FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR WHILE SHOPPING MALLS

ABSTRACT

Academics have always found shopping and consumer behaviour to be fascinating topics.
Shopping surroundings, the importance of buying in various social and cultural situations, and
people's shopping motivations and behaviours are all gradually changing. Shopping malls,
however, are rarely used as the unit of analysis in most retailing studies, despite the fact that
they are the primary consumer habitats in most Western cultures where all individual, social,
and cultural aspects of shopping can be examined at once and are the fundamental shopping
contexts with the highest customer drawing power. The study's primary goals are to identify
and analyze the critical variables that affect how consumers behave toward shopping malls.
Customers who visited malls in Chennai were included in the current study. The study's
findings are based on data analysis. The consumption patterns, spending patterns, and leisure
activities of consumers are all shifting. The act of shopping has evolved into a unique
experience. There has been a mall revolution in India as a result of shifting consumer
preferences and expectations.

Keywords: Consumer behaviour, Consumer satisfaction, Shopping habits, Mall environment

Introduction

Mall culture in India and especially in Chennai has grown with an incredible pace. Just a few
years back, people had to make a choice among shopping, movies or hanging out on a holiday
but thanks to our malls, all these jobs can be performed at the same time, under the same roof
and that too with a wonderful experience. The possibility of shopping for clothes, shoes and
grocery, while simultaneously having provision for eating and entertainment in the form of
movies or video game parlors, has been a convenient experience for the consumers. Pollution
free, air conditioned shopping ambience in the malls is preferable to the heat, humidity, noise
associated with roadside shopping. The mall culture has become a sensation in terms of
changing the lifestyle of Indians – the way they are shopping and socializing. The changing
lifestyles of consumers, strong income growth and favorable demographic patterns have
provided various opportunities as well as set more challenges for retailers. Increase in the
number of nuclear families with double –income groups and tight working schedules have left
consumers with less time for leisure and entertainment. This has spurred the demand for one-
 stop destinations that may help the people to fully utilize their scant time.

Objectives of the study

• To identify various factors affecting Chennai shoppers' attitudes about shopping malls.
• To determine effectiveness of malls environment on customers behaviour
Review of literature:

Arora Shweta, Malhotra Vaishali and Rathi Priya, (2010), The impact of organized
retailing on unorganized sector. The objective of their study was to analyze the consumer
behaviour towards organized and unorganized retailing in India, their source of purchasing
and the factors which influence their mall purchasing in India. The researchers concluded with
their study, that India’s organized and unorganized sector can co- exist and flourish. The
growth in India’s organized sector is due to change in consumer’s behaviour. This change was
the result of change in income, lifestyles. But in India it is quite skeptical that organized sector
will be ever able to overcome the unorganized retail completely. The values, culture and
beliefs prompt them to go to shop retail shops where they can get cheap products. Arslan
Vural Tulin, Isigicok Erkan and Sezer Senkal Filiz, (2010), The reasons behind the
attractiveness of shopping malls for young consumers in turkey. They carried out their study
in few selected malls in Bursa, Turkey. They surveyed 621 young consumers aged 12-24. The
researchers found that five mall attractiveness factors according to young Turkish consumers
perceptive were- retail environment, leisure conditions, socializing in a secure environment,
accessibility and leisure.
Aykol Bilge, Özgen Özge and Tabak İlter Burcu, (2006), focused on the expectation,
experience and perception of the high school girls to see what attracts them to malls. The
objective of their study was to identify image attributes of participants’ ideal shopping malls,
shopping motives and expectation of high school girls. They discovered that six factors related
with the malls were found to shape the girl’s expectations, experiences and perceptions.
Those factors were merchandising, entertainment, atmosphere, location and accessibility,
security and personal service. Among the above stated factors, entertainment got the highest
weight age.

Research Methods:
The research employed the following research techniques. The adoption of a descriptive research strategy
ensures that the amount of biased results is minimized and the dependability of the data collected is
increased. A sample of 100 people was selected based on convenience sampling technique. Self-
administered questionnaires are used for this study. Likert scale questions with a five-point range were
included. Information was gathered using a Google form.
Analysis of Data and discussion

EFFECTIVENESS MALL ENVIRONMENT ON CUSTOMERS BEHAVIOUR

This study explored the Effectiveness of mall environment on Customers

Behaviour. Multiple regression analysis is applied to find out the effects of the dependent

and independent variables.

Table – 1
Model Summary
Adjusted
R value R2 R2 Std. Err

.684 .554 .066 3.21564

Dependent Variable: Customers Behaviour

The R2 value (.554) indicates that 55.4 percent of variation in the Customers

Behaviour is determined by the set of all the independent variables included in the model.

Table –2
ANOVA for Regression Co-efficient of Effectiveness of Mall
Environment on Customers Behaviour
Sum of Mean
Model Squares df Sqre F value Sig
n.
Regression 1068.523 10 98.684
Residual 13115.443 748 19.772 5.540 .000
Total 14183.966 758

Hypothesis: There is no association between mall environment on Customers Behaviour

The multiple correlation coefficient (0.684) between Customers Behaviour and the

factors of mall environment is significant at 5 percent level (F=5.540, P<0.05). This

indicates that there is a high degree of positive correlation exists between the set of

independent variables and dependent variable.

 Table – 3
Regression Coefficients for Effectiveness of MallEnvironment
on Customers Behaviour

Variables Coefficients Coefficients

Std. Erro T value Sig..
Regular needs 27.572 3.137 0.05 8.339 0

Previous Experience 0.919 0.035 0.172 3.314 0

Recommended to
others 0.795 0.041 0.131 2.197 0.024

Expert advertise 0.894 0.079 0.149 2.279 0.019

Features 0.73 0.065 0.113 1.43 0.138

Product and service

quality 0.82 0.023 0.056 -0.223 0.002

Branding 0.606 0.176 0.051 -0.029 0

Price level 0.369 0.169 0.028 -0.556 0.612

Offers 0.923 0.121 0.122 1.005 0.001

Design and pattern 0.859 0.044 0.153 2.638 0.006

The regression coefficients show that the factors of mall environment such as regular needs,Previous
Experience,Recommended to others,Expert advertise

Features,Product and service quality,Branding,Price level,Offers,Design and pattern have positively

Effectiveness (p=<0.05) on the Customers Behaviour

Table – 4

Factor analysis
Recommended

Commodity/
Product and
Experience

Price level

Design and
Branding
Features
to others
Previous

advertise

factor
Regular

Offers
service
quality

pattern
needs

Expert
Food and non- 9.83 8.38 7.14 6.06 7.88 8.87 6.41 8.13 7.56 5.58
alcoholic beverages
Tobacco and 5.24 7.29 6.24 4.91 6.94 8.09 7.36 7.46 6.92 4.64
alcoholic beverages
Clothes &shoes 8.68 7.81 5.9 5.34 8.95 9.36 7.46 8.44 7.88 8.86

Health & drugs 9.2 8.49 7.3 8.14 8.68 9.11 6.23 6.62 5.84 3.9

8.98 7.94 6.07 5.85 8 8.14 6.5 8.39 6.68 6.19

transportation
Postal service & 8.1 7.4 6.02 5.47 7.19 7.57 5.72 7.77 6.35 4.96
Telecoms
Culture &recreation 6.29 8.2 7.86 6 8.18 8.73 5.99 8.51 7.55 5.56

Education 8.12 7.39 7.26 6.92 8.08 9 6.32 7.29 6.06 4.57

Boarding &lodging 8.52 8.46 7.48 5.83 8.28 8.83 6.09 8.08 6.75 5.78

Additional products 7.47 7.53 6.95 6.12 7.82 8.31 6.29 8.02 7.22 6.52
&services
Equipment for 8.11 7.48 6.47 6.17 9.04 9.09 6.8 8.61 7.61 8.59
housing
The factors powerlessness the purchase of specific commodities are displayed in Table 2. This
table was created for all commodities, and all criteria were ranked from 1st to 5th in terms of their
perceived importance to the decision to make a buy. The findings of the survey and subsequent data
processing revealed that the qualities and characteristics of the products are the most crucial
elements for all commodities. Along with those elements comes the relevance of pricing, despite
the fact that it never ranked first in importance and that it was not even one of the five most
important elements for health. With the exception of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, leisure activities,
and culture, necessity of need emerged as a prominent determinant in nearly all purchase decisions
making almost for all goods, with the exception of alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, leisure, and culture.
Most commodities, with the exception of clothing, footwear, and dwelling equipment and contents,
depend on prior experience. Regarding the other factors, the design of the aforementioned goods
clothing, footwear, furniture, and household equipment as well as the recommendations of family and
friends for leisure activities and cultural experiences as well as the advice of medical professionals
regarding health, medications, and vitamins have all demonstrated their importance. There is also the
brand to consider while buying tobacco and alcoholic beverages. The resultant study allowed for the
definition of decision-making guidelines, providing the opportunity to specify which variables should be
targeted by marketing doyens.
Recommendations
Mall advertising strategies are insufficient to attract additional consumers. As a result, mall developers are
advised to devise fresh and imaginative advertising efforts. To reach out to the population, the mall
management should issue its own magazine or promote its mall through advertising. Mall managers should
promote their company's websites, which, in addition to other ad campaigns, are kept up to speed with the
most recent information. The mall's management should solicit feedback from guests following their visit
so that they may identify any areas for improvement.
CONCLUSION
The way we shop has undergone a transformation. Shopping malls are now the preferred new retail format
for consumers. Chennai residents have adopted the mall culture. The consumption patterns, spending
patterns, and leisure activities of consumers are all shifting. The act of shopping has evolved into a unique
experience. There has been a mall revolution in India as a result of shifting consumer preferences and
expectations. The lifestyle and characteristics of Indian consumers are likewise changing quickly. Modern
retail malls, also referred to as "malls," have significantly increased in number in the Indian consumer
market. A wide range of large-format retailers and brands, including food and fashion chains, consumer
durables and entertainment facilities all under one roof, have boosted their demand for high-quality retail
space. They are spending more, which encourages individuals to adapt to their new lifestyles.

Reference:

 Arora Shweta, Malhotra Vaishali and Rathi Priya, (2010), “Impact of Organized Retailing on
Unorganized Sector”, Journal of IPM Meerut, Vol. 11, No. 1, Pages 36-48

 Arslan Vural Tulin, Isigicok Erkan and Sezer Senkal Filiz, (2010), “Magnetism of
shopping malls on young Turkish consumers”, Young Consumers: Insight and ideas for
responsible marketers, Vol. 11, Issue 3, Pages 178-188.

 Aykol Bilge, Özgen Özge and Tabak İlter Burcu, (2006), “High School Girl’s Shopping
Mall Experiences, Perceptions and Expectations – A Qualitative Study”, Ege Academic
Review, Vol. 6, Issue 1, Pages 107-120

 Banerjee Mohua and Dasgupta Rajib, (2010), “Changing pattern of consumer behaviour
in Kolkata with advent of large format retail outlets”, The IUP Journal of Marketing
Management, Vol. 9, No. 4, Pages 57-80

 Bansal Gautam and Singh Amrinder, (2008), “Study on Consumer Perception Regarding
Purchase of Products from Big Shopping malls”, Journal of IMS Group, Vol. 5, No. 2,
Pages 13-23

 Eastlick Ann Mary, Lotz, L., Sherry, Mishra Anubha and Shim Soyeon, (2010),
“Understanding Patrons’ Participation in Activities at entertainment malls”,
International Journal of Retail and Distribution, Vol. 38, Issue. 6, Pages 402-422
 Masha Sandeep and Singh Raghbir, (2010), “Consumer Preferences towards New Retail
Formats”, The Apeejay Journal of Management and Technology, Vol. 5, No. 2, Pages 16-
125

 Prakash Chandra Dash and Swaroop Chandra Sahoo, (2010), “Consumer Decision
Making Styles in Shopping malls - An Empirical Study In The Indian Context”, Indian
Journal of Marketing, Vol. 40, No. 8, Pages 25-30

 Srivastava, R.K.., (2008), “Changing Retail scene in India”, International Journal of

Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 36, Issue No. 9, Pages 714 – 721

 Verma Priyanka and Verma Rooble, (2008), “Retail marketing – A Challenging Journey
of an Epic Transformation”, Journal of IMS Group, Vol. 5, No. 2, Pages 64-72