Tauranga's Bayfair Shopping Centre featured in virtual tour

Shoppers can now take a virtual tour of the Bayfair Shopping Centre on Google Street View. Photo/ File

Ever wanted to explore the mall from the comfort of your own couch? Now you can.

In a first for New Zealand shoppers, three major shopping centres have been mapped internally for Google Street View, including Tauranga's Bayfair Shopping Centre.

Botany Town Centre in Auckland and The Palms Shopping Centre in Christchurch also made the cut.

Using 360-degree panoramic navigation technology, Google Street View enables customers to virtually experience the centre before they leave their home and at the time of their visit, helping them to plan a successful shopping journey during the busiest and most exciting retail period.

The innovation makes AMP Capital's managed shopping centres the first retail portfolio in New Zealand and Australia to be virtually accessible via Google Street View.

AMP Capital divisional property manager Emma Smith said, with Black Friday upon us, the centres had become noticeably busier in the lead-up to Christmas.

The latest consumer research from AMP Capital shows 72 per cent of customers looking to shop on Black Friday were likely to do so in a centre (compared to 59 per cent online), based on the convenience and variety on offer all in one place, and more than half agreed that Black Friday sales were a great way to kick start Christmas shopping.

She said the virtual tool was introduced for customers to help them plan their shopping and maximise the comfort and ease of their experience.

"By making our three New Zealand centres virtually accessible on Google Street View, customers can tour the centre remotely, enabling them to plan their trip before they visit or find what they need while in centre."

Recent research of more than 5000 customers from across the AMP Capital portfolio showed that while 96 per cent of customers planned to shop at their local AMP Capital-managed centre over Christmas, there was a shift in customer behaviours, with 39 per cent expecting to shop in a more planned/less browsing way and 44 per cent reporting they would shop during less busy times.

AMP Capital head of customer technology and innovation Helen Hey said they were pleased to be able to support evolving customer shopping habits with an innovative technology.

"Shoppers are hitting the stores again, and foot traffic across the AMP Capital portfolio is already at 91 per cent of what it was at the same time last year across Australasia."