Elena Michalis, 20 months old, was enchanted by the stuffed animals being driven by shoppers around Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill this weekend.

About hip-high, the motorized plush toys for rent to adults and children alike are shaped like favourite animals, including a koala, an elephan and a panda. They chug along at four kilometres an hour and can be used for shopping — although they can’t be ridden through stores.

When it was her turn, Elena rode the ZaZaZoo lion with her mom behind her, as other shoppers smiled and waved, as if Elena were infant royalty. Children driving the scooters waved to each other.

Later, Elena’s mother shared pictures of the little with friends and family on WhatsApp, a messaging service.

The ZaZaZoo animals, the brainchild of a Quebec entrepreneur, are the newest, but not the biggest, big new idea for drawing shoppers into malls this holiday season.

With online shopping soaring to new highs, malls are trying harder than ever to get shoppers through the door, and once they get them there, to create an experience so memorable they want to share it electronically, between friends or on social media.

For instance, Canada’s tallest Christmas tree at Toronto Eaton Centre has become a hit on social media. According to figures from Facebook, the tree was seen 2.7 million times on Facebook newsfeeds, which includes paid and organic views.

Videos of the tree and a Choir! Choir! Choir! performance adjacent to it, have generated 580,000 views, and the tree has 700,000 comments, views, likes and shares on Facebook and Instagram.

“From the start our goal was to create something memorable and share-worthy,” said Jason Anderson, senior vice-president, marketing for mall operator Cadillac Fairview. “We knew it would be special, but it has really exceeded all of our expectations.”

A typical social-media program typically engages 8 to 9 per cent of followers, but 47 per cent of the mall’s followers on social media have engaged with this one, said Anderson.

“At a time when retail is increasingly competitive, what you want is an edge, and this affords that edge,” he said.

Fashion Santa at Yorkdale — an idea that went viral last year — has had his picture taken with more than 4,000 shoppers in four appearances so far this year.

At Sherway Gardens, photos of a 35-foot wall of lights are being shared online by shoppers.

“In the age of e-commerce, it is becoming more important for shopping malls to get people physically into the mall itself,” said Anastasia Tubano, director of content strategy for Fuse Marketing.

“By creating these experiences, it’s giving that little push to get people to come to the store, come to the mall.”

It’s also becoming more important to engage with shoppers on social media, where they spend so much time, Tubano said.

ZaZaZoo is the brainchild of Gatineau entrepreneur Mélanie Lafrenière, who said she was inspired after visiting a mall with her nephew and realizing there were no longer any coin-operated rides.

“There is nothing better for kids than to ride a stuffed animal in a shopping centre,” said Lafrenière, 38.

“It looks a little kitschy, a little hokey, but it works,” said Lisa Resnic director of marketing for Hillcrest, which is managed by Oxford Properties Group.

“Everyone that sees them smile as they’re going by. It’s heartwarming, innocent.”

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The plushies can be rented for $5 plus tax for 10 minutes or $30 for an hour.

Xavier Waechter, age 2, snagged a ride on the panda.

“He loved it, absolutely, he was telling everyone about it afterwards, he could press the button himself, he could drive this little motorized animal,” said Xavier’s mom, Kristen Bustamante.

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