Attitude and Perception Towards Shopping Malls

Attitude and Perception towards Shopping Malls
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND: The organized retail industry in India stands at a booming Rs.18,000 crores (2002-2003) which is just 2% of the entire retailing industry. It is currently growing at a rate of 10% per annum with the fashion and food industry escalating at 20% per annum. A study by Knight Frank shows that total retail space is expected to rise to about 25 million square feet (2.3 million square meters) in the next three years across 50 cities from 8-9 million square feet now. There are 200 malls in planning or under construction. Shopping, entertainment and food will accelerate and will be the next major buzzwords in the industry. Traditional retailing has existed in India since time immemorial, what is being talked of is the organized retail sector which consists of large format stores, shopping malls/arcades and huge chain stores. The entire industry is heavily customer centric. For the organized retail segment to grow and gain success, it is essential to break the inertia and ignorance amongst the potential customers about the new retail formats, the advantages of shopping in these new stores and the value for money that these new formats offer. All this, in light of the dynamically changing industry, market and consumer psyche. The retail industry is divided into a number of segments like garments, music, books, pharmaceuticals, quick service restaurants, malls etc. In India, the retail sector is the second largest employer after agriculture. The retailing sector in India is highly fragmented and predominantly consists of small independent, owner-managed shops. There are some 12 million retail outlets in India. Besides, the country is also dotted with low-cost kiosks and pushcarts. There has been a boom in retail trade in India during the past few years owing to a gradual increase in the disposable incomes of the middle class households. More and more players are coming into the retail business in India to introduce new formats like malls, supermarkets, discount stores, department stores and even changing the traditional looks of bookstores, chemist shops, and furnishing stores.
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1.2 SOME OF THE ASPECTS OF RETAILING WHERE CHANGE HAS OCCURRED ARE: Medium of transaction - from currency to plastic money to virtual transactions Store format from tents to concrete structures from mom & pop stores to departmental stores to malls and multiplexes Store Layout from small stores of about 250 square feet to malls covering an area of nearly 1,50,000 square feet. Strategy from push to pull. Focus from being retailer centric to being customer centric Technology customized software packages are now being designed to run a retail chain or a mall In context to all this, malls were a new emerging format in India with a totally different business model. It started in the year 2000 with a Spencers at Chennai, Crossroads at Mumbai, Ansals at Delhi and a few non-metro malls, mostly in the South. Investments a world-class mall in India typically commands an investment of Rs. 3000 per square feet. Malls are not merely points of sales for different retailers but it is a place where several brands build their equity in unison. Malls typically work on a catchment area philosophy. They concentrate on providing convenience, variety and experience. They are trying to converge the classification of products on the utility and involvement basis. Malls are at an introductory stage in their life cycles exception being Crossroads, which has been there for three years. However, malls are burgeoning at every possible location. There are two hundred malls under planning or construction. Their main focus is on: Introducing the concept to the target audience Encouraging the footfalls within the malls Concentrate on the stores as they build up the mall.
The year 2003 was important in the history of mall development in India, with the number of operational malls reaching double digits. At the moment, most malls can boast of large numbers -- the MGF mall in Gurgaon gets over 25,000 footfalls a day, while Ansal Plaza gets up to 65,000 on weekends. The conversion rate is 10-12 per cent. But with new malls coming up, these numbers are sure to thin. Also, the traffic from neighboring towns is projected to dip sharply once malls come up there. This could see erosion in the handsome profits retailers in malls are currently reporting. Malls evolved not with a motive of evolving a new retail format but with the idea of developing a community center for people where they could converge for shopping, cultural activity and social interaction. However, slowly, they increased in such huge number that they became the center of the universe. They replaced the street shopping centers and became shopping communities themselves. This gave rise to a need of studying the customers in order to decide the mall patronage and not simple real estate and revenue alone. In an overmalled market, when consumers have choice of variety and several shopping center options for multiple purpose trips, the need arises for a measure of attraction, which grasps the essence of consumers liking and can also be practically applied. Meoti, Feignberg and Westgate discuss the plausible factors responsible for the attraction of consumers towards malls. According to them, there is a basis for assuming that consumers may be attracted to a mall by feelings evoked by qualitative aspects of a particular amalgamation of stores rather than a variety of stores with a limited depth and width. This basis, they have taken to be Byrnes behavioral learning theory and term it as the reinforcement-affect model. Stores, which a consumer likes or prefers shopping in, represent reinforcing stimuli that contribute to the attraction response towards the mall. Shoppers undergo important changes in their lifestyle in terms of their lifestyles, spending habits, shopping tendencies and strategies. Stoltman, Gentry and Anglin view mall shopping as a relative choice phenomenon i.e. a consumer chooses to shop at malls over other outlets and chooses some malls over other malls where this choice is given patronage is contingent upon the choice alternatives. Furthermore, mall patronage does not occur in abstract, it is a context driven choice. A consumer may (prefer / expect to)
shop at malls for clothes, but not for home electronics; they may shop at malls when many purchasing needs exist but few solutions have been identified (e.g. gift shopping); or, they may shop at malls when pressed for time. In addition, those who have certain shopping orientations may prefer to shop at malls, as in case of the browser. Mall shopping can also reflect more economical, or functional, shopping orientations because they provide a convenient / efficient way to compare shops across a variety of goods and/or a way to complete several purchases in one trip.
1.3 SHOPPING MALLS: MYTHS & REALITIES

New shopping-malls having become operational in many cities across India, it is interesting to observe how the shopping-behaviour of consumers in the vicinity of these malls has changed and thereby draw some lessons that could be of some use to the developers of hundreds of new malls that are currently under planning or construction across India. It is still not too long ago that the operators of a particular new shopping-mall at Mumbai had to contemplate restricting entries of visitors by imposing conditions that such entry was limited to those having mobile phones or credit cards a.k.a., the income tax department's one in six criterion for filing a tax return. Delhi and Gurgaon saw some of the initial mall developers become parking lot operators as well by charging exorbitant parking fees from all visitors. Rentals, rather than going down with more malls coming up, started moving up even as the quality of services within the malls started deteriorating. In this context, therefore, it is somewhat surprising that questions are already being asked, albeit in whispers, whether shoppingmalls can survive and operate profitably in India. Many tenants lament about the low percentage of conversions from those who walk through the portals of these malls, and casual observers routinely find shopping-bags missing in the hands of the supposed shoppers visiting these malls as an indicator that the initial euphoria about shopping in the malls is already on the wane and that consumers are reverting to their traditional shopping-destinations. There are some myths and some realities about these observations. It is, indeed, true that many Indian retailer tenants in the shopping-malls have now become familiar with terms such as footfalls, conversions, average transaction value, and repeat customers. However, it is also true that for many of these tenants, it has been their first expansion beyond their traditional high street locations and hence, they have expectations born more out of hype than by any real experience. Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore 5
For instance, the daily or weekend footfalls in traditional shopping high streets of India such as South Extension and Karol Bagh in Delhi, Linking Road in Mumbai, Commercial Street or Brigade Road in Bangalore, or for that matter, T Nagar or Anna Nagar in Chennai would easily exceed the more carefully estimated (or measured) footfalls in any of the malls in the country. Similarly, if one were to carefully observe the ratio of visitors having "shopping-bags" in their hands in these high streets versus those in the new malls, it is not going to be very different. As far as individual retailers' performance is concerned, even in the traditional markets some established retailers do extraordinarily well while many other shops see a change of "shop boards" very frequently. There is no reason to believe that it should be any different in a shopping-mall, which, in any case, is fundamentally no different from a traditional shopping-high street, except that a mall has a more modern and compact structure, in most cases a single roof. Local retailer tenants who move into a new mall for the first time should not expect any customer loyalty being built up overnight. For example, in Delhi's case, it is possible for a retailer to be very successful in Karol Bagh or Lajpat Nagar shopping-districts but he would have to start from scratch in terms of building up brand recognition as well as generating customer conversions in a new location such as Gurgaon or Noida. In contrast, national retailers such as Shoppers Stop, or national exclusive brand outlets such as those operated by Madura Garments, Arvind Brands, Raymond, and Zodiac, have national brand recognition and hence the performance of their outlets in shopping-malls is usually comparable (or even better) with their outlets in traditional shopping-markets. Secondly, with most mall developers having blindly opted for a questionable winning formula of shopping, entertainment and food, it is no surprise to find many mall visitors having no shopping-bags since they have been enticed to visit only for watching a movie and/or having a burger or a pizza or even a cup of coffee.
The situation pertaining to shopping, for instance, would be no different in locations such as Saket or Vasant Vihar in Delhi, which are better known for their movie theatres and eating options. What is the lesson for mall developers and for the prospective tenants? For the developers, the critical lesson is to invest some quality effort in understanding the shopping-needs of customers in their targeted "catchment" areas and then build a carefully planned portfolio of retail options that can meet the needs of these targeted customers. In many instances, customers would only need shopping and eating options rather than a multiplex as well. The developers also have to understand that their retailer tenants have to earn a profit and hence the rentals have to be aligned to what the retail business can bear (usually 5-8 per cent of gross revenues). Mall developers also have to create distinctive identities for their specific malls, much like the identities that have developed over time for major shopping-high streets in various cities in the country. Their work is not done just when the mall has been commissioned! As for the would-be retailer tenants, it is important to realise that merely moving into a mall does not guarantee business for them. They have to work as hard to draw consumers to their own stores once the latter have entered the mall, and then have the right value proposition for them to get converted into customers, and then become repeat customers. The final, obvious, conclusion is that mall developers have to invest in getting a better understanding about the retail business, while retailers have to get a better understanding about the dynamics of operating at a new location.
2. DESIGN OF THE STUDY

