The Application of Racing Simulators in Malls: Unlocking a New Track for Commercial Entertainment

In today’s era of deep integration of consumption upgrading and experience economy, shopping malls have long transcended the single attribute of “shopping venues” and gradually transformed into comprehensive living spaces integrating shopping, entertainment, social interaction and experience. Consumers’ demand for entertainment experiences has become increasingly diverse, and the pursuit of novel, exciting and immersive interactive experiences has become a new trend. As a new type of equipment integrating technology, entertainment and competition, racing simulators, with their high simulation degree, strong participation and wide audience, have gradually penetrated into commercial scenarios from the field of professional racing training, becoming a new starting point for malls to attract customer flow, increase revenue and build differentiated competitiveness. This article will comprehensively analyze its commercial potential and practical paths from the aspects of industry background, core value, application scenarios, operation mode, existing problems and development trends of the application of racing simulators in malls, providing reference for mall operators and relevant practitioners.

I. Industry Background: Experience Economy Spawns New Demand for Mall Entertainment

With the improvement of residents’ disposable income and the transformation of consumption concepts in China, “experiential consumption” has become the core driving force for commercial development. According to relevant data, the scale of China’s experiential consumption market has maintained an average annual growth rate of more than 15% in recent years, among which the proportion of entertainment experience consumption has continued to rise, and young groups have become the main force of experiential consumption. The traditional mall operation mode dominated by retail has been difficult to meet the diverse needs of consumers. Many malls are facing difficulties such as declining customer flow, sluggish revenue growth and intensified homogeneous competition, and urgently need to introduce new entertainment projects to break the development bottleneck.

As a sport full of speed and passion, motorsport has a broad mass base, especially high attention among teenagers and young groups. However, due to the limitations of venue, cost, safety and other factors, real motorsport is difficult to popularize, and ordinary consumers are difficult to get close to and experience. The emergence of racing simulators has just filled this market gap – supported by technology, through high-definition display, force feedback, dynamic platform and other technologies, it highly restores the driving feel, track environment and control experience of real racing cars, allowing consumers to feel the charm of motorsport in a safe and convenient scenario without professional qualifications and safety risks, adapting to all age groups and consumer groups.

At the same time, the rapid development of the racing simulator industry itself has laid the foundation for its application in malls. According to market research data, the global racing simulator market size has reached 1.3 billion US dollars in 2026, and is expected to grow to 2.46 billion US dollars by 2034, with a compound annual growth rate of 8.3%. With the continuous upgrading of technologies such as virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI) and high-definition display, the simulation degree, immersion and interactivity of racing simulators have been continuously improved, and the equipment cost has gradually decreased, extending from professional equipment to consumer and entertainment equipment, providing technical and cost support for its entry into commercial scenarios such as malls. In this context, the combination of racing simulators and malls is not only an inevitable choice for the transformation of malls, but also an important direction for the racing simulator industry to expand application scenarios, forming a win-win pattern of “commerce + entertainment”.

II. Core Value: Racing Simulators Empower the High-Quality Development of Malls

The application of racing simulators in malls is not a simple equipment placement, but through the release of multiple values, it brings all-round improvement to malls. Its core value is mainly reflected in four aspects: customer flow attraction, revenue increase, experience optimization and brand building, becoming an important support for malls to break through the development bottleneck.

(I) Attracting Customer Flow: Creating a New Entrance for Mall Traffic

Customer flow is the lifeline of a mall, and racing simulators have become a “sharp tool” for malls to attract customer flow with their novelty and strong appeal. Compared with traditional entertainment projects, racing simulators have unique visual impact and interactivity, and the equipment itself has a certain “check-in attribute”, which is easy to arouse consumers’ curiosity and desire to participate. Whether it is passers-by or consumers with clear entertainment needs, they are easily attracted to stop and experience.

Case studies show that a small amusement park once faced the dilemma of declining customer flow and fewer repeat customers due to outdated traditional game lineups, and teenagers and young groups turned to places with new entertainment projects such as racing simulators. After introducing two double-player racing simulators and launching weekly championships, the monthly revenue of the amusement park increased by 35%, repeat customers increased by 40%, and the average stay time extended by 28%, making racing simulators the core project to attract customer flow. In the mall scenario, this customer flow attraction effect is more obvious – racing simulators are usually set in prominent locations such as mall atriums and leisure areas, which can not only attract on-site consumers to experience, but also form secondary communication through consumers’ social sharing (such as Moments and short videos), attracting more potential consumers to the store, effectively increasing the customer flow and popularity of the mall.

