Paritosh - RM PDF

STUDYING CONSUMER
BEHAVIOUR IN CASE OF
SHOPPING MALLS
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
PARITOSH AGARWAL 01
Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 1

H.R. COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND
ECONOMICS
MASTER OF COMMERCE (BUSINESS
MANAGEMENT) SEMESTER IV
2015-2016
PARITOSH AGARWAL
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR WITH REGARDS TO MALL
CULTURE: ACTUAL PURCHASE OR ENTERTAINMENT
PLACE FOR FAMILY?
This project is solely the work of the author and is submitted in partial fulfilment of the
requirements towards the Degree of Master of Commerce.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Mall culture has expanded its footing in India like never before. From the initial mega
stores like Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar, to multi brand shopping complexes offering
a wide array of additional facilities, the face of Indian malls has seen a paradigm
shift. With an increase in the income levels of Indian consumers, the demand for
experience based outings has gained mass momentum. Families are today looking
for complete packages that ensure entertainment in a manner, that it provides an all-
round, complete experience to both, children as well as elders.
The modern Indian mall today aims to do just that. From gaming zones, to food
courts, to luxury stores, fine, dining restaurants, theatres, sports activities and fashion
boutiques and spas- The basic definition of a mall is now shifting from purchase to
entertainment. This project report aims to identify the impact of this changing mall
culture on the Indian Consumer, and the acceptability and challenges involved
therein. While most of India adapts to a quickly penetrating western culture, the
question raised is on the sustainability and longevity of this changing mall culture in
India, and the scope for further improvement.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I express my sincere regards to my parents and friends who have rendered their
cooperation in compiling this project on Studying Consumer Behaviour in case of
Shopping Malls and conducting research. I also extend my heartfelt thanks for all the
respondents of the survey, which ranges from friends to family and shoppers to
employees of Oberoi Mall (Goregaon East), Inorbit Mall (Malad West) and Growels 101
(Kandivali East).
I would also like to express my gratitude to the subject Professor, Prof. Saleha
Syed for her guidance and encouragement in making this project a success.

LIST OF CONTENTS
Sr. No. Title of Chapter Page No.
01. Introduction 8-10
02. Research Problem 11-11
03. Research Hypothesis 12-13
04. Review of Literature 14-21
05. Objectives of the study 22-22
06. 23-24
Research Design
07. 25-26
Sampling Design
08. 27-55
Key Findings
09. 56-58
Testing of Hypothesis
10. 59-61
Conclusion and Suggestions
62-62
11. Bibliography
63-63
12. Webliography
64-67
13. Annexure

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure No. Figure Title Page No.
01. Monthly Mall Visits 27
02. Purchases for daily consumption 29
03. 31
Window shopping in malls
04. Purchase of pleasure items 33
05. Purchase purpose fulfilment 35
06. Attraction by mall activities 37
Mall price range affecting pricing decision of

07. consumers 39
08. Solely entertainment purposes 41
09. Most suitable purpose 43
10. The all in one mall: Acceptability 47
11. Category wise analysis of most suitable use 54
Wasteful expenditures and shift in traditional

12. 56
approaches in mall culture

LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Table Title Page No.
Monthly Mall Visits

1 27
2 Purchases for daily consumption 29
Window shopping in malls

3 32
4 Purchase of pleasure items 33
5 Purchase purpose fulfilment. 35
6 Attraction by mall activities. 37
Mall price range affecting pricing decision of

7 consumers. 39
8 Solely entertainment purposes 41
9 Most suitable purpose 44
10 The all in one mall: Acceptability 47
11 Category wise analysis of most suitable use 54
Wasteful expenditures and shift in traditional

12 57
approaches in mall culture.

INTRODUCTION
The real estate market in India continues to be on its buoyant growth trend. The entry of
global players and international equity management firms into the sector points to the
abundance of enthusiasm and confidence that the investors have towards the potential and
prospects of the sector in the years to come. There has been a massive development of
new retail formats such as malls, hypermarkets, supermarkets and lifestyle stores. As the
spending power in the economy is growing fast, this development has gained importance
not only in the metropolitan cities but also in the Tier II and III towns. These upcoming
formats are giving consumers a lot to spend on, especially with existing players such as
Pantaloon, Shoppers Stop and the Tata and RPG Group scaling up fast and the new
players such as Birlas and Sunil Mittal investing a lot in the retail market. With this
transition taking place, the shopping behaviour of consumers is likely to change as these
formats were not in existence in the country until recently.
A shopping mall (or simply mall), shopping centre, or shopping arcade is a building or
set of buildings that contain stores, and has interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to
easily walk from store to store. The walkways may or may not be enclosed.
The above mentioned definition can be explained by saying that a shopping mall is
typically, a shopping complex connected by walkways. It provides shopping as well as
entertainment options to the target consumers. It generally, contains one anchor store,
which consumes twenty five percent of its retail space. In addition a mall contains
specialty stores for clothes, accessories, home needs, books, as well as food court,
multiplexes and entertainment zones.

The mall boom in India began with Cross roads which was constructed in 1991 and was
owned by Nichlos Piramal Pharmaceuticals. It is located near Haji Ali, Mumbai and is
spread across 1, 50,000 square feet. Mallshave been claimed by the citys youth as a
space of their own.
There are people who condemn the mall culture pointing out that it creates aspirations
and desire for products and services that is well beyond the reach of the common man. It
also drives out small traders and businessmen who can't compete with the giant
purchasing and stocking power of the malls. Criticism's apart, there are many reasons
why mall culture will continue to thrive in India. However, all over the world today,
malls are not about shopping, buying and selling goods, they are more about experience,
fun and entertainment. All of us know many people who go with empty pockets just to
hang out as it is commonly said, but still end up buying something using their credit
cards. India is an emerging nation that clocked 9% GDP growth a few years ago and now
chugging along at 5% growth but people in major cities are witnessing a growth in
disposable income and increased aspiration levels. Owing to this, the mall culture is here
to stay and grow.
Why do consumers go to shopping malls? There is no doubt that malls provide necessary
and desired products for consumers in a modern economy. However, a mall may also
provide a pleasurable diversion from everyday activities and chores. It is this latter
category of consumer benefits that has been the focus of attention in current mall
management and development. Malls are now being built with large entertainment
centres including rides, skating rinks, amusement parks, tens of movie theatres, museums,
and virtual reality centres. As competition between malls increases, enhancing the

entertainment value for the consumer appears to be becoming an important way of
differentiating the mall "product."
It is possible that part of the reason for the weak relationship found between mall
entertainment and shopping behaviours and/or attitudes is that mall entertainment has
been loosely defined and is not a uni-dimensional construct. No one has tried to look at
how individual entertainment aspects are related to each other and whether some mall
entertainment aspects may be mediated by others. Thus not all entertainment aspects
would make a mall attractive directly. Only entertainment aspects directly associated with
shopping behaviours and/or attitudes would make malls attractive. The shopping
landscape is filled with malls, each competing for their share of the consumers wallet. A
significant method of trying to differentiate the mall product and increase market share
has been an attempt by mall developers and management to increase the entertainment
component of the mall.
The current research is therefore designed to examine the relationship between the
multiple ways that malls may create entertainment value for the consumer and certain
shopping behaviours, and the acceptance of consumers with regards to the same. This
research report therefore aims to throw light upon the attitudes to consumers in the
changing trends of mall culture whereby the final offering of a shopping mall goes far
more than mere materials.

