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Anarock - Irf Report 2018
Anarock - Irf Report 2018
New, Improved
& Revitalized
September 2018
www.anarock.com
02 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
Foreword
The Indian retail sector has metamorphosed As a result, the focus has completely shifted
significantly over the last few decades. Rapid from stocking relevant tenants/products in the
urbanization and digitization, rising disposable malls to ensuring excellent shopping experience
incomes and lifestyle changes of particularly for consumers who go back satisfied only to
the middle-class has led to a major revolution return soon. In retrospect, when malls came
in the retail sector, projected to grow from US into existence in India, the urge to maintain
$672 billion in 2017 to US $1.3 trillion in 2020. lower vacancy levels often forced malls to have
Evolving rapidly from usual ‘kirana shops’ an inappropriate tenant-mix which eventually
to large multi-format stores offering global led to their failure, resulting in their closure
experience to the e-commerce model that or conversion into commercial or residential
is highly technology-driven, the Indian retail complexes.
sector has evolved.
Alternately, mall operators opted for standard
Another highlight of the growth story is that model of operations with unplanned shopping
organized retail is taking centre-stage, growing stores coupled with a food court on the top
annually at a CAGR of 20-25%. High focus on floor. This model was initially successful, but
customer ‘experience,’ enhancement in business the emergence of e-commerce and the rising
strategies and operations, and the change expectations of consumers prompted these
from unorganized to organized business malls to witness a downward trend. The ‘click of
have played a vital role in driving this growth. a button’ concept of consumers who got their
Furthermore, liberalization in FDI policies by products via online portals led to a decline in
the central government has repositioned Indian the number of footfalls in malls.
retail sector on the global map of investments,
attracting large number of global retailers into However, it is important to note that the
the Indian diaspora, thereby propelling retail emergence of one format does not necessarily
mall developers to re-strategise. hamper the existence of the other. Current
trends clearly suggest that the brick-and-
Tracing its history back to the late 90s, Indian mortar stores are here to stay and will co-exist
malls are today witnessing a re-birth. The rising with the e-commerce model rather than being
popularity of e-commerce business has today killed by it. Both the models will complement
necessitated retail malls to reinvent themselves each other in many ways.
and cater to the new set of consumers. Mall
developers must re-vamp and re-evaluate their
portfolio by including factors like product,
catchment and customer experience at the
centre of their business strategies. Malls that
were mere shopping destinations previously are
now evolving into community entertainment
centers, catering to the rising needs of all age
groups.
ANUJ PURI
Chairman
ANAROCK Property Consultants
Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized 03
Table of contents
Retail malls; a one roof stop solution for all needs 06
History 06
Evolution of Retail Malls 08
Why did the malls fail? 09
Technological enhancements 33
Data Analytics & Geo tagging 34
Customer-centric platforms 34
Omni-channel retail 35
Technology to enhance parking facilities in malls 36
Players providing parking solutions 37
Conclusion 38
Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized 05
06 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
1
ISCS Country Reports, ANAROCK Research
Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized 07
Having said that, the great Indian mall boom Figure 3: Indian Retail: Supply – Demand
kick-started recently compared to other Dynamics
developed countries. The key aspect that
makes India fare better than other nations is
16 25
the huge volume of sales (91%) driven by the
brick-and-mortar stores in India.
14
20
Vacancy (%)
China UK
8
82% 91% 6
10
4
INDIA USA 5
91% 89% 2
0 0
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018F
2019F
2020F
Talking about the retail malls’ supply-demand -2
dynamics across top metropolitan cities in
New Completion (LHS)
India, 2011 recorded the highest completion
Absorption (LHS)
as well as absorption of mall spaces across
Vacancy (RHS)
the country. With respect to the quality of the
operational mall stock, around 40-45% of the
malls fall under the good quality requirements,
30-35% of them are in the mediocre range
while the remaining in the weak category.
