At a glimpse

As traffic to major shopping centers increases, parking infrastructure management becomes a critical factor in the overall customer experience. This is especially true for facilities with high daily visitor volumes, where even small delays can lead to congestion, queues, and dissatisfied visitors.

This was the case with the parking facility at Mall Plaza, Plovdiv - one of the busiest retail destinations in Plovdiv. The shopping center has two separate parking areas: a smaller outdoor parking lot and a multi-level parking facility with a capacity of over 1,000 spaces. The multi-level parking facility has a single entry and exit point and serves thousands of vehicles daily, with traffic increasing significantly during weekends, holidays, and promotional periods. In order to combat these challenges the facility required the right digital parking management system to improve traffic flow and operational efficiency.

Challenge

Mall Plaza is the most visited shopping center in Southern Bulgaria, attracting thousands of visitors daily. Over time, its growing popularity placed increasing pressure on existing parking processes, leading to operational challenges. The most significant of those included:

• Queues at the parking payment machines, especially during peak hours;
• Traffic jams at the parking facility exit due to high vehicle volume;
• Congestion at the exit caused by drivers who had not completed payment before reaching the exit;
• Slower vehicle processing times due to the lack of automated parking payment options.

These issues had a direct impact on traffic flow within the parking facility and caused vehicle accumulation at the exit point. Over time, these problems risked negatively affecting visitor satisfaction during peak periods.

Additionally, reliance on cash payments increased operational complexity and maintenance requirements, including coin handling, device servicing, and consumables management. The lack of automated parking payment options contributed to slower vehicle processing times.

Solution

To improve efficiency without structural modifications, an integrated digital parking system was deployed. The primary objectives were to automate the parking payment process, reduce pressure on exit points, and improve vehicle movement throughout the facility.

Parking Management Through the SmartPark Parking Management Platform

The SmartPark parking management system enabled the centralized control of all parking spaces at Mall Plaza and provided full operational visibility and control. The facility operator could now monitor key operational data, including:

• parking occupancy levels
• vehicle entry and exit data
• operational status of all hardware components
• occupancy trends, revenue, and average parking duration
• compliance with facility rules

This enabled more efficient parking space management and improved operational performance. The operator could also configure dedicated parking zones for tenants, employees, and frequent visitors. Additionally, through the centralized parking management platform, some of the tenants could validate parking sessions for their customers.

Integration with the SmartPark Customer Platform

The Mall Plaza parking facility was also integrated into the SmartPark customer platform. This integration had the goal of improving accessibility and supporting the digital parking system functionality. Through an interactive map in the customer web portal, the location became easier to find and access.

Drivers could now check important parking information, including:

• current parking occupancy
• hourly parking rates
• availability of EV charging stations
• availability of parking reservations
• availability of subscription parking options

Digitalization of the Parking Payment Process

One of the key components of the solution was the introduction of QR code parking payment, which enables automated parking payment and reduces exit delays. The QR codes were placed at strategic locations throughout the parking facility and shopping center.

Visitors could now check their parking fee and complete payments directly from their mobile device while walking to their vehicle. This approach is currently preferred by 70% of drivers, who no longer need to queue at parking payment machines.

Result

Following the implementation of the SmartPark automated parking system, significant operational improvements were observed. Exit times were reduced, and queues at parking payment machines decreased.

A higher percentage of visitors began using digital payment methods, reducing reliance on cash payments, simplifying operations, and lowering operational costs.

Improved traffic flow reduced congestion between parking levels and decreased pressure on exit points. This created a more predictable and efficient parking environment for both visitors and operators.

This project demonstrates how implementing a parking management system can improve operational efficiency and customer experience without requiring structural expansion.

The digital parking system also makes the parking flexible and future-proof through its additional capabilities, including:

• online parking reservations
• long-term parking subscriptions
• automated parking payment at exit