2.1 NEED OF THE STUDY: Customer is the most important link in a service industry and the same applies to retailing as well. Utmost care is now being taken to please the customers to retain and expand the existing customer base. However in India, not many strategic changes in the store formats seem to have taken place by identifying the customer needs upfront. It is generally the retailer who comes up with a new format and the customers try it out because of its newness. Most of the formats in India have been adapted from other developed markets throughout the world. The success of one format springs up more of its kind. One such format that has been successful and has lead to rapid growth of its kind is a MALL. As mentioned above, there are nearly 200 malls under construction in 50 cities across India. However, the question is whether excess of anything would be acceptable amongst customers? What would determine the success of these malls? What would be their differentiating factor? If it is their product mix and layout, then a thought has to be given to it. With malls housing stores of almost all product categories and with little differentiation amongst these stores, it is important to determine what truly matters to the customer so as to differentiate. Would branding of malls be successful? Malls work on a catchment area philosophy i.e. 80% of a malls earnings comes from its catchment area. Does this mean that it is difficult to cater to a heterogeneous locality in this era where niche marketing is at its pinnacle? A number of such questions have been asked and research carried out in markets where malls are a developed phenomena. In India, where malls are still at a nascent stage in a relatively newfound organised retail industry, very less research has been carried out on shoppers consuming malls. This study is an attempt to understand the behaviour and attitude of these shoppers towards malls based on primary research. It also looks in detail at three malls in particular supposed to represent the city of Bangalore in a geographical manner.
2.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: To understand the behaviour of shoppers towards malls To understand the attitudes of shoppers towards malls To explore and determine the mall choice drivers amongst shoppers
2.3 SCOPE: The retail industry in India is facing the same situation as it was during the late eighties and early nineties in the U.S.A. A lot of research work is beginning in the area of malls just as it began there in the past. This study is one such initial step towards understanding the behaviour and attitude of customers towards malls as they are burgeoning and filling up the spaces in the cities. The retail industry in India has been extremely dynamic in the past ten years. Not only have malls come up as the latest format in vogue, but also attempts are being made to construct malls in new layouts. Such a vigorous environment is definitely conducive to consumer research and their behaviour and attitude towards the change. This study, being carried out at the nascent stage of malls in India, has potential to be the foundation for future research work in this area. 2.4 BENEFICIARIES: Beneficiaries of this research study would be: Mall owners and mall managers: This study would give them a consumers perspective in their business model and hence help them decide their strategies better. Behaviour, attitude, perception and imageries have immense marketing implications and these have gained importance in case of malls because of their sudden expanse across the country. Retail chain / store owners: Knowing the consumers perspective towards malls would help them decide which malls or what kind of malls to place their stores in. this study would also elicit information on the most popular stores amongst the mall shoppers. This would help the retail chain/store owners in building their brand equity or positioning themselves accordingly. Researchers / Students: Malls is an upcoming sector in the retail industry at present. This study would be useful in case of any further research or study being carried out on any aspect in this sector. It would provide the researcher / students with the consumers perspective on the sector.
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2.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

2.5.1 SAMPLE DESIGN: Sampling Universe: People visiting malls Sampling Frame: Forum at Koramangala (South Bangalore) 5th Avenue at Brigade Road (East Bangalore) and Sukh Sagar at Gandhinagar (Central Bangalore)
Sampling technique: Stratified sampling (according to age) followed by quota sampling (on the basis of malls and gender) Sample size: 120 Sampling Unit: Individual Scope: Bangalore
2.6 SAMPLING GRID:

MALLS Age Group (years) 15-20 21-25 26-35 36-50 50+ Forum Male 4 4 4 4 4 Female 4 4 4 4 4 5th Avenue Male 4 4 4 4 4
Table No. 1
Sukh Sagar Male 4 4 4 4 4 Female 4 4 4 4 4
Female 4 4 4 4 4
2.7 RATIONALE FOR THE SAMPLE DESIGN:

The age groups signify
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Teenagers (15-20 years) Early earners (21-25 years) Recently settled / Having small children (26-35 years) With family (Having grown up children) (36-50 years) Retired / Staying without children (50+ years) Stratified sampling is used in order to cover all the age groups while within them, quota sampling has been used in order to cover both the genders equally and because of paucity of time. The malls at which people would be interviewed are chosen according to their geographical spread in order to cover the entire city of Bangalore. Bangalore is one of fastest growing cities in the country. Popularly known as Pub Hub and Silicon valley, it has become a central place for techs becoming the sought out place for software professionals. It has experienced a population growth of 3% p.a. over the past decade. Bangalore residents have a high propensity to spend. Average annual household expenditure of 36% of the population lies in the range of Rs. 50,000 Rs. 1,00,000, according to the Central Statistics Organization. This coupled with the fact that 36% of the age group falls under the age group of 20-45 years, indicates a favorable situation for majority of the retailers. From the high streets of M.G Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, Maratha Halli, Indiranagar and Gandhinagar, the retail market in Bangalore has been steadily moving towards malls and shopping centers. There are already more than 20 malls in Bangalore, which gives a good base for the present study.
2.8 RESEARCH INSTRUMENT:
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The research instrument used for data collection was selfadministered structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included: Dichotomous selection Multiple choice single response questions Multiple choice multiple response questions Open-ended questions Likert scale
2.8.1 RESEARCH METHOD: Survey method 2.8.2 DATA COLLECTION: For the purpose of the study, both primary and secondary data were collected. The primary data is collected through Self administered structured questionnaire, and secondary data was collected from internet, journal and magazines. 2.8.3 RESEARCH TYPE: A descriptive study is carried out to determine Attitude towards malls Imagery of some of the famous malls in the city Concept of an ideal mall
2.9 PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS: Demographic profile of the shoppers and mall visitors Psychographic profile of the shoppers and mall visitors
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2.10 DATA ANALYSIS PLAN:

Q.1 and Q.2 would reveal the approximate time that people spend in the mall. Whether to consider the responses as categorical data or as exact times would be decided on the basis of the range of responses obtained. Frequency count of this data would provide the above information. Frequency count of the various shops mentioned in Q.3 would reveal the most popular stores in a mall. Response from Q.4 would be used to segregate the respondents on the basis of whether they have bought anything from the mall or not. This would help study the behaviour and attitude of shoppers and non-shoppers. Frequency count of the various categories mentioned in Q.5 would reveal the most popular categories shopped in a mall. Frequency count of the various options in Q.6 would provide the approximate catchment area of the mall with respect to peoples residential and work places. Frequency count of responses from Q.7 would provide the following information: Awareness about malls in Bangalore: Top of mind recall Spontaneous recall Aided recall The most frequently visited malls in Bangalore Frequency count of responses from Q.8 would provide the following information: The frequency of visit to different malls Reasons for not visiting a particular mall. The reason first mentioned would be considered as response for the analysis. Frequency count of the various shops mentioned in Q.9 would reveal the company with whom people most visit malls. Q.10 would provide information on the means of transport used to travel to malls. Analysis of behaviour and attitude statements in Q.11 would indicate the mall choice drivers.
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Frequency count of responses in Q.12 would help form the imagery of the three malls. Analysis on the basis of statements in Q.11 would profile the customers going to the three malls. Analysis of statements in Q.13 would reveal: The mall choice drivers for the three different malls Factors most associated with the three malls
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2.11 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

The study is limited to three malls of the Bangalore city. The study is limited to data collected from 120 shoppers. The secondary data collected may not be up-to-date.
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2.12 OPERATIONAL DEFINATION & CONCEPT

2.12.1 PERCEPTION: Perception can be defined as how we see the world around us. Two individuals may be subject to the same stimuli under the same apparent conditions, but how each person recognizes them, selects them, organizes them, and interprets them is a highly individual process based on each persons own needs, values, and expectations. Perception can be defined as the process by which an individual selects, organizes, and interprets stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture of world. A stimulus is any unit of input to any of the senses. Examples of stimuli include products, packages, brand names, advertisements, and commercials. Sensory receptors are the human organs (i.e., the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin) that receive sensory inputs. Their sensory functions are to see, here, smell, taste, and feel. All of these functions are called into play either singly or in combination in the evaluation in the evaluation and use of most consumer products. The study of perception is largely the study of what we subconsciously add to or subtract from raw sensory inputs to produce our own private picture of the world. 2.12.2 DYNAMICS OF PERCEPTION: Human beings are constantly bombarded with stimuli during every minute and every hour of every day. The sensory world is made up of an almost infinite number of discrete sensations that are constantly and subtly changing. According to the principles of sensation, intensive stimulation turns off most individuals, who subconsciously block the receipt of a heavy bombardment of stimuli. Otherwise, the billions of different stimuli to which we are constantly exposed might serve to confuse us totally and keep us perpetually disoriented in a constantly changing environment. However, neither of these
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consequences tend to occur, because perception is not the function of sensory input alone. Rather, perception is the result of two different kinds of inputs that interact to form the personal pictures the perceptions that each individual experiences. One type of input is physical stimuli from the outside environment; the other type of input is provided by individuals themselves in the form of certain predispositions (e.g., expectations, motives, and learning) based on previous experience. The combination of these two very different kinds of inputs produces for each of us very private, very personal pictures of the world. Because each person is a unique individual, with unique experiences, wants, needs, wishes, and expectations, it follows that each individuals perceptions are also unique. This explains why no two individuals see the world in precisely the same way. Individuals are very selective as to which stimuli they recognize; they subconsciously organize the stimuli they do recognize according to widely held psychological principles, and they interpret such stimuli subjectively in accordance with their needs, expectations, and experiences. 2.12.3 PERCEPTUAL SELECTION: Consumers subconsciously exercise a great deal of selectivity as to which aspects of the environment which stimuli they perceive. An individual may look at some things, ignore others, and turn away from still others. In actuality, people perceive or perceive only a small fraction of the stimuli to which they are exposed. Which stimuli get selected depends on two major factors in addition to the nature of the stimulus itself: consumers previous experience as it affects their expectations and their motives at the time.
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2.12.4 IMPORTANT SELECTIVE PERCEPTION CONCEPTS: Consumers selection of stimuli from the environment is based on the interaction of expectations and motives with the stimulus itself. These factors give rise to a number of important concepts concerning perception. SELECTIVE EXPOSURE: Consumers actively seek out messages that they find pleasant or with which they are sympathetic, and they actively avoid painful or threatening ones. SELECTIVE ATTENTION: Consumers tend to have a heightened awareness of stimuli that meets their needs or interests and minimal awareness of stimuli irrelevant to their needs. Thus they are likely to note ads for products that would satisfy their needs and for stores in which they shop, and disregard those in which they have no interest. PERCEPTUAL DEFENSE: Consumers subconsciously screen out stimuli that they would find psychologically threatening, even though exposure has already taken place. Thus threatening or otherwise damaging stimuli are less likely to be consciously perceived than are neutral stimuli at the same level of exposure. Further more individuals unconsciously may distort information that is not consistent with their needs, values, and beliefs. PERCEPTUAL BLOCKING: Consumers protect themselves from being bombarded with stimuli by simply turning out blocking such stimuli from conscious awareness. Research shows that enormous amounts of advertising are screened out by consumers; they mentally tune out because of the visual over stimulating nature of the world in which we live. 2.12.5 PERCEPTUAL ORGANISATION: People do not experience the numerous stimuli they select from the environment as separate and discrete sensation; rather, they tend to organize them into groups and Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore 19
perceive them as unified wholes. Thus, the perceived characteristics of even the simplest stimulus are viewed as a function of the whole to which the stimulus appears to belong. This method of perceptual organization simplifies life considerably for the individual. The specific principle underlined perceptual organization are often referred to by the same name given the school of psychology that first developed it : Gestalt psychology. Three of the most basic principle of perceptual organization are : Figure ground Grouping Closure 2.12.6 PERCEPTUAL INTERPRETATION: The interpretation of stimuli is also uniquely individual, because it is based on what individual expect to see in light of their previous experience, on the number of plausible explanation they can envision, and on their motives and interests at the time of perception. Stimuli are often highly ambiguous. Some stimuli are weak because of such factors as poor visibility, brief exposure, high noise level, or constant fluctuation. Even stimuli that are strong tend to fluctuate dramatically because of such factors as different angles of viewing, varying distance, and changing levels of illumination. 2.13 CONSUMER IMAGERY: Consumers have a number of enduring perceptions, or images, that are particularly relevant to the study. Products and brands have symbolic value for individuals, who evaluate them on the basis of their consistency with their personal pictures of themselves. Some products seem to match an individuals self image; others do not. Consumers attempt to preserve or enhance their self image by buying products that they believe are congruent with their self images, and avoiding products that are not.
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2.14 ATTITUDE: Attitudes are an expression of inner feelings that reflect whether a person is favorably or unfavorably predisposed to some object. Because they are an outcome of psychological process, attitudes are not directly observable but must be inferred from what people say or what they do. 2.14.1 THE ATTITUDE OBJECT: The word object in consumer oriented definition of attitude is interpreted broadly to include specific consumption - or marketing related concepts, such as product, product category, brand, service, possession, product us, causes or issues, people, advertisement, price, medium, or retailer. In conducting attitude research, we tent to be object specific. For example, if we are interested in measuring shoppers attitude towards three major shopping malls, then our object might include Forum, 5th Avenue, and sukh sagar. 2.14.2 ATTITUDES ARE A LEARNED PREDISPOSITION: There is a general agreement that attitudes are learned. This means that attitudes relevant to purchase behaviour are formed as a result of direct experience with the product, information acquired from others, or exposure to mass media advertising and various forms of direct marketing. It is important to remember that while attitudes may result from behaviour, they are not synonymous with behaviour. Instead, they reflect either a favorable or an unfavorable evaluation of attitude object. As learned predisposition, attitudes have a motivational quality; that is they might propel a consumer towards a particular behaviour or repel the consumer away from a particular behaviour.
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2.14.3 ATTITUDES HAVE CONSISTENCY: Another characteristic of attitude is that they are relatively consistent with the behaviour they reflect. However, despite their consistency, attitudes are not necessarily permanent; they do change. 2.14.4 ATTITUDES OCCUR WITHIN THE SITUATION: Attitude occur within the situation i.e., events or circumstances that, at a particular point in time, influence the relationship between an attitude and behaviour. A specific situation can cause consumer to behave in ways seemingly inconsistent with their attitudes. 2.14.5 STRUCTURAL MODEL OF ATTITUDE: Tricomponent Attitude Model:
Affect
Conation
Cognition
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According to Tricomponent model, attitudes consist of three major components: 1. Cognitive component: The first component of this model consists of a persons cognitions, that is the knowledge and perceptions that are acquired by a combination of direct experience with the attitude object and related information from various sources. This knowledge and resulting perceptions commonly take the form of beliefs, that is, the consumer believes that the attitude object possesses various attributes and that specific behaviour will lead to specific outcomes. 2. Affective component: A consumers emotions or feelings about a particular product or brand constitute the affective component of the attitude. These emotions and feelings are frequently treated by consumer researchers as primary evaluative in nature. Affect laden experiences also manifest themselves as emotionally charged states. Research indicates that such emotional states may enhance or amplify positive or negative experiences and that later recollection of such experiences may impact what comes to mind and how the individual act.
3. Conative component: Conation, the final component of the model is concerned with the likelihood or tendency that an individual will undertake a specific action or behave in a particular way with regard to the attitude object. Conative component may include the actual behaviour itself. 2.14.6 ATTITUDE FORMATION: Attitude formation is divided in to three areas: How attitudes are learned Attitude formation is nothing but shift from having no attitude toward a given object to having some attitude towards it. This shift from no attitude to an attitude is a result of learning. Learning theories related to attitude formation are Classical Conditioning Instrumental Conditioning
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Cognitive Learning theory The sources of influence on attitude formation Sources of influence on attitude formation are Direct Experience Influence of Family and Friends Direct Marketing Exposure to Mass Media Impact of personality Personality also plays a critical role in attitude formation. For example, individuals with a high need for cognition are likely to form positive attitudes in response to ads or direct mails that are rich in product related information.
2.15 CONSUMER DECISION MAKING PROCESS:

This model of consumer decision making reflects the cognitive consumer and, to some degree, the emotional consumer. The model is designed to tie together many of the ideas on the consumer decision making and consumption behaviour. It does not presume to provide an exhaustive picture of the complexities o consumer decision making. Rather, it is designed to synthesize and coordinate concepts into a significant whole. The model has three major components: input, process, and output.
Input:
The input model of consumer decision making model draws an external influence that serve as source of information about the particular product and influence a consumers product related values, attitudes, and behaviour. Chief among these input factors are the marketing mix activities and the nonmarketing sociocultural influences.
Process:
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The process component of the model is concerned with how consumers make decision. To understand process component we must consider the influence of the psychological concepts which represents the internal influences that affect consumers decision making process. The process component consists of three stages namely Need recognition Prepurchase search Evaluation of alternatives
Output:
The output portion of the consumer decision making model concerns two closely associated kinds of postdecision activity
Purchase behaviour Post purchase evaluation
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External Influences Sociocultural Environment Family Informal sources Other noncommercial sources Social class Subculture and culture
Input
Firms Marketing Efforts Product Promotion Price Channels of distribution
Consumer Decision Making
Need Recognition Prepurchase Search
Psychological Field Motivation Perception Learning Personality Attitude
Process
Evaluation of Alternatives Experience
Postdecision Behavior Purchase Trial Repeat Purchase
Output
Postpurchase Evaluation
Consumer Decision Making Process
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3. RETAILING INDUSTRY INDIA

Even though India has well over 5 million retail outlets of all sizes and styles (or non-styles), the country sorely lacks anything that can resemble a retailing industry in the modern sense of the term. This presents international retailing specialists with a great opportunity.
It was only in the year 2000 that the global management consultancy AT Kearney put a figure to it: Rs. 400,000 crore (1 crore = 10 million) which will increase to Rs. 800,000 crore by the year 2005 an annual increase of 20 per cent.
Retailing in India is thoroughly unorganised. There is no supply chain management perspective. According to a survey b y AT Kearney, an overwhelming proportion of the Rs. 400,000 crore retail market is UNORGANISED. In fact, only a Rs. 20,000 crore segment of the market is organised.
As much as 96 per cent of the 5 million-plus outlets are smaller than 500 square feet in area. This means that India per capita retailing space is about 2 square feet (compared to 16 square feet in the United States). India's per capita retailing space is thus the lowest in the world (source: KSA Technopak (I) Pvt Ltd, the India operation of the US-based Kurt Salmon Associates).
Just over 8 per cent of India's population is engaged in retailing (compared to 20 per cent in the United States). There is no data on this sector's contribution to the GDP.
From a size of only Rs.20,000 crore, the ORGANISED retail industry will grow to Rs. 160,000 crore by 2005. The TOTAL retail market, however, as indicated above will grow 20 per cent annually from Rs. 400,000 crore in 2000 to Rs. 800,000 crore by 2005 (source: survey by AT Kearney)
Given the size, and the geographical, cultural and socio-economic diversity of India, there is no role model for Indian suppliers and retailers to adapt or expand in the Indian context.
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The first challenge facing the organised retail industry in India is: competition from the unorganised sector. Traditional retailing has established in India for some centuries. It is a low cost structure, mostly owner-operated, has negligible real estate and labour costs and little or no taxes to pay. Consumer familiarity that runs from generation to generation is one big advantage for the traditional retailing sector.
In contrast, players in the organised sector have big expenses to meet, and yet have to keep prices low enough to be able to compete with the traditional sector. High costs for the organised sector arises from: higher labour costs, social security to employees, high quality real estate, much bigger premises, comfort facilities such as air-conditioning, back-up power supply, taxes etc. Organised retailing also has to cope with the middle class psychology that the bigger and brighter a sales outlet is, the more expensive it will be.
The above should not be seen as a gloomy foreboding from global retail operators. International retail majors such as Benetton, Dairy Farm and Levis have already entered the market. Lifestyles in India are changing and the concept of "value for money" is picking up.
India's first true shopping mall complete with food courts, recreation facilities and large car parking space was inaugurated as lately as in 1999 in Mumbai. (this mall is called "Crossroads").
Local companies and local-foreign joint ventures are expected to more advantageously positioned than the purely foreign ones in the fledgling organised India's retailing industry.
These drawbacks present opportunity to international and/or professionally managed Indian corporations to pioneer a modern retailing industry in India and benefit from it.
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The prospects are very encouraging. The first steps towards sophisticated retailing are being taken, and "Crossroads" is the best example of this awakening. More such malls have been planned in the other big cities of India.
An FDI Confidence Index survey done by AT Kearney, retail industry is one of the most attractive sectors for FDI (foreign direct investment) in India and foreign retail chains would make an impact circa 2003.
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3.1 GARDEN CITYS MALL CALL

