Mall Retailers Research Articles

Influence of price perception and shopping motives on Indian consumers' attitude towards retailer promotions in malls

Purpose – The current research aims to explore influence of shopping motives and price perceptions on Indian consumers' attitude towards mall retailer promotions. Effect of price discounts, gifts, coupons, and rebates offered by mall retailers to attract store traffic were examined. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through mall intercept technique in six cities across India. Convenience sampling method was used to target metropolitan and non-metropolitan cities for data collection. Findings – Results suggest that consumers' attitude towards mall retailers' promotional strategies is influenced by shopping values and price consciousness, deal proneness, and coupon proneness. Age, education, and income influence consumers' attitude towards promotions. Research limitations/implications – Only three constructs of price perception scale were used for the research. Future research can include all the items of price perception scale to understand its applicability on Indian sample. Promotions offered by branded and non-branded retailers in malls were not examined. Practical implications – The findings can be useful to mall retailers for designing promotions to increase footfalls and sales. Promotions can be used by retailers to convey value and attract price conscious consumers. Retailers need to match their promotional offers according to price sensitivity and shopping motives of consumers. Originality/value – There is limited research to examine role of promotions used by mall retailers in attracting footfalls in Indian malls. The influence of price perceptions and shopping motives on promotions offered by retailers in Indian malls has not been examined.

The importance of importance: Its impact on decision-making in mall retail categories during an economic downturn

The study examines how, during an economic downturn, the perceived importance of the value offering of retail store categories, as identified by a major international mall operator based in Australia, influences the relationship between consumers’ shopping attitudes and likelihood of purchasing in those categories. The findings show variance in the importance pertaining to retail store categories between those that have and those that have not altered their shopping behaviour. Different mediating effects were found in the major, mini-major, leisure, apparel, and mobile phone categories, suggestive of each group having differing levels of self-interest in the value offerings of each category, thus, symptomatic of dissimilar decision-making strategies for each group. Contributions to theory and practice are discussed.

Analysis of Stimuli Attracting Customer Buying Behavior and their Satisfaction Level in Modern as Well as in Conventional Retail Stores

The paper highlights the stimuli that attract a prospective buyer in modern retail mall and conventional stores and researcher made a comparative analysis of those variables between modern retail format and conventional retail store. The purpose of this research is specifically to compare the level of satisfaction of the with the offerings and attributes offered to them in modern retail formats vis-a-vis conventional shopping stores. I. Introduction Richard, (2011), Consumer Behaviour studied the shopping habits of to form an idea of whether or not the store concepts, product ranges and strategies of the companies are appropriate towards consumer requirements. Customers are satisfied when the perceived service meets or exceeds their expectations. Theyre dissatisfied when they feel the service falls below their expectations. When retailers provide unexpected services, will be delighted. Thus, to delight customers, retailers need to understand the customers expectations and take the necessary steps to meet the expected service (Raut and Dash 2011). The consumer is no longer shopping from the local market; rather the place of shopping has shifted to the stores in malls. Malls are also towards catering to the younger population segments. Shopping behavior of the consumer varies according to their age. Moreover shopping behavior of younger consumers is focused towards seeking entertainment, while older focus on convenience and leisure. India is currently in the second phase of evolution, that is, consumer demand organized formats (Jhamb and Kiran, 2012). According to Kotler, Keller, Koshy and Jha (2012) Customer Shopping Behaviour is the study of how individuals, groups and organizations select, buy, use and dispose of goods, service, idea, or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants.

A troubled relationship: an exploration of mall retailers and teen shoppers' thoughts, behaviors, and coping strategies as they interact with each other