BENGALURU 10.3 mn sf
Of all the retail formats, retail malls are dotting
the Indian retail landscape with massive PUNE 6.1 mn sf
number of malls operating and many others
coming up across various top metropolitan KOLKATA 5.9 mn sf
cities of India. The predominant growth drivers
HYDERABAD 4.6 mn sf
contributing to the retail mall revolution include
rapid urbanization (Indian urban population CHENNAI 4.5 mn sf
to rise from 33.53% in 20172 to 60% in 20503),
increasing disposable incomes and consumer
expenditure (consumer expenditure to rise
from US $1,595 billion in 2016 to US $3,600
billion by 20204) along with the changing
lifestyle preferences of the middle-class
population.
2&3
Census, ANAROCK Research
4
IBEF
08 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
Past
decades to what is currently existing. Malls
in the past were just shopping hubs with a
cluster of few branded stores coupled with few
restaurants and cafes tucked into one corner Malls initially served as a retail
of the mall, but now, they have turned into hub for the local residents.
places where shopping is more than a mere F&B, entertainment options
transaction, it is accompanied by appealing such as cinemas and food
shopping environment with augmented courts drew consumers to
customer experience. To boost footfalls in malls, malls over the traditional retail
retailers are reinventing the experiential side of stores.
shopping by integrating the merchandising with
mobile-friendly marketing concepts.
Future
The key aspect that is likely to
differentiate the future malls
from the present ones is the
extent of technology leveraged
and the multichannel strategies
that the retailers incorporate in
retail developments.
Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized 09
E.g. E.g.
PRODUCT
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Figure 7: FDI Timeline in Indian Retail Real
Estate
Opening up of FDI is one of the key initiatives
1997
taken by the Indian Government to create an
environment conducive for foreign retailers
and thereby boost the retail sector in the Government allows 100% FDI in
country. Post several years of apprehensions cash-and-carry wholesale trading
and resistance from local retailers, political
influences and industry bodies, the opening of
FDI in Single Brand Retail Trade (SBRT) in 2006
to attract foreign investments paved way for 2006
remarkable advancements in the retail industry. FDI in cash-and-carry wholesale
trading with 100% FDI brought
Apart from financial investments, the FDI under the automatic route
initiatives also helped in the improvement
of retail infrastructure, capability building 51% FDI in a single-brand with prior
and Supply Chain Management. Further, approval from DIPP
the abolishment of Foreign Investment
Promotion Board (FIPB) in 2017 is likely to
remove unnecessary layers of the clearance
process. The FDI proposals would be 2012
transferred to related individual ministries to 100% FDI in single-brand retailing,
provide clearance upon consultation with the permitting 49% investments under
Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion automatic route
(DIPP). The recent e-commerce policy draft
of 2018 establishes a level playing field for the 51% FDI allowed in multi-brand
online and offline retail giants and as a result, retailing
we may witness a renewed interest in the malls.
REITs
Just like mutual funds, Real Estate Investment Currently, around 35+ countries have REIT or a
Trusts (REITs) are investment vehicles that own, structure similar to REIT. Globally, the returns
operate and manage a portfolio of income- on equity of traded REITs performed better
generating properties for regular returns. As of than leading stock markets over the past 10
now, properties being considered in India are years. For a five-year period, average returns
largely commercial including office spaces that for REITs is 7-16% globally.
generate a rental income, likely to be followed
by other REITable assets in India including REITs have massive potential to transform the
shopping malls, hotels etc. Post its registration Indian real estate sector, primarily by infusing
with SEBI, units of REITs will have to be transparency and improving fund availability.
mandatorily be listed on exchanges and traded Attracting both retail and institutional
like securities. And, like stocks, small investors investors, there are many REIT-worthy
can buy units of REITs from both the primary properties in India. The key aspects that are
and secondary markets. currently part of international REITs and not
in the Indian REITs regime are stamp duty
Thus, REITs not only assist in completing the remission and overseas property portfolio.
real estate development cycle and provide the
required liquidity to developers, but they also Retail assets, particularly malls, require huge
allow individual users to earn income via real funds infusion for around 10-year period,
estate ownership (of office buildings, shopping including construction and stabilization of the
malls, apartments, warehouses and mortgages) mall. Only a few developers can sustain for
without really purchasing any assets. such a long time period. Thus, REITs will come
in handy wherein developers can get out of the
development with ease or by infusing funds by
selling completed assets or managing to sell
high stakes in the same development.
MATURE
ESTABLISHED
EMERGING USA
AUSTRALIA
NASCENT
FINLAND BELGIUM
IRELAND CANADA
BAHRAIN
ITALY FRANCE
BRAZIL
MALAYSIA GERMANY
COSTA RICA
MEXICO HONG KONG
BULGARIA
SOUTH AFRICA JAPAN
GREECE
SOUTH KOREA NETHERLANDS
HUNGARY
SPAIN NEW ZEALAND
INDIA
TURKEY SINGAPORE
ISRAEL
UAE UK
KENYA
PAKISTAN
PHILIPPINES
SAUDI ARABIA
TAIWAN
THAILAND
VIETNAM Source: EY Global perspectives: 2016 REIT report
12 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Office
Industrial
Retail
Apartments
All Equity REITs
Growing share
of organised
retail to change
the face of
retail industry
19% by 2020
14 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
According to the National Skill Development Figure 10: India’s top 5 retail stocks and their
Corporation, India’s retail sector will need a performance in the last one year
workforce of around 56 million – which makes
ADITYA
it one of the highest sectors with incremental CONSUMER
human resource requirements of 17.35 million
till the year 2022. With the current 91% of 216%
India’s retail market still being unorganized, it
reflects that there is a huge scope of growth
for the organized players in the country. The
government’s decision to allow 51% FDI in
multi-brand retail and 100% FDI in single-brand
retail under the automatic route has already
V MART
attracted global retail giants such as Walmart
and IKEA to make a foray into India. 138%
College
Goer
on the Indian retail block. Before we delve deep
into ways and means adopted by mall operators
to provide a holistic shopping experience to the
Professional
consumers, let’s quickly look at the composition
Young
of today’s shoppers.
Married
Newly
to be a couple of decades ago. These days,
consumers/shoppers are looking for great
shopping experiences and not merely closing
transactions pertaining to the purchased
Family
Entertainment
F&B
Multiplex
of ‘only shopping’ at a mall is more of a thing
of the past now. In fact, many malls have
previously failed because of their focus only
on the transaction and not on the experience.
In an endeavor to ensure higher occupancy,
the mall operators focused less on tenant mix,
positioning, etc. which impacted footfalls and
sales per square feet, leading to store closures. Changing focus from
selling products to curating
However, with richer experience, the mall experiences - the key to
developers/owners have realized that increase footfalls and repeat
they must provide the customers with an purchases
‘experience’ rather than to limit their spaces
for mere shopping needs. This invariably has Maturing e-commerce
rapidly increased the interests of consumers industry necessitating
to physically visit the mall which is no longer development of experiential
restricted as a place to shop and eat but has shopping in the brick-and-
become a community center where people mortar spaces
can go with their families and friends to spend
some quality time. A major outcome of this new Malls are transitioning from
trend is that mall operators are now signing mere shopping hubs to
up leases with brands for anywhere between community centres where
three to six years unlike earlier wherein 10 years people meet, greet, eat and
was the general norm. A shorter lease not only chill
maintains newness in malls - crucial to get
footfalls - but also helps developers negotiate
improved rates.
16 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
Multi-family
Developments
Co-existance of
Malls & Multiplexes
Rising Presence
of F&B Outlets
Necessity of
Entertainment Zones
Co-retailing
Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized 17
Mall owners are now increasingly laser-focused Live, Work & Play is the focus
in ensuring a diverse tenant mix, and not merely of multi-family developments
focusing on space fill-up by just any brand. It’s
more about curating the malls for an enhanced
shopping experience with the presence of Easy accessibility
mixed brands and positioning the mall in an
appropriate manner. Apart from the mix, mall
owners/managers are also focusing on the type Reduced marketing cost
of brands that will occupy the space inside the
mall. To cater to a larger section of shoppers,
the mall owners/managers are including stores
ranging from clothing, accessories, footwear,
home essentials, furniture, departmental stores,
entertainment, F&B, etc. inside the mall. A recent example is the Seawoods Grand
Central mall at Seawoods, Navi Mumbai which
Additionally, they are looking to cater to all is developed above the Seawoods-Darave
segments of the society because creating a suburban train station. The mall allows the
niche product that focuses towards a specific occupants of the commercial complex to step
section of the society will ultimately push other down post work for a relaxing dinner with
section of consumers out of the mall. However, colleagues or go grocery shopping before
there are a few mall operators who are also heading home.
looking to create a differentiated product by
creating an exclusive luxury/upmarket mall that The idea of having a mall just above the
has a presence of top global brands. suburban local station also helps the mall
save on marketing cost as daily commuters
In India, as the malls are currently in the rebirth can easily reach out to the mall for their
stage of the lifecycle, optimizing a good tenant requirements without the hassle of additional
mix will help the owners achieve high footfalls commute which is a menace in metros and
and drive businesses. tier I cities. Due to additional time required
to commute to-and-from the mall, along with
the additional parking time, many shoppers
restrict themselves to visit a mall only over
Change the ‘only shopping’ the weekend which leads to a massive drop in
model and enable shoppers footfalls during the weekdays.
to get a holistic shopping
experience under one-roof Listed below are a few benefits attached to the
multi-family developments:
Better tenant mix leads to
increased footfalls and higher Customers: Easy accessibility allows more
repeat purchases footfalls in the mall even during the weekdays
410
screens
340
screens
510
screens
Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized 19
Increasing urbanization, rising disposable For instance, Inorbit mall owned by K Raheja
incomes, increasing trends of nuclear families Corp offers coffee shops, QSR outlets, dessert
and the urge to socialize is redefining the way outlets and casual dine outlets on the ground
of life in India. To ride the wave, mall owners/ floor and are strategically placed near the
managers are focusing towards allocation of entrance of the mall. Inorbit Mall, Navi Mumbai
more space to the F&B category to reach out houses pubs, restaurants, café, desserts parlors
to the growing demand, especially from the in addition to a full-fledged food court.
millennials. From a traditional food court on
the top floor, the recently opened malls have
changed the dynamics by opening F&B outlets
at the ground floor as well and ensuring some
kind of food outlet’s presence on each floor.
Rising disposable income,
Apart from the presence of Quick Service increasing urbanization and
Restaurant (QSR) in the food court, the malls the urge to socialize is leading
have shifted focus to add casual dining, fine to increased focus of mall
dining and pubs/lounges in it to cater to the owners to open more F&B
young population of the country (~60% of outlets
the current population is less than the age
of 35 years). With malls gaining traction Malls are moving away from
from weekend outing destinations and QSR culture to multiple dining
spending leisure time with family and friends, options to lure consumers
conventional food courts offering only QSRs
options did not seem to be a long-term Only food court model not
sustainable model. Developers have realized very lucrative for the future of
that a retail mall is not like a residential project malls
which once complete can be forgotten about.
Continuous innovation in terms of product Will there be malls in the
offerings and improvement in look and feel is future focused only on F&B
the key to survive in this era. This has led to outlets?
more space allocation in the mall towards F&B
outlets.
20 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
As mentioned, malls are no longer treated The focus to survive in this highly competitive
as only shopping destinations. They are market is allowing the mall developers to
transforming into community centers where revisit their strategies and come up with
people of all ages come to shop, eat, play innovative ideas/themes to keep the millennials
and spend some quality time with family and entertained and return home with an enriched
friends. To cater to this evolving need, the mall experience which creates an urge to revisit.
owners/managers started allocating more Malls have tied up with firms like Timezone,
space to the entertainment zones. From a Kidzania, Prime Time, SMAASH and many more
traditional zone with only arcade games and a which are providing immense entertainment
bowling alley, malls are going the extra mile to options to the millennials and are indirectly
open entertainment zones full of arcade games, driving footfalls to the malls.
bowling alleys, as well as places like snow world,
3D ice skiing and many more options. These
entertainment zones keep the kids occupied
whilst parents can shop at the same time.
