Shopping mall vs Online Retail- Consumer shopping preference in the city of Bengaluru

Abstract

Abstract: Ever since the first fully enclosed and climate controlled mall opened in the United States in 1956 It has caught the fancy of consumers. It revolutionized the way retail was looked at. With everything available under one roof, customers thronged the air-conditioned environments to shop in comfort. Slowly they evolved into a recreation space, with multiplex, food courts, gaming zones which ensured that there was something for everyone in a mall. The replicas were erected all across the world, and embraced with much gusto, as malls became the symbol of urbanization and aspirations for developing nations. In the last two decades or so, India has seen a massive boom in no. and size of a shopping mall. It seemed malls are here to stay even though the high value shoppers were decreasing steadily and the only places you could see crowds were the food courts and the multiplexes, or some large lifestyle stores. The mid and smaller size stores renting out exorbitantly priced floor spaces were starting to wear deserted looks. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and forced millions to their homes for months. With shops and malls closed, the online retail exploded and became one of the biggest happening of the last two years. Sitting in comforts of their homes, people were buying food, clothes, electronics, furniture from all over the country, offered to them at an eye watering discount which the physical stores could never match. So has the consumer preference changed in favour of online shopping or malls are still favoured once the lockdown is lifted ?Given the Strong commercial impact that malls have had on Indian retail economy, an attempt was made to understand shopping preference of the consumers in the city of Bengaluru through a questionnaire survey collecting 120 responses. The analysis revealed that consumers still prefer offline shopping for clothes, shoes and accessories. While online shopping is preferred for household items. Groceries, Beauty & cosmetics, Electronics were equally preferred through online or offline mode. Participants were also inclined towards having more open public spaces and sports related facilities in the mall indicating that in Bengaluru malls are also places to socialise and spend quality time together rather than mere shopping spaces. Keywords: E-Commerce, Retailing, Consumer Behaviour, Shopping Preferences, Shopping malls