PurposeThis research aims to examine some of the main sources of frustration in the relationship between retailers and teen shoppers and the coping strategies they use as they interact with each other in a mall environment.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from retailers and teen shoppers via depth interviews and the data were coded using a grounded theory approach.FindingsRetailers in the study expressed frustration with teen shoppers arising from disruptive behavior, and refusal to accept assistance. Retailers attempt to deal with these issues at both the individual and the corporate level. Teens' frustration with retailers stems from being ignored, and/or treated with suspicion. Teens also indicated that retailers attempt to manipulate and persuade them. Teens deal with these issues by neutralizing or proactively coping with the situation.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study provide some significant insights for retailers. Most of the retail informants did not report any specific training with respect to interacting with teenage shoppers. The results of this study, however, suggest that providing retail employees with an understanding of teens' shopping behaviors and perceptions might promote more positive interactions with teen shoppers. This study utilized two independent sets of data to capture informants' perceptions and self‐reported behaviors. Studying actual interactions between retailers and teen shoppers might help to address any potential bias associated with self‐reported data.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that it is not a question of whether or not retailers should interact with teens but rather a question of how to interact with them so they do not feel ignored but also not pressured or treated with suspicion. Retailers should review the current strategies they use when customers first enter the store. By allowing teens to initiate the interaction, they are likely to feel more in control and less pressured.Originality/valueVery little, if any, previous research has combined data from both retailers and teen shoppers in one study. Novel managerial suggestions are made as well as conceptual contributions in the under‐researched area of teen persuasion detection and persuasion coping.

Beyond Aesthetics: Assessing the Value of Strip Mall Retail in Toronto

Many city planners are increasingly focusing on urban design guidelines to shape future growth. However, the social implications of this type of planning rarely appear in city plans. Toronto's new planning policies are shown to establish a polarized view of the city, focusing on aesthetic concerns rather than the use and users of spaces. Interviews with small business owners and local planners were used to establish the benefits of, and threats to, strip malls. The findings reveal that strip malls provide affordable retail space for small businesses not available elsewhere and the spaces are seen as highly desirable by many ethnic business owners. This paper highlights some of the problems associated with design-centric planning.

Restaurant customer satisfaction and return patronage in a Bloemfontein shopping mall

Purpose: Restaurants form one of the core components of a mall's retail offering and its tenant mix. In order to successfully manage the tenant mix, research suggests that mall management continuously monitor their tenants' performance through customer satisfaction and return patronage surveys. The purpose of the study on which this article is based, was to gain insight into restaurant customers' satisfaction and return patronage in a shopping mall context. Research questions: The research was conceptualised with the following three research questions in mind: Which dining attributes are important for customer satisfaction and return patronage in mall restaurants? Is there a difference in restaurant customers' satisfaction and return patronage levels based on their demographic characteristics? Is there a difference in restaurant customers' satisfaction and return patronage in the respective mall restaurants? Design / methodology / approach: A mixed-methods research design was followed. The views of restaurateurs and mall managers were explored (qualitative) and 590 customers of eight restaurants situated in the mall successfully completed questionnaires (quantitative). Analysis of variance, t-tests, correlation analysis and regression analysis were performed to reach the objectives of the study. Findings: This research showed that food quality, quality service, restaurant ambience, the quality of facilities and the presence of management are important attributes in contributing to customers' overall dining satisfaction. Food quality and overall dining satisfaction are regarded as important attributes for restaurant customers' decision to return to a mall restaurant. Demographic characteristics of restaurant customers have little impact on customer satisfaction and return patronage levels. Mall restaurants were not equally successful in satisfying their customers in terms of service quality, quality of facilities and the presence of management. Implications: From a managerial perspective, it is important for mall restaurateurs to continuously strive to increase the levels of customer satisfaction and return patronage by emphasising the dining attributes identified in this article. Mall management needs to monitor customers' satisfaction in those restaurants that obtained significantly lower customer satisfaction ratings. Restaurateurs should address areas identified for improvement by this research. Originality / value: This article offers the South African restaurant subsector increased insight into customers' satisfaction and return patronage. The contribution of this article is unique in that, for the first time, customer satisfaction and return patronage are investigated from the context of restaurants situated in the same mall. The research findings supported the strategic responsible growth objectives of the National Tourism Sector Strategy.

Validating Service Convenience Scale and Profiling Customers: A Study in the Indian Retail Context