In addition, racing simulators have a wide audience coverage. Whether it is teenagers, young office workers or family groups, they can find a suitable experience mode. For teenagers and young groups, their competitiveness and excitement can meet their entertainment needs; for family groups, parent-child joint experience can not only enhance parent-child feelings, but also satisfy children’s curiosity; for racing enthusiasts, high-simulation experience can allow them to feel the charm of motorsport up close. This wide audience group enables racing simulators to bring stable customer flow to malls and alleviate the pressure of declining customer flow in malls.

(II) Increasing Revenue: Opening Up New Paths for Diversified Profitability

For malls, revenue growth is the core goal. Through a diversified profit model, racing simulators have opened up new revenue growth points for malls, breaking the single revenue structure of traditional retail. Its profit model is mainly divided into direct profit and indirect profit, forming a diversified profit system of “equipment experience + derivative services”.

Direct profit mainly comes from the experience fees of simulators, which is the most basic and stable source of profit. Malls can formulate differentiated charging standards according to factors such as equipment grade, experience duration and consumer groups, such as charging by minute, charging by session, and launching package cards (one-time card, multiple-time card, monthly card, annual card), etc. For example, the experience of ordinary single-player simulators costs 20-30 yuan for 10 minutes, the experience of double-player simulators costs 40-60 yuan for 15 minutes, and package cards can give certain discounts to attract consumers to consume for a long time. For high-end simulators, such as F1 flagship simulators, the charging standard can be appropriately increased to provide high-end experience services for racing enthusiasts and improve profit space.

Indirect profit mainly comes from derivative services and traffic conversion, which is also an important embodiment of racing simulators empowering mall revenue. On the one hand, racing simulators can link up with catering, retail, parent-child and other formats in the mall, launching “experience + consumption” packages, such as “racing experience + catering coupons” and “racing experience + retail discounts”, guiding consumers to consume in other formats of the mall after experiencing racing simulators, and increasing the overall revenue of the mall. On the other hand, sponsorship fees can be collected by holding racing events, theme activities, etc. to attract sponsors to cooperate; at the same time, racing-related derivative products, such as racing models, key chains, clothing, etc., can be sold to enrich profit channels.

In addition, racing simulators can also adopt a “light asset joint operation” model, where the mall provides the venue and the operator provides the equipment, and the two parties share the revenue according to the agreed ratio. This model does not require the mall to invest a lot of money in purchasing equipment, reduces operational risks, and at the same time can obtain stable revenue sharing. Some malls even are willing to let equipment settle in rent-free, because racing simulators, as “traffic black holes”, can quickly activate the sluggish formats around them and drive the growth of overall revenue.

(III) Optimizing Experience: Enriching New Scenarios for Mall Consumption

The core of experiential consumption is “people-oriented”. The application of racing simulators can enrich the consumption scenarios of malls, improve consumers’ sense of experience and satisfaction, and enhance the stickiness of malls. The entertainment projects of traditional malls are mostly dominated by parent-child amusement and video games, with serious homogenization. As a new type of immersive entertainment project, racing simulators can bring different experience feelings to consumers.

The experience of modern racing simulators has reached a high level. High-end equipment is equipped with dynamic platforms, force feedback steering wheels, 270-degree surround curved screens, etc., which can simulate the acceleration, braking, turning, collision and other scenarios of real racing cars, making consumers feel as if they are in a real track. For example, the flagship F1 simulator introduced by Jiading New City CITIC Pacific Wanda Plaza adopts a 1:1 ratio to restore the shape of a formula racing car, and the steering wheel is recreated according to the specifications of F1 drivers. The vibration feedback of the seat when cornering is highly realistic, allowing consumers to experience a feeling close to that of F1 drivers, and many car fans specially go to experience and check in. At the same time, racing simulators support the selection of multiple tracks and models, and consumers can choose different tracks and models according to their own preferences to meet personalized experience needs.

