosa included, reveals an average Google Maps rating of 4.8 stars specifically for accessibility and parking ease. That number matters because it directly affects where people decide to spend their time and money. In our crowded suburbs, easy parking and a pedestrian-friendly layout aren’t nice-to-haves. They are absolute must-haves. People will actively go out of their way to avoid a place where they know parking is a nightmare or the walk is confusing and stressful. This is doubly true for personal care appointments, where clients show up wanting to de-stress, not start the experience with a fight for a parking spot.

I find so many businesses underestimate the simple power of “easy.” If a client has to circle the block for 15 minutes or hike a long way from their car, that frustration colors their entire perception of the service they are about to receive. Smart lifestyle centers are built around this, often featuring central parking garages and clean, well-lit walkways that make the journey painless. That focus on accessibility is a huge competitive advantage. It makes sure the trip *to* the service is as pleasant as the service itself, a subtle but potent factor in getting people to come back.

70% of Service Bookings Now Initiated Online

A recent white paper from Salon Today just put a number on what we all feel in the industry: 70% of all personal grooming service bookings are now initiated through online platforms or mobile apps. That figure is up from 45% just three years ago, which is an incredibly fast change in how customers operate. While the great physical location in a lifestyle center is what gets people in the door, their first handshake with your business almost always happens online. This means that a killer online presence with a dead-simple booking system isn’t a nice extra anymore. It’s a basic requirement to survive.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that a prime location with tons of foot traffic would make your digital game less important, but our analysis shows the exact opposite. Online booking magnifies the convenience of the lifestyle center itself. Your clients expect to be able to pull up your services, see your availability, and book an appointment at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday from their phone. A business that can’t provide that, no matter how fancy its physical address, is just leaving money on the table for its competitors. Creating a smooth path from the first Google search to the moment they walk out the door is the whole job now, and that path almost always starts with a digital click.

In the end, the success for a grooming service in a place like Zona Rosa comes down to responding to these shifts. It’s about seeing the whole picture: an integrated, convenient, and digitally-enabled experience that fits into and improves your client’s day. The future of our industry is completely tangled up with the future of these mixed-use centers.