Abstract
Malls are attracting the young shoppers and mall culture is new to the society. Mall retailers are making efforts to satisfy the young consumers. However, the younger segment is growing in terms of population and wealth. It has become increasingly important and necessary to understand and meet their demands. The study employed 160 in-depth interviews to understand the young consumers’ mall experiences. Overall, the respondents in the study have favourable perception of the mall in terms of convenience, variety offered by malls, awareness of brands, aesthetics and hedonic factors. The researcher found eight elements that are important for young consumers to form impression of the shopping malls: convenience, choice, awareness, crowded/congested, ambience, parking, hedonic shopping and mall culture. Further the respondent studied the total number of hours on shopping, preference of shopping day and shopping time by young consumers. It was found that maximum number that respondents spend is up to 3 hrs on shopping, however weekends were preferred in comparison to weekdays. Maximum respondents preferred shopping at any suitable timing. The researcher also investigated specific mall attributes. Respondents also suggested that various attributes are considered important by the respondents. They highlighted various attributes—sitting arrangement, water dispensers, E-mapping, plain ramps, book browsing section and further expressed their concern regarding parking, security and customer service. The results can help mall retailers in capitalizing the consumers by meeting their needs.
Highlights
Business and Industry are the most constructive ways of organising economic activities to meet basic human needs in global markets today
The researcher found eight elements that are important for young consumers to form impression of the shopping malls: convenience, choice, awareness, crowded/congested, ambience, parking, hedonic shopping and mall culture
It can be said that anthropology addresses answers to many questions: What is the reason for people shopping, Who does most of the shopping, What enhances the experience of shopping and What do shoppers gain from their shopping experience, How does shopping affect the relationship between family members and friends?
Summary
Business and Industry are the most constructive ways of organising economic activities to meet basic human needs in global markets today. Anthropology as a field has been widely used in the business world. Underhill (2009) suggested that Anthropology has devoted a branch to study the science of shopping, retail anthropology and anthropological study of shopping malls. Today shopping in malls is not just buying products or acquiring goods for our households. It is interacting with retail environments (stores, banks, restaurants) investigating economic and social functions of malls, shopping experience and their meaning to shoppers. Anthropologist, Underhill has been applying his anthropological skills to study the perspective of shopping for last 50 years. It can be said that anthropology addresses answers to many questions: What is the reason for people shopping, Who does most of the shopping, What enhances the experience of shopping and What do shoppers gain from their shopping experience, How does shopping affect the relationship between family members and friends?
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