Beyond retail: Hanna Carinna Sy on reimagining the mall experience

The way people experience malls has changed, and Hanna Carinna Sy, senior assistant vice president for Marketing and Leasing at SM Supermalls, is paying close attention.

From talent competitions to pet-friendly spaces, she believes the key is creating experiences that make people want to come back.

As part of the next generation of mall leaders, Sy believes that understanding what customers want is key to developing programs that remain relevant amid changing trends and interests.

“We work with [our teams] to really learn what people are looking for nowadays and also on a trends genre,” Sy said. “It’s really more [about] trying…it’s listening to our customers — just what do they want, what are people looking for.”

She noted how growing communities around anime, fandoms, K-pop and even P-pop have influenced the way malls create experiences for visitors.

“Anime has really been a big thing and all these fandoms, K-pop, even P-pop now is slowly getting more traction,” she said. “For lack of a better term, we ride with the trends and we really try to explore how else we can make this even better for the customers when they visit our malls.”

Programs are not simply designed to attract crowds but to create lasting memories for different generations, Sy added.

“We create these programs not just so we get foot traffic, not just for crowds, it’s really about creating individual experiences for people of all ages — in fact, not just people, even pets.”

Educational programs

One of the programs closest to her is SM Little Stars, a talent search that has become a platform for young performers for over 15 years.

“We focus so much on talent because we’ve been doing SM Little Stars for over 15 years, so it was like ‘Why don’t we do something that’s more educational,’” Sy shared.

This led to the creation of a spelling bee program, which exceeded expectations and has continued for the past three years.

“We really just tried to hold a spelling bee and then the turnout was better than what we expected,” she said. “Personally, I’m happy when I hear the marketing teams would reach out and ask me, ‘Oh, when are we running the spelling bee?’ because customers are coming to our office already asking about it.”

Sy said the program was born from the willingness to explore new ideas based on what customers respond to. “That wasn’t something that was being asked of us, but we’re like, why not, let’s try it,” she said.

Welcoming fur babies

Beyond children and young talents, Sy also sees the importance of creating spaces for pet owners, especially as more Filipinos have embraced pets as part of their families. This has inspired new initiatives, including pet-friendly facilities such as a pet changing station recently launched at SM Podium.

“We also try to find ways to slowly improve,” Sy said. “In fact, like, in Podium, we just recently launched our pet changing station.”

She added that future developments could expand beyond basic amenities.

“It’s not just going to be just, let’s say, a diaper changing station sort of thing, but you know, who knows, it might be an actual setup, a whole room,” she said.

Family affair

Sy credits collaboration and family discussions for helping shape new ideas. She regularly exchanges thoughts with her brother, Hans “Chico” Sy Jr., who is involved in mall construction, as they explore ways to make mall spaces more engaging.

“We always bounce off ideas with each other because we’re always trying to find something different to do in the malls because it’s more than just shopping now,” she said.

Continuing her family’s legacy does not only mean following a path already established before her. “I can also contribute in my own way,” she said.

As consumer habits continue to evolve, Sy’s vision reflects a new way of seeing malls: not just as places to shop, but as spaces where people come together, explore new interests and build meaningful experiences.