In addition, racing simulators can also create social interaction scenarios, supporting double-player and multi-player online experience. Consumers can compete with friends and family to enhance their feelings; at the same time, malls can create a competitive atmosphere by holding racing competitions, ranking challenges and other activities, allowing consumers to gain a sense of accomplishment and belonging in the process of experience, and improving the repurchase rate of consumers and the user stickiness of malls. For example, the virtual racing lap time challenge held by Hongkou Bingang Commercial Center is open to all age groups, attracting nearly 300 participants. Many participants said that “it was very enjoyable to play, and they will come again to rush the ranking”, which effectively improved the user stickiness and reputation of the mall.

(IV) Building Brand: Creating a New Differentiated Label for Malls

In an increasingly competitive commercial environment, differentiation is the key for malls to stand out. As a new, fashionable and technologically advanced entertainment project, racing simulators can create a unique brand label for malls, distinguishing them from other malls and improving the visibility and influence of malls.

Nowadays, young groups have become the main consumption force. They pursue fashion, personality and a sense of technology, and racing simulators just meet this consumption demand. By introducing racing simulators, malls can convey the brand concept of “fashion, technology, entertainment and innovation”, attract the attention and favor of young consumer groups, and shape a young and trendy brand image. For example, Jiading New City CITIC Pacific Wanda Plaza introduced F1 simulators and held related activities in conjunction with the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, creating an integrated model of “sports + commerce”. It has become an important carrier to undertake the event popularity and spread racing culture among the commercial complexes closest to the Shanghai International Circuit, forming a unique brand advantage.

At the same time, racing simulators can also create characteristic theme scenarios in combination with the positioning of the mall, such as “racing theme park” and “technology entertainment zone”, to further strengthen the differentiated positioning of the mall. For example, some malls combine racing simulators with VR technology to create a VR racing zone, creating an immersive racing experience scenario; some malls combine the needs of young groups to create a racing-themed parent-child zone and launch parent-child experience packages to attract family groups to consume. Through the creation of these characteristic scenarios, malls can form unique brand memory points, enhance brand competitiveness, and stand out in homogeneous competition.

III. Application Scenarios: Diversified Landing Forms of Racing Simulators in Malls

The application of racing simulators in malls is not a single equipment placement, but combined with factors such as the mall’s positioning, format layout and consumer groups, forming a variety of landing forms to adapt to the development needs of different malls, mainly divided into the following scenarios:

(I) Core Entertainment Zone: Creating an Immersive Racing Experience Zone

This is the most common application scenario of racing simulators in malls, mainly set in core locations such as mall atriums, leisure areas and entertainment floors to create a special racing experience zone. The zone is equipped with multiple racing simulators of different grades, covering single-player, double-player and multi-player models to meet the needs of different consumer groups; at the same time, it is matched with track-themed decorations, lighting and sound effects to create an immersive racing atmosphere, making consumers feel as if they are in a real racing venue.

For example, Jiading New City CITIC Pacific Wanda Plaza has set up a racing experience zone on the first floor, with one set of flagship F1 simulator and two sets of rally-style simulators, one of which has the same steering wheel as the movie “Pegasus 3”, attracting a large number of car fans and citizens to experience and check in; at the same time, in conjunction with the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, an official pop-up store is set up around the zone, displaying real racing cars and limited-edition peripherals, creating an one-stop racing culture space that is “viewable, playable and experienceable”. The advantage of this scenario is that it can centrally attract customer flow, form a scale effect, and at the same time facilitate the mall to conduct unified management and operation, improving the consumer experience.

(II) Parent-Child Interaction Zone: Creating a New Scenario for Family Entertainment

For family consumer groups, malls can set up a racing simulator experience zone on the parent-child floor to create a parent-child interaction scenario. Simulators suitable for joint experience by children and parents are put in, and the difficulty and operation mode of the equipment are adjusted to allow children to get started easily. At the same time, parents can accompany their children to experience together to enhance parent-child feelings. For example, some malls launch “parent-child racing packages”, where parents and children can experience racing simulators together and get coupons for parent-child formats in the mall, attracting family groups to consume.

The advantage of this scenario is that it can accurately connect with family consumer groups, improve the mall’s attractiveness to family consumers, and at the same time drive the development of related formats such as parent-child catering and parent-child retail. In addition, it can be in th parent-child racing experience