With its first few malls receiving a warm welcome, Bangalore seems to be competing with Mumbai and Delhi to become a mall city. With the citys youth spending more and more time in malls, a new stereotype of mall rats is fast emerging in Bangalore. Ground-Floor Opportunities for Retail in India, a report by Jullia Hanna, Associate Editor, Harvard Business School, has some interesting sound bytes from leading Indian retailers. Kishore Biyani, Chief Knowledge Officer, Pantaloon Retail advises mall owners to refrain from copying western models as Indian consumers have a preference pattern that is far different from consumers in the West. According to him, Indian mall owners should adopt a flexible model that captures the value chain and allows them to evolve with the customer. From a sector perspective, mall speciality stores that sell goods such as toys or watches should do well. Neel Raheja, Executive Director, Shoppers Stop, estimated that although about 200 malls will be built in India, only 10 per cent of these would be successful. According to him, the weather would play a crucial role, with shopping indoors being viewed as an attractive prospect in the monsoons.
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3.2 SHOPPING CENTRES IN BANGALORE Bangalore Central:

.
Bangalore Central from Pantaloon saw at least 20,000 footfalls a day, just a few days after its launch. From a customer experience point of view, it is a large and comfortable department store. Malls are just a part of the evolution of shopping, and customers expect the comfort and convenience of malls whenever they shop. While Bangalore Central is spacious and ideal for shopping with the family, the absence of large walkways may serve to deter mall rats. The food court is good and is frequented by shoppers but the same cannot be said for certain other sections like books and kitchenware. However, unlike a mall that has different brands located at various ends of the mall, a multi-brand seamless mall like Bangalore Central makes it possible for shoppers to compare brands with ease while they shop. This also means that the store can reallocate space more easily based on merchandise/brand performance and customer feedback. Just selling mall space is not the Bangalore Central priority, rather it provides to its customers, branded items are sold at MRP and value addition from their side is the shopping comfort. For the brands, promotion/marketing and ensuring footfalls is Bangalore Centrals responsibility. Purva Mall: .
Purva mall is still in the process of selling mall space and has just had a soft launch, as the entrance from MG Road is still under some construction. Though small, this mall boasts of a prime location. A good tenant mix and an entrance from MG Road may work wonders for this strategically located mall. Sigma Mall: .
Located on Cunningham Road, this mall will largely cater to North Bangalore inhabitants residing within a 5-7 km radius. This mall appears to be paying a great deal of attention to the trade mix and space allocation. As Pantaloon has no presence in North Bangalore, it is taken up most of the first floor at Sigma. Indus league, Stori, Ruby Tuesday and Royal Sporting are others who are reportedly considering this mall. In
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addition, Xenon plans to have a 4-screen multiplex at Sigma. With 1,53,000 sq ft of floor space, Sigma looks spacious and well planned. 5th Avenue: Located on Brigade Road, the shopping mall on four levels where guys spend their time staring at the girls. Has music shops, men's and women's clothing, the Supermarket, a beauty parlour, gaming centers, Time and Again disco, a food joint, jewellery shops and shoes. Definitely worth a browse and even if you don't buy anything enjoy the escalator rides! . Mota Royal Arcade: Also located at Brigade Road. A very popular hang-out place for teenagers and adults alike. Houses the ever popular Only Place restaurant, notorious for its steaks and desserts. Also has Fashion Flash, G's lanes for bowling and pool and the One Stop Shop. Arihant Plaza: Located at Commercial Street. Has everything your heart desires. An assortment of foods to choose from, especially chocolates, biscuits and cookies. Sporty, casual and formal wear for girls and guys. Great accessories also available here. Women also shop here for cosmetics. Electronics with great deals available. . Devatha Plaza: Located at Residency Road. Well known for flowers, clothes, Casa Piccola and Raaga, in addition to more food joints. If you have any ailment there are also a number of doctors and dentists to choose from. . Safina Plaza: Located at Infantry Road. Sales and discounts are held here. Shop for clothes, shoes, handicrafts and grab a bite to eat at many of the food joints at this place. . .
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Shopper's Stop: At the Mcgrath Road. A one-stop shopping experience for the discerning shopper. The best brands available in India and there's a lot of space to move around. The window displays are also attractive and of international standard. Alankar Pearl Plaza: Located at the prime place Kempegowda Road. A very popular escalator for families that like to travel. Famous for its wide range of garments. Nice and spacious shop. Hong Kong Market: Gandhinagar, below Tribhuvan Theater. Sell imported goods like cutlery, chocolates, electronics etc. Shop is at own risk though because can get conned. Burma Bazaar: Located at Gandhinagar, opposite Tribhuvan theater. Mostly famous for imported goods, although it's not as good as the Chennai one. Famous for selling smuggled goods. National Market: Located at Gandhinagar, near Sukh Sagar restaurant. Sells higher quality and upmarket goods. Cheaper music systems and accessories available here.
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3.3 POPULAR SHOPPING AREAS

Brigade Road: This is a popular hangout for young people, because there is a lot of entertainment available, as well as a lot of shopping options. There is Rex (the best movie theatre in town). There is Cyber Caf (coffee and the Internet). There is bowling alley, a discothque, a video game parlor, eating places (including The Only Place, which serves great steaks and desserts) and Nilgiris (which is a really good grocery store). There are showrooms for brands like Lee, Van Heusen, and Louis Phillippe. Also can shop a lot of unbranded clothes, shoes and jewelry. There are malls like Fifth Avenue and Mota Royal Arcade, which are worth exploring. We can get a range of items and the stores range from low budget to exorbitant. Commercial Street: This is a strictly shopping area. There are no entertainment outlets as it would be on Brigade Road. We can buy clothes, dress materials, jewelry, and food. Woodys serves good South Indian food. They also have continental and North Indian items. This place is definitely value for money. Coffee Day is popular with people of all ages. The ambience is excellent informal, discreet and generally appealing. They have different kinds of coffee, and they also have items like sandwiches, pizzas and pies. Naturals is heaven on earth for icecream lovers. The Cakeshop of the Taj, with its pastries, cakes and patties, is located right next to Naturals. The side streets are definitely worth exploring. Clothes and jewelry here tend to be inexpensive, especially if they are unbranded.
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M.G. Road: M.G.Road is a very popular commercial area. There is a large number of sari stores, like Deepam Silks and Prasiddhi. There are plenty of stores that sell saris as well as other clothes. The Raymonds and Cotton World showrooms are located here. There are two movie theatresPlaza and Symphony. Gangaram, a wellestablished bookstore, is a very popular stop, as is Higgin Botham, which is also a bookstore, but much smaller.
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3.4 ADDING NEW DIMENSIONS TO BANGALORE