Customer retention has become very important in the heightened competitive environment unleashed in India, post liberalization. Recently, some researchers have made attempts to evolve and link the service convenience construct to customer satisfaction and repeat purchase from a service organization. Service convenience — a multidimensional construct with five dimensions, involves aspects beyond locational nearness or convenient operating hours. The present study aims at validating the service convenience (ServCon) scale originally developed in the West, in the Indian organized food and grocery retail context, and develop linkage between service convenience on one side, and satisfaction/behavioural intentions on the other. Convenience samples, comprising of respondents from SEC A and SEC B with experience of shopping from organized retail food and grocery outlets, were drawn from various parts of Ahmedabad city. Through the scale validation process, five dimensions emerged, as in the original 17 items ServCon scale, though with 15 items (Seiders et al, 2007). Scale validity was evaluated using correlation and confirmatory factor analysis while neural networks were used for nomological model testing. Subsequently, using cluster analysis, an attempt was made to segment respondents based on their service convenience scores which resulted in four customer segments being identified: Aspirers Fatalists Balance-oriented Pre-purchase convenience seekers. Statistically insignificant differences were observed amongst these clusters based on demographics. In the Indian context, it is found that access, benefit, and decision convenience dimensions have more importance whereas dimensions like transaction and post-benefit convenience are less relevant. Hence, retail mall managers should focus on providing better access, benefit, and decision convenience rather than transaction and post-benefit convenience. In the same vein, shopping enjoyment appears to be having a major effect on service convenience as compared to customer involvement in product category implying that shoppers experiencing higher levels of shopping enjoyment should be accorded more importance by mall managers. On the other hand, it is found that higher the perceived service convenience level, the greater the impact on shopper�s behavioural intentions as compared to satisfaction. This implies that organized retail mall managers should focus on shoppers who perceive higher levels of service convenience from malls, as they are more likely to patronize such malls by way of either positive word of mouth or increasing their visit/purchase frequency.

How consumer shopping orientation influences perceived crowding, excitement, and stress at the mall

While a few researchers have started to chip away at the notion that retail density is always negative, extant studies do not empirically address the question of why some shoppers respond negatively to a specific level of density while others respond positively. We examine this issue by drawing upon field theory (Lewin 1939) to shed light on how shoppers vary in terms of deeper motives (McClelland 1953) to seek control or intimacy with others in retail mall settings, and whether these motives influence shopping orientations. Shopping orientation is then hypothesized to affect perceptions of crowding, and, in turn, subsequent affective responses to the mall shopping experience. Moreover, we examine whether individual differences (gender and age) can help retailers segment those with different shopping orientations and the motives that influence these orientations. We found that task and social shopping orientations were influenced by deeper motives for control and intimacy. The causal relationships between shopping motive, shopping orientation, and consumers’ affective responses of stress and excitement were also discovered. Finally, we address theoretical and managerial implications of our results.

Community Context and Strip Mall Retail

Strip malls (or mini-malls) are a common land use, historically promoted by U.S. zoning practices that concentrate retail and commercial development in a narrow band along urban arterials and major streets. They are an entry-level retail niche offering opportunity for independent, start-up businesses that serve a limited market. Communities have begun to question land uses that enable efficient ingress and egress of vehicles in retail and commercial districts but give little attention to multimodal motility. Some communities are redeveloping small mall zones on the basis of “complete street” principles, expanding landscape plantings, and redeveloping the character of a business district. This study assessed public response to one element of small mall (re)development: landscape and vegetation. Prior studies indicated that consumer behavior is positively associated with city trees (urban forest) on multiple cognitive and behavioral dimensions. In mail surveys depicting varied roadside treatments, residents of three major cities in the Pacific Northwest were asked to indicate preferences and perceptions about proposed changes. Survey stimulus materials addressed visual quality, retail perceptions, patronage behavior, wayfinding, and willingness to pay for goods and services. Combined econometrics and psychometrics indicated that respondents prefer landscaped roadsides and report positive retail behavior, such as willingness to pay 8.8% more for goods and services in well-landscaped malls. Redevelopment and roadside management guidelines are proposed based on the research results, with implications for the economics of local communities.

Making Major Retail Establishments Sustainable: The Case of the Mall at Robinson

This case serves as a leadership example of what is initially possible for existing mall retail establishments regarding sustainability. The discussion consists of a case study of how a multidisciplinary team of Pittsburgh-regional experts conducted a comprehensive analysis using a systems approach [1] to identify and provide recommendations for sustainable business solutions to benefit a large retail shopping mall in the Pittsburgh Region, The Mall at Robinson. The convening organization for this project was Sustainable Pittsburgh. Findings from the assessment include solutions that will save or make money and increase the mall's effectiveness and resource efficiency. Other impacts include recommendations for becoming better stewards of the environment and community and increasing the mall's public profile. The project approach has been to focus on opportunities for continuous improvement where the interests of people, business, and environment meet.

The Effects of Ethnicity and Gender on Teens' Mall Shopping Motivations

This study was designed to identify multidimensional shopping motivations from the hedonic and utilitarian perspectives. A total of 531 usable data was collected via a mall intercept survey with teen consumers in large shopping malls in three metropolitan cities. Teens' mall shopping motivations consisted of five dimensional constructs: Sensory Stimulation, Diversion, and Social Contact, reflecting hedonic needs; and Bargaining and Eating, reflecting utilitarian needs. These mall shopping motivations differed by ethnicity and gender. White teens exhibited a higher level of Eating motivation; non-White teens (e.g., African Americans and Hispanic Americans) were more likely to visit malls for Sensory Stimulation and Social Contact. In terms of gender, female teens were more likely to shop for Bargaining and Diversion, whereas male teens were more likely to shop for Eating and Social Contact. Implications of this study were discussed for mall retailers and consumer educators.

Real Estate Ownership and Operating Businesses: Does Combining Them Make Sense for REITs?

Executive Summary. Variance in returns and riskadjusted returns of six real estate investment trust (REIT) property types were analyzed for rent’s connection to operating business. We find that hotel REITs where real estate rents are connected to hotel operations has performed poorly, and retail mall and outlet REIT returns where rents are tied to sales have also had lower risk-adjusted returns. One surprise was that seniors housing REIT returns had average variance. Further analysis found the operations component of healthcare was separated from the real estate component in these REITs. These results place in question the value of the new Taxable REIT Subsidiary law available in 2001, as it may create higher return variance and lower riskadjusted returns.

WEST EDMONTON MALL: ENTREPRENEURIAL INNOVATION AND CONSUMER RESPONSE

West Edmonton Mall was developed and has maintained its position as Edmonton's primary focus of retailing, recreational, and leisure activity through innovative entrepreneurial skills and extensive promotions. These are viewed as necessarily concomitant to the size, location, and functional complexity of the mall relative to the size of the Edmonton market and the remainder of the city's retail structure. One strategy was to dominate the market by tempting consumers with the rewards of a complete shopping environment within the confines of one, carefully orchestrated retail complex. The success of this approach is evaluated through an examination of the entrepreneurial behaviour of the developer (Triple Five) in relation to the consumer spatial preferences of a sample of Edmontonians. From this evidence it is suggested that the mall's retail importance may not be as pervasive locally as is commonly thought. Consumer mobility and the intrinsic character of the retail structure are reasons suggested for this, both of which require further investigation and elaboration.

There's something social happening at the mall

Part of the success of the retail mall was hypothesized to be the result of the socially stimulating environment that the indoor mall provides. To test this idea, three studies were completed. In the first, the composition of shoppers attracted to a downtown shopping area and a regional mall were compared. Results showed shopping at the mall was most likely to be either as singles or in larger groups suggesting that people go to the mall because the mall supports social interaction. In the second study, social behavior in a regional mall was observed. The pattern of social interaction observed in the mall setting was compared to a farmers market and a supermarket. Social behavior in the mall was found to be more similar to that of the social farmers market than the impersonal supermarket. In the third study, the image of the mall was found to be more social than a comparable downtown area and the image of a mall store was more social than the image of the same store located in a downtown business district. The overall findings suggest that the mall attracts consumers because it may be a magnet for social behavior and may reinforce consumer behavior by its sociability.

A Profile of Browsers in Regional Shopping Malls

Although undefined and ambiguous, the term “browsing” enjoys widespread usage among retailers. In this study, the concept is explored in terms of several different shopping behaviors. It is further demonstrated that these behaviors are associated with a variety of descriptive and attitudinal differences among retail mall patrons.

A characterization of room noise levels at telephone locations and the effect upon employees' work and communication

Noise surveys were conducted at telephone locations in four types of work environments: State government office buildings, fast‐food restaurants, automobile dealers/maintenance shops, and shopping mall retail stores. Two types of surveys were taken. A type I survey was conducted during normal working conditions and a type II survey was conducted at selected sites in order to better define the dominant noise sources. Acoustic measurements made included A‐weighted, C‐weighted, F‐weighted (flat), and octave‐band sound pressure levels. General room descriptors were also noted for each survey location. A total of 270 telephone locations were surveyed at 51 sites. The employees were asked to assess their work place with respect to noise and its effect on their work, face‐to‐face, and telephone communication activities. Summary statistics for each type of sound survey and the responses from the questionnaires given out during the surveys will be presented.