RESEARCH PROBLEM
As mentioned above, there are a large number of new products entering the
market every single day.
As mentioned before, clearly, the motivation for visiting a mall or shopping centre
varies for different people and also is based upon the trip's purpose. Sometimes
'entertainment' will increase the centres appeal or be the motivating reason for
the trip.
The question in focus therefore remains whether; this influx of entertainment
under one roof is a direct catalyst to unnecessary and wasteful expenditure levels
on the part of households?
These purchases/ expenditures are more often than not unplanned and have an
obvious connection with the presence of multiple services and products under a
single roof. Thus, should these wasteful spending habits of both, young and aged
generations be encouraged through this impounding mall culture, or should they
be curbed through traditional methods of purchase and entertainment?
The following is the statement of research problem, framed by the researcher
keeping in mind the various aspects of consumer behaviour with regards to malls,
that the researcher would conduct the research on:
Unnecessary, wasteful and over expenditure patterns observed among consumers
as a result of varied services and entertainment facilities available in malls, and a
drastic deviation/ shift in the traditional concept of purchase on the part of the
consumers.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
The researcher would like to begin by throwing some light upon the concept of
Research Hypothesis.
A research hypothesis is the statement created by researchers when they speculate
upon the outcome of a research or experiment. Every true experimental/ research
design must have this statement at the core of its structure, as the ultimate aim of any
experiment. The hypothesis is generated via a number of means, but is usually the
result of a process of inductive reasoning where observations lead to the formation of
a theory. Scientists then use a large battery of deductive methods to arrive at a
hypothesis that is testable, falsifiable and realistic. Thus, a hypothesis must be
testable, but must also be falsifiable for its acceptance as true science. Thus one may
adhere that, a hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a
hypothesis to be a testable hypothesis, the scientific research method requires that one
can test it. Scientists and researchers generally base scientific hypotheses on previous
observations that cannot satisfactorily be explained with the available scientific
theories. It must be remembered a hypothesis does not necessarily have to be correct.
While the hypothesis predicts what the researchers expect to see, the goal of research
is to determine whether this guess is right or wrong. When conducting an experiment,
researchers might explore a number of different factors to determine which ones
might contribute to the ultimate outcome. In many cases, researchers may find that
the results of an experiment do not support the original hypothesis. When writing up
these results, the researchers might suggest other options that should be explored in
future studies.

Based on the above interpretations and after gaining a clear understanding of the
terminology, the researcher has framed the following hypothesis:
There are unnecessary, wasteful and over expenditure patterns observed among
consumers as a result of varied services and entertainment facilities available in
malls, and a drastic deviation/ shift in the traditional concept of purchase on the
part of the consumers as a result of the advent of malls.
Likewise, following is the null hypothesis.
There are no unnecessary, wasteful and over expenditure patterns observed
among consumers as a result of varied services and entertainment facilities
available in malls, and traditional concepts of purchase and entertainment are still
strong among consumers of today.
Thus the aim of the researcher to understand and analyse whether there is a
significant deviation in the attitudes and behaviours of consumers with regards to
malls. Through this hypothesis, the researcher wishes to analyze the impact of malls
on modern day consumers and their buying and spending patterns.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Through the compilation, Mall Mania in India Changing Consumer Shopping
Habits, (2002), Nicholls B. Bagman in his review, explains that a shopping mall is
today a place where a wide mix of retail outlets are situated under one roof, and is
usually anchored by one or more stores like departmental stores, which also helps to
attract consumer traffic to that place. Shopping malls have grown larger over the
years and have expanded to include service outlets and entertainment providers.
They are advertised as both shopping and recreation centres. An added advantage of
the shopping mall is that all merchandise, entertainment such as a theatre or
amusement park, food, services and atmosphere in the mall are all available under
one roof and it is environmentally protected. This advantage also acts as a crowd
puller. Moreover, the consumer can shop without the tensions of any traffic
congestions or parking problems, security issues or crime districts The collection of
shops in the shopping mall is managed together and is taken as one single unit.
Further, he has also emphasized on the location of shopping malls, explaining that
location is an important aspect of marketing and a good location can be a source of
competitive advantage for the retail outlet. He believes that while good business
practices may not compensate for poor location, good location may compensate for
poor business practices.
Nandini Raghavendra, in her article titled Shopping malls become family
entertainment centres in Mumbai, (2003), opines that consumer spending in India
has grown at an average rate of 11.5% per annum over the past decade and organised

retail has kept pace with this spending. Contributing largely to both the growths are
the metros. Yet, each metro has grown according to the market dynamics thrown up
by their city's real estate market. Mumbai, where space is premium both in terms of
availability and price has therefore seen, Realtors taking a leading role in developing
malls. Whether it is the Raheja's, the Runwals or the Hiranandanis, retail is where
their expansion is happening, specially due to retail real estate continuing to yield
higher returns as compared to residential or office. Mumbai's municipality follows
zoning patterns where areas are marked retail, commercial or residential. So when a
developer finds space in what is a retail/commercial area which is a good location
too, he is sure to exploit it. The real estate developers have a strategic advantage of
price, land and location which is which they are bound to exploit. Investment is also,
moving towards Mumbai's suburbs, largely due to lack of space anywhere else. Over
90% of the new mall development is concentrated in the suburbs, two-thirds of
which is in the western suburbs, with the eastern suburbs too seeing some big
projects. From the retail point of view, of the approximate eight new malls expected
to open by the year end, Centre One coming at Vashi and the second Crossroads at
Nariman Point are the only two retailer driven projects. Malls are not just going to be
clusters of shops below the same roof, but fully functional centres of entertainment
for families wishing to watch movies, dine as well as play games. By 2020, every
suburb in Mumbai is estimated to have one such mall with a gaming arcade of its
own. Retailers and developers believe that this is by far the best way to attract
customers belonging to all age groups and categories. For example, the incidence of
children visiting shopping malls is expected to increase greatly by the presence of

gaming zones. This in-turn heightens the chances of child oriented purchases by
parents accompanying their children, through such stores situated within the same
shopping mall. The right amount of entertainment, if infused with the shopping
experience can work wonders for Indias malls.
In his paper titled The Role Of Entertainment in Shopping Centres & Malls,
(2007) Randy White gathers insights from consumers, explaining that nowadays
consumers expect malls to provide not only merchandise, but also entertainment and
fun what might be called a shopping experience. More women than men enjoy
malls. Although both men and women enjoy a mall as a place for socializing, men,
unlike women, do not consider the mall as a place for relieving stress or providing
relaxation. Men tend to be utilitarian shoppers, shoppers who perceive shopping as a
way to get necessities and also as a chore, and impulse shoppers, whereas women
tend to be hedonistic shoppers and planned shoppers. To appeal to men, malls should
include experiential value to enhance the shopping experience. Clearly, the
motivation for visiting a mall or shopping centre varies for different people and also
is based upon the trips purpose. Sometimes entertainment will increase the
centres appeal or be the motivating reason for the trip. In many parts of the world
consumers live in cramped spaces with few entertainment options or in rather hostile
climates where leisure options are limited, so the local mall is the entertainment hub.
However, consumers have many more entertainment options, both in the home as
well as outside the home with amusement and water-parks, festivals, etc. A second
contributing factor to this motivation may be that in many parts of the world there is
a history and tradition of people meeting, socializing, having fun, eating and