Bangalore witnessed a fair share of India's retailing action last year with the successful launch of Lifestyle Department Store, ITC Wills Sport, Planet M, numerous Baristas and the famous Big Bazaar and Family mart hypermarket. Besides, the city's first shopping mall, the 100,000 sq. ft. Leela Galleria, commenced leasing. A number of retailers, including the likes of Pepe Jeans, Anokhi, DAKS, Hidesign and the Platinum Guild, are currently busy with their interior fit-outs, with another 18 finalising plans, in preparation for a mid-year launch. The city is already ready with one more shopping mall, and a very complimentary one to the first one, the 3,50,000 sq. ft. Prestige Forum, in the wealthy residential district of Koramangala. Developed by the Prestige Group, it is claimed, is Bangalore's answer to the Deira City Centre of Dubai, UAE, with one of India's largest Multiplex anchoring it. .
Forum is located in the heart of Koramangala, Prestige Forum occupied a large plot of land with a wide frontage along Hosur Road. It is very close to the intersection of the busy Hosur Road and Aguodi Road, with entrances from both the roads. Adjacent to the high-end Acropolis residential apartments, the site is a stone's throw from the Big Bazaar, towards Hosur. The location has a well researched catchment area. It has target audience covering the high-end residential zones of Koramangla, Jaya Nagar, J.P. Nagar, HSR Layout, BTM Layout and Hosur road. .
Covering as it does 3,50,000 sq. ft. across four levels in addition to the basements, the development mix comprises of a quarter million sq.ft. of retail, a PVR (Priya Village Roadshow) multiplex, the largest in the country so far, a family entertainment centre and a 1000-odd capacity multi-storey car-park that runs alongside the Mall structure. In terms of layout, the multiplex-anchor occupied practically the entire third floor, with three floors of shops of international sizing, laid out around the Atrium, allowing high visibility to each store. Store sizes vary from 700 sq. ft. to 1,500 sq. ft., with some large stores, a Mini Anchor of 15,000 sq. ft., and an Anchor Store of 35,000 sq. ft.
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Prestige Forum has one of Bangalore's first McDonald's outlets, a significant amount of F&B across categories (including a food-court), a large Super Market, one, perhaps two, departmental stores, a large music store and retail, broad tenant-mix for various levels, that caters to all segments, ages and preferences. As the building is beautifully curtain-walled, using aluminium cladding and solar glazing, with environmental graphics and an excellent lighting concept for post-dusk appeal.
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3.5 RETAIL DESTINATION OF THE YEAR

A shopping centre or a store that is favoured by locals, tourists and travellers alike for shopping; emerging as a retail destination for consumers and for brands as the most profitable avenue for retailing. Hall of fame: Phoenix Mills, Forum (Kolkata), Lifestyle, Big Bazaar Winner: SHOPPERS' STOP Performance details year 2003-04 Outlets operational: 15 across Outlets opened in 2003-04: 1 Turnover in year 2004: Rs 404 crore Pioneers of department store concept, Shoppers' Stop chain today is present in nine Indian cities. A member of the Intercontinental Group of Departmental Stores, Shoppers' Stop got the 'Superbrand' status in 2003. Its main offerings include clothing sportswear, cosmetics, watches, eyewear, footwear, bags, leather accessories and home products. Its private labels are Stop, Life, Kashish and Vettorio Fratini. .
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4. ANALYSIS 4.1 AVERAGE TIME SPENT ?

The average of the approximate time spent by the shoppers surveyed:
AVERAGE TIME SPENT IN THE THREE MALLS

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Forum 5th Avenue Sukh agar
Percentage
<1 hr 1-2 hr 2-3 hr >3 hr
Shopping Malls
Graph No 1
The survey regarding it indicated that Sukh Sagar was viewed a just a shop and go MALL since the average time spent by most of the shoppers is less than 1 hour (82.5%). 5th Avenue showed a better average spending time, less than an hour (47.5%) but still the staying average of more than an hour was still far lower than Forum. The same wasnt the case with Forum instead most of the shoppers spent an average time of more than 1 hour and most shoppers were here to stay longer. A close look at the demographic variables showed that most of the shoppers to Forum were teenagers between 17-26 years, monthly household income more than 20000. The PVR theatres were also the reason which increased the average time spent. The shoppers also stated that Forum was a complete MALL with shopping stuff like designer wear, books, crystals, cosmetics, jewellery, gifts, durables, toys, groceries to Entertainment like the theatres, kids hangout to great food. This could be the reason for a more average spending time in Forum.
4.2 SHOPS VISITED IN THE MALL:
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SHOPS VISITED IN THE MALL
Accessories
Sukh Sagar
Books Jewellery Food/Beverages Toys Cosmetics
5th Avenue
Durables and Electronics Music Home Furnishing Entertainment Shoes
Forum
Designer Wear Garments
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 Number of Responses
Graph No-2
4.3 FOOT FALLS TO PURCHASE RATIO: The conversion rate at each MALL:
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SHOPPING PERCENTAGE
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Forum 5th Avenue Sukh Sagar
Percentage
Yes No
Shopping Malls
Graph No 3
The result being as expected Sukh Sagars conversion rate was low. Only 37.5% of shopper actually purchased at Sukh Sagar. The conversion rate of 5th Avenue fared better. 52.5% of shopper who visited purchased there. Forum showed the best conversion rate 92.5%. A further probe into the issue reasoned that Sukh Sagar is located in a place where there are lot many alternatives and an option of cheaper bargain. Shoppers visited it along with going to national market, Alankar plaza, City center etc. Forum was altogether a customer oriented MALL situated in the catchment area with all options at a single MALL, shoppers visited it a motive to buy, be it entertainment or food or shopping.
4.4 THE PURCHASES MADE?

A graph showing the products brought from Forum:
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PURCHASES MADE IN FORUM 30 28 26 24 Number of Responses 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 FORUM

Garments Designer Wear Shoes Entertainment Home Furnishing Music Durables and Electronics Cosmetics Toys Food/Beverages Jewellery Books Accessories
Graph No 4 A question asked regarding the purchases made at Forum showed these results: 27 Shoppers had bought food/beverages from the MALL. The best brands McDonalds (only this single outlet), KFC, Transcend, Pizza Hut are located at Forum. 19 shoppers visited for Entertainment. The PVR cinemas is one of the best cinema theatres in Bangalore today. Designer wear and Garments also attracted the crowd. Landmark also attracted the crowd to purchase books. The Durables and electronic items were the least purchased.

A graph showing the products brought from 5th Avenue:
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PURCHASES MADE IN 5th AVENUE

20 18
Garments Designer Wear Shoes Entertainment Home Furnishing Music Durables and Electronics
Number of Responses
16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
8
Cosmetics Toys Food/Beverages Jewellery
5th Avenue
Books Accessories
Graph No 5
Garments and Designer clothes were purchased more here in comparison to products like books, music, jewellery, shoes etc. Next in line was the food/beverage. The shoppers who are accompanied with family would prefer buying cosmetics, toys, jewellery, Durables and electronics etc. But those who come with friends and colleagues and between the age of 15-35 years would prefer more of garments, designer wear, accessories like bags, belts etc. As 5 th Avenue is in brigade road it would attract the 15-35 year crowd. Hence this result. A very similar case is with Forum too!

A graph showing the products brought from Sukh Sagar:
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PURCHASES MADE IN SUKH SAGAR

20 18
Garments Designer Wear Shoes Entertainment Home Furnishing Music Durables and Electronics Cosmetics Toys Food/Beverages Jewellery Books
Number of Responses
16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
Sukh Sagar
Accessories
Graph No 6 This MALL is situated in Gandhi nagar popularly known as Majestic. It is situated in the heart of the city. The other two shopping MALLS Alankar Plaza, City Center are located close by. This area is known for cheaply priced clothing. Crowd come to this area for garments and the graph shows the same about the purchase of the shoppers. Thus graph showed a purchase of non branded garments (18) higher than branded or designer wears (11). Durables and Electronic include mobile, chargers, Cds etc which are priced less here. People come to buy cassettes, cds, DVDs etc. No place here for Entertainment thus justifies the less average spending time of shoppers.
4.7 LOCATION CONVENIENCE:

The place the shoppers currently came from:
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20 18 16
No of Responces
14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Forum 5th Avenue Sukh Sagar Home Office Shopping areas Other Malls Other Locations
Shopping Malls
Forum:
Graph No7
Most of the shoppers i.e. 15 had come from home and 10 from office. So a total of 25 had directly, exclusively come to visit only Forum. Forum is located in the heart of Koramangala. It has target audience covering the high-end residential zones of Koramangla, Jaya Nagar, J.P. Nagar, HSR Layout, BTM Layout and Hosur road. Thus Forum is in a catchment area. Most shoppers are from the areas mentioned above. 6 respondents had come from other shopping MALLS Globus and Big Bazaar located close by. But this is a too low population which again suggests that shoppers exclusively come to Forum. There are no shopping areas near by hence only 3 out of 40 had come from these areas. 6 shoppers were from other locations which is still low may be because it is relatively new compared to the other MALLS. 5th Avenue: 8 shoppers and 9 shoppers had come from home and office respectively. A total of 17 had come to 5th Avenue for shopping. 5th Avenue is located in the Brigade road. 10 shoppers came from the nearby shopping area like M.G.Road, Residency Road, Commercial Street. 7 had visited after going to other MALLS like Safina Plaza, Mota
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Royale Arcade etc. Brigade Road is a heard location for other location i.e. outstation shoppers hence 8 of the shoppers were from other location. Sukh Sagar: Located in Gandhi bazaar also called Majestic.8 and 5 shoppers respectively had come to visit it from home and office. 10 had come from the shopping area, Majestic which is itself a huge shopping area. 8 had come to Sukh sagar from other MALLS like Alankar Plaza, City center etc. 9 shoppers were from other location i.e. outstation. Majestic is a famous known location for outstations. The location is a commercial place hence people visiting directly from home and office are relatively low compared to the above 2 MALLS.
4.8 SHOPPERS ACCOMPANIED BY:

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The shoppers usually bring along the following people as mentioned below in graph to the MALLS:
SHOPPERS' ACCOMPANIED BY
14 12
No of Responces
10 8 6 4 2 0 Forum 5th Avenue Sukh Sagar Alone Friends Family Spouse Children Colleagues Any other
Shopping Malls
Graph No 8
Forum: Most of the shoppers visit the MALL along with friends and colleagues (total 20). This is because most of the shoppers are between the age group of 15-25, which means that most of the college goers come to Forum. Forum is located near colleges like Christ college, Jyoti Nivas college and most of the software engineers too travel to this MALL with colleagues too. It is also located near a fine residential area so there is a equal proportion of family, spouse, children etc. Also family, children and spouse are accompanied here because only here there is a place for entertainment. 5th Avenue:
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Most of the shoppers visit the MALLS along with friends and family. Located at Brigade road, its a hot destination for youngsters to come along with friends (13). The accompanied being from outstation i.e. new couples (family = 8) is more as Brigade and M.G. Road is projected to be honey mooners destination. The shopping area around is full of entertainments hence the rate of family, spouse, children is good but lower than Forum because Forum is a MALL dealing with all shoppers, satisfying them. 5 th Avenue is a MALL though lagging in a total entertaining package is located in a perfect location too. Sukh Sagar: Sukh Sagar located in a commercial area attracts the accompanied being Family and any other (out stationed people-Mostly relatives) accounting to 20 shoppers choosing it. Accompanied by colleague is low because the area is not close to job holders. The prime purpose of visiting this MALL being only to buy garments, durables etc, no place for entertainment family and children accompanying them is low.
4.9 RECALL OF THE MALLS:

Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore 48
RECALLS 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
en tre ru m ga r Av en ue Ro ya le Fo Sa C Pl az a
Spontaneous Aided Visited
No of Responses
Name of the Malls
Al an ka r
Su kh
M ot a
5t h
ity
Graph No 9
Asking to recall the MALLS in Bangalore city the total of 120 samples gave the above results. Looking at the demographic variables age and income the analysis said the following: Forum, 5th Avenue were recalled highest by the shoppers between the age 15-25 and the monthly household income >20,000. Mota Royale Arcade seemed to be recalled by the middle income group and recalled and visited more by shoppers because of the location it is in. Forums aided recall was comparatively was lower as this a new MALL and either people know about it or not at all. It has yet to be known to outstation people. Sukh Sagar, Alankar Plaza, City center were recalled by the middle age group and a monthly household income <10000 to 20000. Alankar plaza had more number visitors as compared to Sukh Sagar because it is a old MALL and most outstation shoppers are well acquainted with it.
4.10 FREQUENCY?
The frequency of visit by the 120 interviewed shoppers : Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore 49
FREQUENCY OF VISITING MALLS

Alankar Plaza City Centre
Mota Royale
Never First time Once in 6 mths Once in 2-3mths Once a mth Twice a mth Every week 2-3 times a week
Shopping Malls
Forum
Sukh Sagar
5th Avenue
Graph No 10
0 10
No of Responses
20
30
40
The frequency of visit to Forum showed that most of them visited nearly every week to twice a month i.e. 54 out of 120. Forum is the trendiest place to be today. A onestop shop for both shopping and recreation attract about 45% of the respondents. Only 4 respondents had never visited Forum. Closer look at these respondents revealed that these respondents either are from a place where it is inconvenient to reach Forum or were outstationed who had not heard about Forum. Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore 50
week> 2-3 times a
Twice a mth
Once a mth
Once in 2-3 mths.
Once in 6 mths.
Every week
First time
Forum
Sukh Sagar 5th Avenue Mota Royale
16 11 17 8 -
24 12 31 11 3 -
14 14 21 17 18 14
13 34 15 29 35 32
11 22 11 25 29 37
32 19 8 16 16 20
6 2 6 8 -
Never
4 6 11 6 19 17
120 120 120 120 120 120 720
City Centre Alankar Plaza
Table-2 Sukh Sagar showed that 67% of the respondents visited once a month to once in six months. The main purpose of the respondents visiting here is shopping as there are no recreational facilities here. 6 respondents had never visited it as they were not aware about its existence. In 5th Avenue 58% of the respondents visited 2-3 times a week to twice a month. 5th Avenue again has recreational facilities and its location advantage being at Brigade Road has been the reason for the frequent visits. 11 of the respondents had never been to 5th Avenue either they had never visited Brigade road or they dont go to Brigade road to visit MALL but for enjoyment. Mota Royale Arcade which is also located near the same location showed different results. 59% of the people visited it from twice a month to once in 2-3 months. This could be attributed to the absence of recreational facilities in the MALL. Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore 51
Total
68% of the respondents visit City Center visit twice a month to once in 2-3 months. 19 respondents had never visited this MALL reason figured out that most of the upper segment (income) felt that such MALL were not for their class and had lesser belief about product quality in this MALL. Similar was the case with Alankar Plaza, 74% of the respondents visited it once a month to once in six months. Attributing this frequency with the type of respondents i.e. out stationed usually the frequency is lower. The respondents who had not visited the MALL gave the same reason as given for City Center.
4.11 MODE OF TRANSPORT

Mode of Transport used by shoppers while going to Mall:
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MODE OF TRANSPORT
25
NO OF RESPONDENTS
20 Two-wheeler 15 10 5 0 Forum 5th Avenue Sukh Sagar Car Bus Auto Others
SHOPPING MALLS
Graph No 11
Forum a place visited by youngsters had of course the largest mode of transport as (13 out of 40) two wheeler, followed by the reach class mode of transport, the car (11 out of 40). Transportation through bus, auto were comparatively lower then other MALLS. Again two wheelers were voted to be the largest mode of transport where most of office-goers own a bike. Bus followed next, traveled through by the out-stationed respondents. Auto taken were less as traveling from Majestic to Brigade would cost much to the out-stationed. Sukh Sagar, most respondents being middle class responded bus as a means of transport(20 out of 40). Two wheeler followed was chosen by the localities as a mode. Auto were less as after reaching Majestic Bus Stand Sukh Sagar is at a walk able distance and the one ways effect too.
4.12 MEANS OF THE ATTRIBUTES USED TO MEASURE ATTITUDE:

Forum 5th Avenue Sukh Sagar
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Attribute Mall Overall Space between Stores Ambience (Bright/Dull Lights) Layout (Organised/Unorganised) Shopping Experience Convenient Location Big Mall Service Reasonable Prices For Value Clean Fast Checkout Display Easy to find items Impression Physical Condition Parking Comfortable Elevation Pleasant Smell Within Pleasant Music Within Security
Mean Score 6.40 6.7 6.6 6.7 6.7 6.4 6.5 6.3 6 6.43 6.53 6.18 6.23 6.8 6.4 6.23 6.6 6.33 5.05 5.88
Mean Score 4.63 4.5 5.1 5.3 5.9 6.4 5.1 4.5 6.1 5.45 4.15 4.8 4.38 5.24 3.6 2.54 2.95 3.45 4.5 4.11
Mean Score 4.31 4.3 5.5 5.2 3.3 6.3 4.6 4.5 6 4.5 3.2 3.9 2.5 4.12 5.63 2.1 3.42 5.42 4.21 3.51
Table-3
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S.No Mall 1 Forum
Mall Mean 6.36
Comments 10 out of 19 attributes are rated higher than the mall mean. Attributes do not dip too low on the negative side mean. Most of the attributes are rated such that their means are very close to the mall mean.
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5th Avenue
4.63
9 out of 19 attributes are rated higher than mall mean. Most of the attributes dip low on the negative side of mean for e.g., Parking, Elevation, Pleasant Smell Within, checkout. Attributes rated higher than the mean are mostly the ones related to the impression of the mall rather than the functional features of the mall.
Sukh Sagar
4.31
9 out of 19 attributes are rated higher than mall mean. Here mall mean itself is too low and some of the attributes like Parking, Security, Easy to find items and many are rated too low i.e. they dip too low on the negative side of mean. Attributes rated high are Ambience, Convenient location, Value for money etc which shows that it is rated higher on impression related attributes rather than functioning of the mall.
4.13 HYPOTHESIS TEST: ONE-SAMPLE STATISTICS STATEMENTS A - I visit malls only during weekends B - I visit every mall that comes up in the city C - Location of the mall is an important consideration while deciding to visit it D - I consider the name of the mall before deciding to visit it E - Given a choice, I would prefer going to nearby shopping areas Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore 56
F - I dont mind paying more in malls for the ambience it provides G - I would visit a mall because its a one stop shop H - I visit a mall mainly for shopping I - I visit a mall mainly for hanging out / window shopping N A B C D E F G H I 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 Mean .2750 -.3750 1.0500 .2500 1.4000 .9000 -.2000 -.1250 -.3750 Table-4 Std. Deviation 1.4498 1.0786 1.0849 .9268 .8412 .9819 .9923 1.1808 1.1916 Std. Error Mean .2292 .1705 .1715 .1465 .1330 .1553 .1569 .1867 .1884
The table shows the mean value of the rating given by the respondents regarding Shopping Mall Null hypothesis; H0 - There is no significance difference between the sample mean and the assumed mean. Alternate hypothesis: H1 There is significance difference between the sample mean and the assumed mean. Sample means as shown in the table Assumed mean = 0 Significance level = 0.00 The significance level is less than 0.005, therefore reject null hypothesis. Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore 57
There is significance difference between the sample mean and the assumed mean. The important parameters which shoppers consider for choosing the Mall to shop are those whose sample mean (as shown in table) are greater than assumed mean. According to the shoppers the below mentioned parameters are the important considerations to choose shopping. Location of the mall is Prefer going to nearby shopping areas Paying more in malls for the ambience it provides
5. SUMMARY AND FINDINGS

5.1 MAIN FINDINGS:
Behavioural Profile of the Shoppers: Most of the malls visited by people, if at all more than one, are for sure in the neighborhood or at locations they already frequent. Location, as a criterion, becomes more important for older people above 36 years of age and for younger ones in the 21-25 years age group. Awareness about the malls situated in city is very high; Forum enjoys highest spontaneous recall of 76.66% and least aided recall of 11.66%, as Forum has added a Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore 58
new dimension to the city it enjoys visiting of 81.66%. 5 th Avenue enjoys spontaneous recall of 52.5%, aided recall of 22.5% and 65.83% shoppers visited the mall. Sukh Sagar enjoys spontaneous recall of 35%, aided recall of 17.5% and 55% shoppers visited the mall. Most of the awareness is spread through newspapers where either the mall advertise or the stores that advertise mention their locations by mall names. Other means of awareness mentioned included word of mouth through family and friends. Frequency of visit to malls clearly depends on whether the mall is in the vicinity of their residence or workplace. The exception being youngsters who frequent malls as a hang out area where they indulge in window shopping and entertain themselves with games and food. There were a variety of reasons quoted for visiting a mall which can be clubbed as follows: For shopping (amongst all categories) For the variety of brand they house For entertainment (movies and other events) For recreational activities For consumption of various food items As an outing destination with families As a sophisticated hangout area with friendds Attitude of the shoppers towards mall: The concept of shopping, food and entertainment being clubbed under one roof is accepted very well across geographies. Currently, the main value provided by malls is the convenience of housing so many facilities and brands under one roof. It is one stop shop for them where they can enjoy themselves as well as fulfill their shopping needs. Another advantage is that people are assured of the quality of products in a mall. There were no particular disadvantages mentioned except that malls are usually not at convenient locations for those not belonging to the neighbourhood. Location, parking space and the store mix were three prominent factors that people saw as important in relation to a mall.
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Imagery of the Mall: Forum: Forum was personified as unisex, a person in the age group of 20 25 years who is rich. He/she is glamorous, trendy, fun loving, sporty and ultra modern. He/she is also friendly and family oriented, snobbish, easily approachable. Professionally, he/she is a model or an actor involved in niche roles. He/she is looked upon as belonging to rich/upper class. 5th Avenue: 5th Avenue was personified as unisex, a person in the age group of 20 25 years who is rich. He/she is trendy, fun loving, blossoming and right mix of tradition and modernity. He/she is also friendly and family oriented. He/she is looked upon as belonging to rich or the upper middle class. Sukh Sagar: Sukh Sagar was personified as unisex, a person in various age groups who belongs to upper middle class or middle class that gives an impression of either a confused imagery or it could also mean that the mall is meant for people of all age groups.
5.2 RECOMMENDATION:
MALL should be in a catchment area. For e.g. Forum got a competitive advantage of this. Forum is located in the heart of Koramangala. It has target audience covering the high-end residential zones of Koramangala, Jaya Nagar, J.P. Nagar, HSR Layout, BTM Layout and Hosur road. The surrounding place also plays a key role. The locality has to be a place which is inviting shoppers.
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The conversion rate is also high in MALLS were there is a mix between shopping experience and a recreational facilities. Inclusion of such facilities like theatre, games increases the conversion rate.
The shoppers expect good restaurants in MALLS, a pleasant shopping and a attractive ambience.
The shops the shoppers expect a MALL to have: Garments, Designer wear, Gift shops, Shoe shops, Restaurant, Accessories, Jewelry, Cosmetic, and Entertainment. Now-a-days they also shop for groceries too. The shops shoppers dont visit are Home Furnishing, Durables and Electronic so better not waste MALL space.
The Imagery and the reputation of the MALL is one of the crucial elements which determine the type (demographics) of shoppers visiting it.
5.3 CONCLUSION:
MALLS as a concept is still not very clear in the minds of shoppers. Recalls are dominated by Mega-stores like Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Globus etc rather than actual malls like Forum, 5th Avenue, Sukh Sagar, Mota Royale Arcade, Safina plaza. In order for people to appreciate the benefits of a MALL, it is important for the mall owner to make shoppers realize the difference between MALLS and other existing formats in the retail industry. With so many MALLS opening up all around, it is imperative for MALL developers to choose their catchment area, anchor stores and
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positioning platform judiciously and know their target segments attitudes and behaviour towards them.
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Attitude and Perception Towards Shopping Malls

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Attitude and Perception Towards Shopping Malls

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Attitude and Perception towards Shopping Malls

Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore