Bullring Birmingham shopping centre boosts online visitor experience as AI powered engagement rises
Bullring Birmingham says it has transformed its website into a faster, mobile first digital experience designed to help shoppers find relevant brands, offers, and events before they arrive at the destination. The revamped platform has increased sessions to 1.6 times their previous level, improved page load speeds by 60% and is now handling around 1,000 searches every day; a 9x increase.
Analysis of the previous platform showed that a growing share of visitors were accessing the website through mobile devices, often in short sessions shortly before travelling into Birmingham. Rather than browsing casually, these visitors were looking to complete specific tasks. They wanted to find a particular brand, check an offer, discover an event or plan how they would spend their time once they arrived. Slow load times, dense layouts and limited discovery tools were creating friction at precisely the point shoppers were deciding where to go and what to do.
Working with AI website and personalisation specialist Firney, Bullring owner Hammerson redesigned the wider digital experience around these customer needs. The website’s structure and navigation were simplified, mobile journeys were prioritised and content was reorganised to make it easier for visitors to move between stores, offers, dining options and events without repeatedly restarting their journey.
AI powered search was introduced as part of this wider experience, helping visitors surface relevant information more quickly and navigate the breadth of the Bullring offering using natural, conversational queries. Shoppers no longer need to know the name of the store they wish to visit. Instead, they can search for something like “Friday night date night ideas” and be presented with relevant retailers and experiences.
The relaunch forms part of a broader digital roll-out across Hammerson's shopping centre portfolio, running from May 2025 through to June 2026.
Marc Firth, Chief Executive and Co-founder at Firney, says: “Adding AI powered search to a website is not enough on its own. The entire digital experience needs to be fast, intuitive and designed around what the customer is trying to achieve."
“At Bullring, we looked at every stage of that journey, from how someone arrives on the website through to how they discover brands, offers and experiences that are relevant to them. AI strengthens that experience by helping people find what they need more quickly, but it works because it sits within a website that has been optimised around genuine customer intent. For shopping centres, the website is no longer simply a directory. It is an important part of the visitor experience and an opportunity to turn initial interest into meaningful action before someone arrives.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
AI will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