shopping in gathering places such as markets and plazas. So in much of the world,
the plaza tradition has been carried over into the mall where entertainment is
considered an essential part of the mix. Findings from that research found that more
female than male shoppers indicated a high level of entertainment as motivation for
shopping. Shoppers with a low level of education tended to have a high level of
entertainment as motivation for shopping with the exception of cinemas where the
ratio was reversed and customers with a college degree or higher had a high level of
entertainment as motivation. The amount of time and money spent in
department/anchor stores, childrens apparel/toy/specialty stores, accessory/fashion
stores, craft/house wares/home furnishing stores and mall common area stores was
higher for shoppers with a lower level of entertainment as motivation for shopping.
The level of entertainment motivation for shopping had no impact on the amount of
cross-shopping. Shoppers who perceived a high level of enjoyment usually spent
more time on shopping than those that experienced a low level of enjoyment.
Shreehari Nair, in his article titled Success Mantra of 'Mall culture' in the country,
(2009), explains that while the mall culture in India is surely rising, the moot
question is, how many of them succeed in what they set out for. As organised
retailing in India grows, tier II and tier III cities, especially, are seeing hectic activity
in the mall space. The Indian retail market, which is the fifth largest retail destination
globally, has been ranked as the most attractive emerging market for investment in
the retail sector, by AT Kearney's eighth annual Global Retail Development Index
(GRDI), in 2009. The share of retail trade in the country's gross domestic product
(GDP) was between eight to 10 per cent, in 2007. The organised retail sector, which

currently accounts for around five per cent of the Indian retail market, is all set to
witness a surge in large-format malls and branded retail stores, in south India,
followed by the north, west and the east, in the next two years. According to the
report, 'Mall Realities India 2010', by leading property consultants, Jones Lang
LaSalle Meghraj and Cushman & Wakefield India, in association with Shopping
Centres Association of India, over 100 malls with over 30 million square feet new
shopping space, are projected to open in India, between 2009 and the end of 2017.
However, the positioning of a mall is equally important. Mall management isn't just
about controlling the crowds and security, but it starts right from the time when the
mall is being designed. Before building a mall, it is very important to understand the
demographics of the area. Location of the mall is one of the main factors to decide
its success. Good visibility and access via roads are some of the main prerequisites
for a mall. Zoning and entertainment of the mall comes next. This essentially means,
deciding which tenants would occupy what space and where, which areas would be
reserved solely for food, entertainment, music, theatres, sports, etc. It is very
important to have the right mix of tenants and entertainers at the right place, so as to
ensure smooth flow of customers.
Carolyne Parker, in her article Malls turn to entertainment to draw crowd, (2012),
explains how malls have long offered entertainment in the form of movies, but are
now also hosting more live events, and sometimes even hands-on classes. As people
shift to more and more online transactions, malls need to look for innovative,
different ways of bringing customers back. Making the mall more of an
entertainment venue does that. Mall traffic has been hit by the surge in e-commerce

sales. Retailers believe that malls are charging heightened rents, but the shops are
not making the sales they used to. Therefore, it is now incumbent on the mall
operators if they want to keep their rents high to bring in traffic to the mall. That
need has spurred a variety of tactics, including use of social media, contests and
adding more food because that is one thing consumers cannot do over the internet.
But entertainment and "happenings" are front and centre. They are making the malls
events venues. It could be farmers' markets, bridal shows, health fairs - anything that
brings in their target customer to the mall.
Samridhi Tanwar, Neeraj Kaushik, and V.K. Kaushik in their paper, Retail Malls:
New Mantra for success, opine, that Indian Malls can grow like anything, if proper
attention is paid to the demands of international customers. After the expiry of Multi
Fibre Agreement in 2005, the apparel market gets a shake-up. India is emerged as a
hot spot for sourcing textiles and apparel in the postquota regime. As Indian
Retailers uses private labels along with branded products they can become the major
supplier of high quality apparels. While on the other hand, Indian retailers are busy
in global sourcing to attain sustainable competitive advantage. In the present
scenario, making the biggest malls with top class retailers is not the key to success.
A cool and refreshing environment is required which makes the shoppers to forget
all worries of the day. Malls today are placing a smile on the faces of the shoppers
and it is irrespective whether purchases are made or not. It should be the USP of the
malls as the window shopper of today is the prospective customer of tomorrow.
Further, malls should commune a feeling of oneness-with retaining the individuality
of each store. Something fresh and novel always attracts shoppers attention but

raises the bar for future innovation. Thus, malls should be designed in a manner that
the new and innovative aspects can be added later on to keep up the consumers
delight. Successful malls are those that will adjust its mall culture with the consumer
sensitiveness and preferences. Managing consumer attitude and innovation are the
keys to stay afloat amid competition. And when the core focus is on higher
conversion than footfalls, then mixed use and open malls is the way towards
accomplishing the aforesaid goal. The opportunities offered by young India exhibits
a bright road for malls. These architectural wonders have changed the overall
meaning of shopping, leisure and entertainment. Ensuring a relaxing ambience and
facilities like seating arrangements for elders to babies is not a childs play. But
malls managers are performing the tasks with ease. Malls are thus a bouquet of value
propositions like value for time, value for quality, value for experience, value for
money and are today boosting India in becoming a shining star of global retail.
In his article, Shopping and the Fear of Others, the authors Arnold S. and Nevin
Mandela have found out that shopping malls have an important role to play in the
formation of the social identity of the shoppers as they are connected to particular
societal groups. Shopping mall image has been defined as the total of consumers
perceptions of a shopping mall based on functional and emotional attributes. The
image of the shopping mall is also related to the frequency of customer visits to that
mall and is important for customers when choosing between different shopping
malls. Shopping mall developers should expend resources towards the
communication of the right image of the shopping mall and this communication
should be driven towards improving its image and thus frequency of visits. The

image is also subject to the presence of anchor stores and other physical
characteristics. After discussion of the factors influencing choice of shopping malls,
it is worth mentioning that the effect of some of these factors like retail floor space,
number of shops and distance weaken over time, whereas the effects of other factors
like anchor stores, tourism site strengthen over time. A healthy assortment of all
these factors increases the attractiveness of the shopping mall. However, studying
individual choice decisions would not help us to understand the behaviour of the
market as a whole.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Objectives are essential for an effective and credible analysis of a study. The
objectives shall provide a direction to the study and progressively help understand the
changing trends in mall culture with respect to entertainment available and purchases
made by consumers.
This study on mall culture: actual buy or entertainment is aimed at achieving the
following objectives:
1. To analyse the recent changes in the attitude and behaviour of Indian consumers
towards mall culture.
2. To utilise this information to analyse the hypothesis based on deviation in the
traditional purchase and entertainment approaches by consumers.
3. To provide recommendations and draw a suitable conclusion based on the
analysis presented, keeping in mind the data collected.

RESEARCH DESIGN
According to McMillan and Schumaker (2001) a research design is a plan for
selecting subjects, research sites and data collection procedures to answer the research
questions. It is the conceptual framework within which research is conducted and
constitutes the blueprint for the collection of data and the analysis thereof of the
collected data. Based on the purpose of the study and the type of data involved,
descriptive and qualitative research designs were used. The goal was to provide a
clear understanding of the penetration, usage, applicability and issues related to the
growing incidence of Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour with regards to New
Products in the market. Qualitative data was collected from different categories of
consumers, who were broadly classifies on the basis of income levels, age and
education. This data was analysed further to draw a suitable conclusion keeping in
mind the research hypothesis.
Methods of Data Collection
The research methodology involves gathering relevant information from both Primary
as well as secondary sources. The primary sources include a survey conducted on a
mixed group target audience comprising of 50 respondents.

Primary Data
A survey sheet/questionnaire was prepared on Google Forms. The survey was sent to
a few respondents via email, while hard copies were provided to those who preferred
answering the questions manually. The title of this survey was Consumer
Behaviour in case of Malls. The survey consisted of a total of 10 questions, which
are related to different dimensions of the broad topic such as frequency of usage,
most appropriate utilities, issues related to trust and security, etc. The findings have
been analysed through graphs and charts and a sample questionnaire has been
provided with this project.
Secondary Data
Certain sections of the study have also been compiled through various sources of
secondary data. These include news-paper articles, journals, research papers and
websites. This content has been integrated with the findings of the primary data
(survey) in the project. The published data has provided guidelines and has facilitated
the analysis of the data collected through the questionnaires.

SAMPLING DESIGN
Cooper and Emory (1995) define population as the total collection of elements about
which the researcher wishes to make some inferences. An element is the subject on
which the measurement is being taken and is the unit of the study. The population of
interest in this study consisted of 50 respondents who were divided on the basis of
their incomes, age and levels of education. The base of respondents included different
elements of the society such as youth, middle aged consumers, pensioners as well as
housewives.
The study therefore used stratified sampling, which is the process of dividing
members of the population into homogeneous subgroups before sampling. The strata
should be mutually exclusive: Every element in the population must be assigned to
only one stratum.

The following is the profile of the respondents/ consumers involved in the survey:
Age group No. of Respondents in
Category (approx) respondents percentage.
(in years)
Youth 15-25 15 30%
Middle aged (both 30%
sexes) 26-55 15
Pensioners (Aged) 56-70 10 20%
Housewives and 20%
home-makers 30-55 10
Notes
While selecting the target audience, the mixed aged groups of the consumers have
been kept in mind.
A special section on housewives/ homemakers has been included so as to
carefully analyse the effect of price and spending on entertainment expenditure on
budget oriented families and how this affects their buying patterns.

KEY FINDINGS
The survey was carried out through a questionnaire on 50 respondents. The following
is the analysis if the survey. Every question included a multiple choice answer pattern
where the respondent had the chance of choosing an option most convenient to
him/her. Let analyse the survey, question by question.
I. Analysis of monthly mall visits
Montly Mall Visits

18 17 16
16
14
12
10
10
8 7
6
4
2
0
Every week Once in 2 weeks Once a month Not even once a
month
Figure 1: Monthly Mall Visits
Option chosen Respondents

Every week 10
Once in 2 weeks 17
Once a month 16
Not even once a month 7
Table 1: Monthly Mall Visits

It can be seen in figure 1, that 10 respondents that is ,20% of the target audience
said that they visited shopping malls every single week.
Around 17, i.e. 34% of respondents said that they visited the shopping malls
once in 15 days (2 weeks)
Around 16 respondents i.e. 32% said that they managed such outings/ visits only
once a week
While only 7 respondents or 14% of the target audience confirmed hardly ever
visited such shopping arcades, i.e. not even once a month.
This proves that more and more consumers are today moving towards the
growing mall culture that has established itself in the country with the entry of all
in one mega shopping complexes. There is thus a direct inkling towards the fact
that malls are calling for more and more consumers, even if the visits may not be
entirely needed/ called for.
As it can be seen, a majority of the consumers confirmed that they do visit these
complexes at least once in two weeks.
This is a notable point, keeping in mind, the increasing purchasing power of the
consumers. Inspite of the busy schedules at work-places and the daily
commitments of the Indian population, it is worth observing that most
respondents make regular visits to shopping malls.
Even logically, this brings us to further probe into the phenomena and consider
the reasons of this attraction. Could it be solely purchases, as often as once in 15
days, or is there another underlying agenda fulfilling itself by these visits.

II. Analysis of mall purchases for Daily Consumption (Groceries and daily
requirements)
Purchases for Daily Consumption

20
18
18
16
14 13
12
10
10 9
8
6
4
2
0
Every single time Once in 2 times Not so often Never
Figure 2: Purchases for daily consumption
Option Chosen Respondents
Every single time 10
Once in 2 times 18
Not so often 13
Never 9
Table 2: Purchases for daily consumption
In figure 2, it is noted that 10 respondents that is 20% of the target audience said
that they preferred making purchases for daily consumption only from shopping
malls, every time a purchase was required to be made.

Around 18, i.e. 26% of respondents said that they made such purchases once in 2
weeks.
13 respondents i.e. 36% said that they did not resort to shopping malls very often
to cater to purchases of daily consumption.
Likewise, 9 respondents or 18% of the target audience said that they visited the
stores in shopping malls to purchase items of daily requirements.
There has been a growing incidence of all-in-one stores such as Food Bazaar, Big
Bazaar, Reliance Groceries, etc. in large, multi store shopping malls.
Infect, more often than not, it has been found that such stores occupy the anchor
position in the mall, which means they occupy the largest area or space on the
mall panorama.
From the analysis in figure 2, it can be seen that these stores are today catering to
the daily needs of a majority of Indian customers.
18 consumers have said that they make purchases from these stores at least once
in 2 times that these purchases need to be made.
It must also however be noted, that these stores still do not have complete
precedence over local/ traditional grocery stores/ banyawalas.
More often than not, a consumer is subjected to a large number of schemes,
freebees, gift-offers, discounts etc, while making purchases from such malls.
Besides, the consumer is also subjected to the freedom of viewing a large number
of brands for a given product, before he makes the buying decision.
These could be the major reasons of this growing trend amongst Indian buyers.

It may be believed that the buyers who do not prefer visiting the malls for
purchases of daily consumption could be living in areas of poor proximity from
these malls, or may not be owners of vehicles of to transport the bulk purchases
that may be made herein.
The researcher has also reasoned, that such shopping often consumes substantial
amount of time of the consumer.
Shopping malls that are now equipped with food courts and leisure zones such as
spas, foot parlours, etc. provide the shopper with yet another opportunity to relax
and rejuvenate once the shopping experience has been completed.
This may entice the buyer to further enjoy an all in one experience where he/she
caters to daily needs as well as personal pleasure.
III. Window Shopping Analysis
Window Shopping in malls

20 19
18
16
14
12
12
10
10 9
8
6
4
2
0
Once a week Often Sometimes Never
Figure 3: Window shopping in malls

Once a week 12
Often 19
Sometimes 10
Never 9
Table 3: Window shopping in malls

In figure 3, it is seen that 12 respondents that is 24% of the target audience said that
they visited the shopping malls for leisurely window shopping at least once a week.
Around 19, i.e. 38% of respondents said that they made such visits quite often, as and
when they wished to do so.
10 respondents i.e. 20% said that they indulged in such outings to view shops and
new arrival clothing/ luxury items only sometimes, that is not very often or on a
regular basis.
Likewise, 9 respondents or 18% of the target audience said that never visited
shopping malls solely for the purpose of window shopping.
The respondents to option 2 have been seen to be particularly high. 19
respondents have admitted that they have been regular window-shoppers at
shopping malls, where the sole purpose is not actual sales, but simply viewing the
various offerings from stores, the collection on display, the schemes and discount
offers etc.
This means that the original motive of visiting the mall is not defined, accurate
purchases, but simple leisure and entertainment that is derived by subjecting
oneself to the new offerings and availabilities of the market.
Most surveys and researches carried out on Indian consumers to-date have shown,
that the availability of multiple brands and stores within the same floor/ complex
of a shopping mall is the most important factor driving consumers to indulge in
window shopping. It is not only convenient and easy, but also a source of hang-
outs and simple de-stressing for youngsters, mothers and housewives.

Only 9 of 50 respondents said that they never subjected themselves to window
shopping, most of whom were pensioners.
This analysis proves yet another point in the favour of shopping malls as a source
of entertainment and leisure to shoppers.
IV. Mall purchase of Luxury or Pleasure items- (Clothes, jewellery, watches,

etc.)
Luxury/ Pleasure items purchased from

malls
18
16
16
14 13 13
12
10
8
8
6
4
2
0
Always Often Sometimes Rarely
Figure 4: Purchase of pleasure items

Always 13
Often 16
Sometimes 8
Rarely 13
Table 4: Purchase of pleasure items

It can be observed in figure 4, that 13 respondents i.e. 26% of the target audience
said that they always purchased personal pleasure items such as garments,
perfumes, jewellery, etc. only from a shopping mall or the stores therein.
Around 16, i.e. 32% of respondents said that they made such planned purchases
often, but not always.
8 respondents i.e. 16% said that they did make such organized, detailed purchases
for personal pleasure sometimes, but not very often
While 13 respondents said that they never resort to shopping malls to purchase
luxury items that they require.
It is worth noting here, that the number of respondents in option one, is the same
as the number of respondents choosing option four.
This goes to imply that while 13 consumers agreed that they always made such
purchases from malls, the same number of consumers also said that they never
followed this trend. This signifies, that while some buyers prefer scanning a large
number of shops in the same complex before making their final purchase, there is
also a substantial number of buyers who prefer visiting stores of their choice in
their respective areas or elsewhere, to make the planned purchases that they have
in mind.
Very often, when it comes to personal pleasure items, buyers have certain pre-
established tastes, preferences, habits and choices.
Only if the shopping mall, floors the shop of the buyers choice, would the
customer visit the mall. However, the frequency of buyers making such purchases
often, which is 16, is also worth considering.

Malls offer stores under the same roof which give flexible buyers who do not
have pre-set requirements a chance to observe, compare, select and purchase the
items that suit them best, both in terms of price as well as appearance.
The point to be noted here is that actual sales are taking place on the part of the
buyers, even when it comes to personal preference items, and not just regular
items of daily consumption. Such planned purchases re-affirm that malls generate
a substantial pull, if not a complete pull over buyers of pleasure commodities.
V. Purchase-purpose fulfilment at malls.
Purchase- purpose fulfillment

16
14
14 13 13
12
10
10
8
6
4
2
0
Always Most of the time Sometimes Never
Figure 5: Purchase purpose fulfilment.

Always 10
Most of the time 13
Sometimes 14
Never 13
Figure 5: Purchase purpose fulfilment.

As observed in figure 5, 10 respondents i.e. 20% of the target audience said their
sole purpose of making purchases is always fulfilled, every single time they visit a
shopping mall.
Around 13, i.e. 26% of respondents said that their purpose of buying items/ goods
that they had decided to purchase is fulfilled most of the times, of not always.
14 respondents i.e. 28% said that they would land up carrying out actual
purchases from a shopping mall, only sometimes, which means not very often.
Finally, 13 respondents, i.e. 26% again, said that their purpose of visiting a mall,
solely to make purchases and nothing apart from that, was never fulfilled.
This has been a particularly interesting analysis and the above presented question
was included to throw light on the following: 1. Do buyers visit malls with the
sole intention of purchases. 2. If so, how many of them fulfil this purpose/ motive
during the visit. 3. If this purpose remains unfulfilled, what is it that still draws
these consumers to the shopping malls, nonetheless?
The response in options 3 and 4 has been particularly interesting. It is observed
that 14 and 13 consumers respectively, said that their purpose is of mere
purchases is either fulfilled very rarely or never fulfilled.
Inspite of that, the consumers continue to visit the shopping malls. This brings the
researcher to reason, that there is definitely an innate motive/ desire other than
purchases that draws the consumers to the shopping malls.
This is because at a mall, a consumer is not just subjected to an array of
commodities, but an entire experience on the whole. Most buyers are now

immune to the fact they are unable to find goods that they like/ wish to purchase
at a shopping mall.
The overall combination of entertainment, food and shopping is reason enough to
draw these buyers to the shopping arcades, irrespective of the purchases made or
not.
VI. Entertainment activities at malls: A source of consumer attraction
Attraction by mall activities

35
29
30
25
20
14
15
10 7
5
0
Yes, very often Sometimes No, they are not
interesting
Figure 6: Attraction by mall activities.
Yes, very often 29
Sometimes 14
No, they are not interesting 7
Table 6: Attraction by mall activities

In figure 6, it is noted that 29respondents, i.e. 58% of the target audience said that
they attracted to various entertainment activities carried out by malls and this
certainly does draw them to making a visit.
Around 14, i.e. 28% of respondents said that might occasionally visit a mall, if
there are entertainment activities like competitions, games, shows, launches, etc.
taking place.
Finally, only 7 of the 50 respondents, i.e. 14% of the target audience said that they
would remain indifferent to any such activities taking place at shopping malls.
It is a new trend to launch new products through celebrities, conduct game shows
and special offer competitions, conduct music launches, host trade fair and car
exhibitions, etc. within the premises of huge shopping malls.
This is seen to be a major cause of attraction to most customers.
During these launches, customers have a change to participate in various shows,
competitions and games.
They also have a chance to see celebrities perform if the event caters to the same.
It is during these programs that consumers may also look forward to meeting new
friends and families or simply making the most of an evening out with family
where they may attend the activities and dine at the diverse food courts offered by
most malls today.
Of the 7 people who said these activities did not interest them at all, it may be said
that they belong to the category of buyers who visit malls solely for the purpose
of making sales and not for overall entertainment.

The incidence of these shows and events has been found to be the most widely
used strategy by mall ad store owners especially during peak seasons such as
Diwali, Christmas, summer holidays of schools, etc.
Not only does it attract crowd, but also serves the purpose of carrying out
effective promotion within a customized target audience.
VII. Effect of mall pricing on buying decision.
Price range affecting pricing decision

20
18
18
16 15
14
12 11
10
8
6
6
4
2
0
Always Often Sometimes Never
Figure 7: Mall price range affecting pricing decision of consumers.
Always 11
Often 15
Sometimes 18
Never 6
Table 7: Mall price range affecting pricing decision of consumers

Above in figure 7, it can be seen that around 11, i.e. 22% of respondents said
their purchase decision is always affected by the high prices that may be
prevalent in certain stores of the shopping malls.
15 out of 50 respondents that is, 30% of the target audience said that they would
often reconsider their purchase decision if the prices were found to be high.
18 respondents i.e. 36% said that they were affected by fluctuating/ high prices
only sometimes, while they were immune/ indifferent to these high prices most
of the times
While 6 respondents, i.e. 12% said that they never made a purchase decision for
a product in a shopping mall if it was highly priced, which means that they are
extremely sensitive to costly products in branded mall- stores.
There has been an inexplicable boom in the purchasing power of the households
with the rise in prevailing income rates.
With the change in lifestyle, the demand and tastes of commodities has also
undergone a paradigm shift.
However, Indian consumers have yet not reached the stage where they become
completely indifferent to the price changes in the market and the exorbitant rates
charged for most branded items.
From the analysis it can be seen that there are only a handful of consumers who
are immune to high prices.
Study proves that 75% of the floor space in most suburban malls in India is today
occupied by luxury brands and high-end fashion signatures.

Therefore, one may say that very often the average-income consumer does not
always land up making a purchase on visiting a shopping mall.
Once again we are therefore adhered to the belief that it is not just the stores in the
shopping malls, but also the numerous opportunities of subjecting oneself to a
wide array of pleasing ambience shops and their set up that draws consumers to
them.
VIII. Customers visiting malls solely for entertainment and leisure.
Solely Entertainment
20
18
18
16
16
14
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
2
0
Once in a week Once in a fortnight Not very often Never
Figure 8: Solely entertainment.
Once in a week 14
Once in a fortnight 18
Not very often 16
Never 2
Table 8: Solely entertainment

Above in figure 8, the researcher has observed that 14 out of 50 respondents that
is 28% of the target audience religiously visits shopping malls for reasons apart
from shopping, i.e. dining, gaming, sports, theatre, etc. at least once in a week.
18 respondents, i.e. 36% of respondents said that they resorted to shopping malls
solely for the purpose of pleasure and entertainment, once in two weeks.
16 respondents i.e. 32% said that they do not just visit a shopping mall very often
for the side-amenities like theatres, food-courts, gaming zones and rink fields.
These could be services used along with the main agenda of making purchases
While 2 respondents, i.e. 5% said that they never visit shopping malls unless the
main criteria/ requirement is that of making purchases.
Shopping malls today offer multiplex theatres, multi-cuisine food courts at
affordable rates and various other entertainment facilities.
The number of respondents choosing option 1 is quite high. This means that
families are today seeing malls as a major source of solely entertainment, where
they are ready to spend the day or the evening, without even considering the
option of making purchases.
For families to be so highly drawn toward the entertainment of shopping malls, it
could signify two things: 1. The proximity of the residences to the shopping malls
is very high, 2. The quality of entertainment provided is extremely dynamic and
well promoted.
Now-a-days, most malls are co-built with a theatre within the same complex.

These set-ups thus become an all in one day package, where a family can divide
the day by watching a movie, doing some window shopping along with an
affordable meal.
Moreover, the newest inclusion that seems to have caught fire in the shopping
malls is the inclusions of various sporting activities which are attend by a large
number of both adults as well as youngsters.
To cite a few examples, there enclosed nets from sports such as cricket, rink
football, high-sky jumping, ice-skating etc, which are widely coveted by both
adults and children.
Infect, many a times visitors of shopping malls are found spending multiple hours
only at these recreation activities which are a perfect form of both, entertainment
and pleasure.
IX. Malls: Shopping, entertainment or both?
Sales
Food and cafs
Shopping/Purchase 6%
s
4% Cinema, live
events, etc.
8%
Sports and spas

2%
All of the above.

80%
Figure 9: Most suitable purpose.

Shopping/Purchases 2
Food and cafs 3
Cinema, live events, etc. 4
Sports and spas 1
All of the above. 40
Table 9: Most suitable purpose
As seen in figure 9, only 2 respondents, which means 4 % of the
respondents have chosen solely shopping to be the best purpose
satisfied/ fulfilled by malls.
Close behind 3 out of 50 respondents, i.e. 6% who said that considered
food, cafs, eating joints, doughnut bars, ice-cream parlours etc, all
under one roof as their prime fulfilment of purpose.
4 respondents that is, 8% have chosen theatres and live events as their
option, thereby implying that it is their most preferred facility in the
mall.
Sports and spas have been voted as the sole and best purpose by only
one respondent.
Lastly, 40 respondents which means, 80% of the total target audience
has chosen the last option whereby they have voted todays shopping
malls to be an all-in-one package of entertainment as well as shopping.
This has been by far one of the most unanimous decisions by the
respondents. This goes to show that almost every respondent has found
malls to go far more than a base for mere purchases.

India's new malls are redefining entertainment. Standalone gaming
arcades and entertainment centres that opened before the retail boom
are a thing of past.
Mall developers are increasingly tapping into their potential and
offering more than shops and restaurants. In fact, entertainment zones,
though more expensive and less lucrative than retail, are catching the
fancy of mall developers as an alternative to draw customers and keep
them spending.
According to industry estimates, the mall entertainment business is
worth more than Rs. 1,000 crore and growing at an average rate of 15
per cent. Experts say entertainment zones in malls have become a
favourite hangout for families willing to spend quality time together - a
trend in which mall developers see a great opportunity.
The new attractions are video-game arcades, bowling alleys, air
shooting, air hockey, pool, children's play areas and adventure rides.
One cannot just provide the basic shops and eating joints now. A
developer needs to cater to diversified interests in a mall and this is
where entertainment zones become important.
Youngsters come to malls not only for shopping but chilling out with
friends. Small wonder then that retailers are setting up entertainment
areas, which have features such as amusement rides, driving and
biking games, vending machines and a bowling alley.

Internationally, entertainment zones have always been used as crowd-
pullers and it seems India is closely following the Western trend.
Setting up an excellent example is The Great India Place in Noida and
the Metro Walk in Rohini. Both the malls have an attached amusement
park, increasing the footfalls substantially.
In fact, malls feed off the traffic in the entertainment zones and vice-
versa. These entertainment zones are not only targeting the kids but are
increasingly involving youngsters as well.
The kids' zones also come as a convenient option for parents as it not
only provides an excellent outing for their kids but also gives them an
opportunity to shop without worrying about them.
It has been reported that some malls are soon starting escort service so
that the parents are completely relieved of the responsibility and can
shop at leisure while their kids enjoy their day as well.

X. Acceptability of multi-purpose mall- Preferred / not preferred
The all in one mall: Acceptability

45 42
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
3 4
5
0
Preferred Cricized/ not-preferred Other
Figure 10: The all in one mall: Acceptability

Preferred 42
Criticized/ not-preferred 3
Other 4
Figure 10: The all in one mall: Acceptability
It can be seen, that a whooping42 respondents, that is 84% of the respondents
have chosen option 1, where they have agreed that they prefer this shift of
shopping malls, to being just malls.
It is worth noting here, that 42 is the largest majority received for a particular
answer in the entire survey.

3 respondents have chosen option 2, whereby they have expressed their
displeasure towards this traditional shift.
Lastly, 4 respondents have chosen the option other and have elaborated on their
responses.
The 3 respondents, who have expressed their dismal towards this phenomenon,
both belong to the category of pensioners. The low income/ saving constraints
may have been one of the driving reasons to this reaction.
Further, the respondents who have chosen the option other, have elaborated their
responses through the following highlights:
Entertainment must be included provided it is balanced appropriately with
the primary need of creating purchase value of customer.
There seems to be an excessive deviation in the original concept of
shopping malls which could be tackled.
The entertainment, though pleasing is more often than not charged at
exorbitant rates, for e.g. Cinema tickets over Rs. 250, hourly rates of 300
or more for sports activities, etc.
There is need to include more scope for senior citizens to also be a part of
this mall culture, as families with children and elder parents visit a mall
together, where there is ultimately very minor scope for the enjoyment of
the latter.
The safety of these malls must also be tackled at a grass root level if
activities encompassing a large entertainment/ pleasure panorama are to
attract greater footfalls.

Highlights of Group Wise Analysis:
Let us now take a look at the age wise analysis of the data collected
through the survey:
Monthly mall visits
From the first category of respondents aged 15-25, nearly 5
respondents said that visited the malls almost every week, while most
others said that they made such visits at least once in 2 weeks.
In the category 2, aged 26-55, 9 respondents said that they liked
visiting shopping malls once in a month while a 11 have chosen once
in two weeks.
In category 3, aged 56-70 (pensioners), 4 respondents have admitted
that they never even visit the mall once, while 3 have chosen once in a
month.
In the house-wives category, 4 respondents have chosen once in a
month as their option while 5 have chosen once in a week.
Purchase of daily consumption.
In the youth category, only 3 respondents have said that they visit
malls for daily consumption items once in 2 times, while most others
have chosen not so often as their choice.
In category 2, aged 26-55, it is surprising to see that nearly 6
respondents say that they always resort to shopping malls to purchase
items of daily use, while most others have said that they do so once in
two times.

As far as the pensioners are concerned, 2 have said that they purchase
from malls for everyday consumption on a not-so-often basis, while
all the remaining 8 have interestingly, chosen the option never,
The housewives have on a majority chosen the option once in two
weeks, while 3 have also chosen the first option, being every single
time.
Window Shopping.
In the youth category, 7 respondents have said that they indulge in window
shopping almost every single week. 3 said they may do so often
In category 2, aged 26-55, 8 respondents said they visit malls for window
shopping often, while 3 said they did so sometimes.
As far as the pensioners are concerned, around 6 of them have chosen
never as their answer while 1 has also selected once a week
Most of the housewives have chosen often as their answer, while 4 have
also chosen the first option, being once a week. None of the housewives
selected never as their choice
Pleasure/ personal items.
In category 1, 9 respondents have chosen always as their option which
means that they only purchase items for pleasure/ personal use from
shopping malls. 4 respondents have selected often as their option.
In the middle aged category, 4 respondents chose the option always
while 6 have chosen sometimes

None of the respondents in the pensioners have chosen always as their
option, while 8 respondents of the option rarely, belong to this category.
In the housewives category, 8 respondents have chosen often as their
option, while 1 has also chosen sometimes.
Fulfilment of purchase of purpose
In the first category aged 15-15, 3 respondents said that their purpose of
making purchases and only purchases while visiting a shopping mall has
always been fulfilled. 3 respondents replied with sometimes while a few
also said never.
In category 2, aged 26-55, 2 respondents chose always, 9 chose most of
the times, while 3 chose never.
Amongst pensioners, 4 have chosen sometimes, while most others have
chosen never.
The most widely chosen answers amongst the housewives have been
always and most of the times, with 5 and 4 votes respectively.
Attraction by entertainment activities.
In category 1, 12 out of 15 respondents have unanimously chosen the
option, yes, always. The rest have chosen sometimes.
Between the age group 26-55, 5 have chosen the option always, while 2
have also said never/no. Most others have unanimously chosen,
sometimes
Amongst pensioners, 4 have said never/no, while all the rest have chosen
sometimes.

The housewives too, have voted sometimes and always as their
answers with 6 and 4 votes respectively.
Price Influence on consumers.
From the first category of respondents aged 15-25, nearly 4 respondents
said that the price affected their buying decision often while most others
said that they were affected by such decisions only sometimes.
In the category 2, aged 26-55, 9 respondents said that are often affected
by the high prices in mall stores while 5 said that such prices never
affected their purchase decision.
In category 3, aged 56-70 (pensioners), 5 respondents have admitted their
purchases from mall stores are always influenced by the prevailing
prices, while most others have chosen often.
In the house-wives category, 5 respondents have chosen always, while
some have chosen sometimes.
Mall visits solely for leisure.
In category 1, 8 respondents chose once in a week as their option while 2
chose once in a fortnight. A few have also chosen sometimes. None of
the respondents have chosen never from this category.
Amongst the age group 26-55 years, 10 have chosen once in a fortnight,
while 3 have also chosen once in a week. 2 respondents have said that
solely leisure based mall visits would be on a not very often basis for
them. 2 have chosen the option never.

It is interesting to note that all 10 pensioners have chosen not very often
as their response in this question which means they would rarely visit a
shopping mall solely for leisure.
Lastly, 6 housewives have chosen once in a fortnight, while 3 have
chosen not very often.
Malls: Shopping, Pleasure or both?
In category 1, all the 15 respondents have chosen the option all, which
means that they consider a shopping mall to be an all round combination
of shopping, foods/ cafes, cinemas and sports.
It is interesting to note, that the response has been similar for the this
category as well, (26-55) where 14 respondents have chosen the option
all, while one has chosen sports
Amongst the pensioners,4 have chosen the option all, 1 has chosen
shopping, while 2 have chosen cinema and 3 have chosen food.
As far as the housewife category is concerned, 7 have chosen all, while 1
has chosen shopping, and 2 have chosen cinema.

The explanation to question 9 can be depicted most appropriately through the
graph below.
Most suitable use

16 15
14
14
12
10 Shopping
Food
8
7 Cinema
6 Sports
4
4 All
3
2 2
2
1 1 1
0
Youth Middle-aged Pensioners Housewives
Figure 11: Category wise analysis of most suitable use

Option Chosen Shopping Food Cinema Sports All
Youth 15
Middle-aged 1 14
Pensioners 1 3 2 4
Housewives 1 2 7
Table 11: Category wise analysis of most suitable use
Acceptability of changing mall culture:
In the first category, all 15 respondents have chosen the option yes,
thereby signifying their appreciation and acceptability towards modern,
multi-purpose Indian malls.
The same response has been recorded from category 2, where all
respondents have chosen option 1, being yes.

Amongst the pensioners, 2 have chosen option 2, being no, thereby
criticizing or expressing their discontent towards the multipurpose mall
culture. 2 have also elaborated on the option other. The rest have chosen
yes.
In the last category of housewives, 6 respondents have chosen the option
yes, 1, has chosen no, while 3 have specified their responses in the
category other.
Note: The elaboration on the response other can be accessed on page 28
of this project report.

TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS
In order to test the hypothesis, the respondents were asked one last question based on
the framework of the hypothesis taken for this research project.
Thus, respondents were asked whether:
There are unnecessary and wasteful expenditures as a result of varied services and
entertainment facilities available in malls, and whether or not there is a drastic
deviation/ shift in the traditional concept of purchase on the part of the consumers as
a result of the advent of malls.
Yes
No
The following were the results of this analysis:
Wasteful expenditures and shift in traditional approaches in mall culture.
45
39
40
35
30
25
20
15
11
10
5
0
Yes No
Figure 12: Wasteful expenditures and shift in traditional approaches in mall culture.

Yes 39
No 11
Table 12: Wasteful expenditures and shift in traditional approaches in mall culture
The researcher would now like to apply the Z- test for single proportion, where H0 is the
null hypothesis and H1 is the alternative hypothesis.
Thus, we consider as the specific value of our population that we would like to test for
acceptance of the hypothesis, H1.
The population (n) = 50
The researcher would like to consider the value of as 30%, that is 30/100 = 0.30. In our
case, it is clear from the above analysis, that P = 39
Thus, by applying the formula,
Z= P-
(1-)
= 39/50 0.30
0.30 (1-0.30)
50
= 0.48
0.46
7.07
= 0.48
0.065

= 7.38
Thus, z = 7.38 and as this value of z falls in the rejection area, the null hypothesis is
rejected and the alternate hypothesis is accepted.
Thus, the Z test proves that there are unnecessary and wasteful expenditures as a result of
varied services and entertainment facilities available in malls, and whether or not there is
a drastic deviation/ shift in the traditional concept of purchase on the part of the
consumers as a result of the advent of malls.

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
Through the age-wise analysis, it may be derived that:
Pensioners are not as enthusiastic as the remaining categories to visit

shopping malls, probably because of the high-price ranges, scope of
activities and domain of entertainment provided.
Malls developers must therefore improvise on the experience provided by

such multipurpose malls, keeping this category of consumers in mind.
Housewives make regular visits to malls, mostly once in a month of more

frequently, thereby implying that the mall purchases figure in the monthly
budget allocation of average households.
Housewives have shown their interest towards purchase of daily

requirements from shopping malls by selecting once in two weeks,
which means that they are one of the major target audiences, of such
multi-purpose stores such as food bazaar and reliance grains.
These type of visits signify that actual purchases are taking place.
All categories apart from pensioners have shown their interest towards
the concept of window- shopping. This is mainly a source of
entertainment and does not signify actual purchases.
Pleasure purchases have once again found a significant place in the 3
categories, but it is a pity that most of the pensioners have selected
rarely as an option in this question.

This is primarily due to the high prevalent prices in the malls and the
limited scope of income that the pensioners are subjected too. Malls
should therefore devise schemes to attract a greater proportion of this
target segment for the purpose of pleasure purposes to malls.
Solely on the basis of live entertainment events, it is seen that most of the
categories are drawn towards to the malls. Here too, it is the pensioners
who have been left behind and malls should therefore try and include
activities like musical nights on old songs, housie events, etc. that may
interest this category of consumers.
Mostly all the respondents of the youth category have unanimously

chosen the option always for live events being a source of attraction
which signifies that such activities have a very strong pull on the Indian
youth. These are again, solely pleasure related aspects of shopping malls.
It is seen, that it is mainly in category 1 and 2, being youth and middle-

aged consumers who are not so sensitive/ indifferent towards the high
prices prevailing in mall stores with brands.
In order to enable larger purchases, mall store owners must cater to the
needs of the pensioners and housewives as well who are seen to be highly
sensitive to prevailing prices. This could once again induce larger
purchases.
A lot many respondents in most categories have agreed that they would
visit shopping malls for reasons solely driven by leisure such as cinema,
sports, events, food, games, etc.

This is a clear indicator of the fact, that shopping malls are not just
purchase booths, but also tools of multidimensional entertainment for
families.
Lastly, it is self- explanatory when most respondents have unanimously

chosen the option all, in the question where they are asked to select the
most suitable purpose of shopping malls today.
The researcher therefore makes a conclusion, that though shopping malls

support actual buying, one cannot ignore their dominance in the
entertainment arena, where they have evolved as major players too.
Therefore, one may rightly say, that malls, though governed by the
underlying intention of making purchases, malls are today also one the
major sources for family entertainment which continues to be a major
magnet of footfalls and customer attraction.
Further, the unnecessary expenditure incurred by consumers as a result of

shopping mall facilities could be curbed if demands and wants are kept
under control by consumers.
Malls are the changing face of modern urban life. The changing attitude
of consumers towards this mall culture is in the process of becoming one
of the most popular phenomena of consumer behaviour and attitudes in
the 21st century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Basu, B.,(2006), Indias mall explosion: Sense and direction,
Images Retail, pp. 13-15.
Haynes, J. (2004), Does Entertainment Draw Shoppers: The effect of
entertainment centres on shopping behaviour in malls, University of
West Georgia, pp. 16-18.
Hutchinson, W. , (2009), The Role Of Entertainment In Shopping
Centres & Malls, Leisure & Learning Group, White Papers
Lather, A.S. and Kaur T.,(2006), Shopping Malls: New retail formats
keeping pace with the shoppers mood JIMS 8M.
Nair, S. Success Mantra of 'Mall culture' in the country, The
Economic Times, dated December 17, 2009.
Patney, M. (2002), Indian consumers and their mall patronage:
Application of cultural-self and the theory of planned behaviour to
patronage intentions, UDINI papers.
Sankar, A. R., (2005), Shopping Malls: A New Shopping
Experience, ICMR Case Collection, ICFAI Centre for Management
Research.
Tiwari, M. Mall developers turn to entertainment zones, The
Economic Times, dated August 24, 2008.

WEBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.commodityonline.com/news/india-now-goes-to-malls-for-
entertainment-fun-and-shopping-57513-3-57514.html
Accessed on February 24, 2016
https://www.academia.edu/299926/EVOLUTION_OF_SHOPPING_M
ALLS_RECENT_TRENDS_AND_THE_QUESTION_OF_REGENERA
TION
http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-
conferenceproceedings.aspx?Id=8661
http://www.skirec.com/images/download/ijmmr/IJMMRVOL2%20ISS
UE%201-FINAL-JAN2011/1%20(9).pdf
http://edissertations.nottingham.ac.uk/1007/1/Kanika_Dissertation.pdf

ANNEXURE
The following was the survey questionnaire used for the purpose of the study:
Personal Details:
1. Name:________________________
2. Age: Kindly select the category:
a) (15-25): Youth
b) (26-55): Middle aged
c) (56-70): Pensioners
d) Housewives
3. Occupation:_________________________
4. Sex: _______
5. Income:____________________________
Kindly select the appropriate option:
1. How often do you visit a shopping mall in a month?
Every week
Once in 2 weeks
Once a month
Not even once a month

2. How often do you make purchases for daily consumption from shops like Food
Bazaar, Big Bazaar, etc. situated in malls?
Every single time a purchase needs to be made
Once in 2 times
Not so often
Never
3. Are shopping malls also a source of window shopping and simple outings for
you?
Once in a week
Often
Sometimes
Never.
4. How often do you visit shopping malls for the purchase of luxury/ pleasure items
such as clothes, jewellery, watches, etc?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
5. How many times is the purpose of visiting a shopping mall, solely for purchases
fulfilled?
Always
Most of the times
Seldom
Never

6. Do entertainment activities during festivals and holidays like stage shows,
launches, competitions etc. taking place at malls, entice you to make a visit?
Yes, very often
Sometimes- Depending upon the occasion
No, they never seem to interest
7. Do the branded stores in shopping malls and their slightly higher price ranges
affect or influence your buying decision?
Always
Often
Rarely
Never
8. How often do you only visit a mall to avail of leisure/ entertainment facilities such
as restaurants and theatres?
Once in a week
Once in a fortnight
Not very often
Never
9. Keeping all the offerings provided by a shopping mall today in mind, do you
think a mall serves the purpose of pleasure and entertainment more than just mere
purchases?
Yes
No

10. Do you prefer this deviation/ shift from mere purchases to entertainment?
Yes
No
Other: Please specify

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STUDYING CONSUMER

Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 1

MASTER OF COMMERCE (BUSINESS

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR WITH REGARDS TO MALL

CULTURE: ACTUAL PURCHASE OR ENTERTAINMENT

PLACE FOR FAMILY?

requirements towards the Degree of Master of Commerce.

Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 2

round, complete experience to both, children as well as elders.

India, and the scope for further improvement.

Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 3

cooperation in compiling this project on Studying Consumer Behaviour in case of

Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 4

Sr. No. Title of Chapter Page No.

01. Introduction 8-10

02. Research Problem 11-11

03. Research Hypothesis 12-13

04. Review of Literature 14-21

05. Objectives of the study 22-22

Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 5

Figure No. Figure Title Page No.

01. Monthly Mall Visits 27

02. Purchases for daily consumption 29

04. Purchase of pleasure items 33

05. Purchase purpose fulfilment 35

06. Attraction by mall activities 37

Mall price range affecting pricing decision of

08. Solely entertainment purposes 41

09. Most suitable purpose 43

10. The all in one mall: Acceptability 47

11. Category wise analysis of most suitable use 54

Wasteful expenditures and shift in traditional

Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 6

Table No. Table Title Page No.

Monthly Mall Visits

2 Purchases for daily consumption 29

Window shopping in malls

4 Purchase of pleasure items 33

5 Purchase purpose fulfilment. 35

6 Attraction by mall activities. 37

Mall price range affecting pricing decision of

8 Solely entertainment purposes 41

9 Most suitable purpose 44

10 The all in one mall: Acceptability 47

11 Category wise analysis of most suitable use 54

Wasteful expenditures and shift in traditional

Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 7

formats were not in existence in the country until recently.

typically, a shopping complex connected by walkways. It provides shopping as well as

multiplexes and entertainment zones.

Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 8

space of their own.

to stay and grow.

Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 9

differentiating the mall "product."

component of the mall.

more than mere materials.

Paritosh Agarwal - 01 Page 10

market every single day.

The question in focus therefore remains whether; this influx of entertainment

on the part of households?

generations be encouraged through this impounding mall culture, or should they

be curbed through traditional methods of purchase and entertainment?