Entertainment zones keep
More open spaces are being designed at the the kids occupied creating
conceptual stages itself for the new upcoming hassle free shopping
malls to utilize them for live events. These experiences for the parents
entertainment zones act as a footfall driver
for the F&B outlets in the malls as people tend Malls are designing more
to eat/dine at the mall post having fun at the open spaces for live events
entertainment zones. Indirectly a mall’s one to go the extra mile to attract
business is complementing another for all the shoppers
businesses to grow in parallel.
40%
of the space to Food,
Entertainment & Cinema
(FEC) to drive footfalls
Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized 21
Co-retailing
Co-retailing is a new trend which is picking up Due to rising lease rentals coupled with higher
pace in the retail industry. The concept is like operating costs, the overall investments to
co-working space, which is also at a niche stage set-up individual stores is rising. With limited
right now. In co-retailing concept, two or more prime space in the malls and the race between
retailers sell their own products by sharing retailers to catch the prime position, co-retailing
roofs. It can be either the same category of concept is the most convenient and affordable
products or different products selling under the solution to deal with a problem.
same roof.
Co-retailing
01 02
Complementing Multiple brands or products
stores under one roof
22 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
Co-retailing, wherein multiple retailers sell their Co-retailing in India is witnessed at multiple
products under the same roof, allows the buyer levels under different stores such as Croma, Big
to compare and shop in a lesser time vis-à-vis Bazaar and Fashion Bazaar operating together,
visiting individual stores and spending more Central & Me stores. Apart from these there are
time tiring oneself. Combining the bricks and some stand-alone mom & pop stores operating
clicks under co-retailing makes up for the lost on the same model.
time and in a unique way creates a compelling
in-store experience for the shoppers. At the global level, co-retailing is a prevalent
concept existing at a granular level in stores
In India, co-retailing is done under various like 7/11, Tesco, Walmart offering grocery stores,
brands such as ‘Lifestyle’ and ‘Central’ where departmental stores and hypermarkets to cater
these stores provide one roof to multiple to different needs under one roof.
brands selling clothing, footwear, accessories
for men, women and kids. At Central, in some While the penetration of co-retailing in India is
stores, they even have an outlet for ‘Home still at a nascent stage, the future looks bright
Town’ which caters to the home furnishing as rising costs and reducing profitability is
requirements. making single operated stores unviable.
Recently, Central & Me leased out a dead mall in
The concept of co-retailing is attached to its Navi Mumbai to operate the entire mall as one
own benefits which include: store offering clothing, footwear, accessories,
homeware, beauty products under one roof.
Rentals: Save on high rentals by roof sharing Thus, with stiff competition and shrinking
which eventually increases profitability profitability, co-retailing is likely to grow by
leaps & bounds in India in the future periods.
Complementary offerings: Cross selling to
boost sales
Rise of E-commerce:
A blessing or a curse?
Figure 15: Key trends
Rise in cashless
Social websites influencing Cash on Delivery (COD) payment options
and promoting online facility & cash back on (Credit /debit card
shopping branded products & online wallets)
India has seen phenomenal increase in the Despite this phenomenal increase in Internet
number of internet users during the last couple usage, E-commerce is still at a nascent stage
of years and is rapidly transforming into a in India as compared to other developed
digital nation. Availability of low priced 3G economies of the world. In 2017, the sale of
and 4G internet has significantly widened the physical goods via digital channels in India
country’s internet user base. From accessing amounted to US $25 billion in revenues and
e-mails to staying connected with dear ones estimated to grow up to US $52 billion by
via social-networking platforms like WhatsApp 20226.
to shopping products online – the internet has
now become a basic need for the ever-growing According to global data survey, cash on
population of India. delivery in total e-commerce transaction
value declined from 31% in 2013 to 16% in 2017,
According to a study by the Internet and Mobile whereas the online transactions (credit/ debit/
Association of India (IMAI), India’s internet mobile payment) jumped from just 7% to 29%
user base has zoomed from 355 million in 2016 during the same period. Marketing strategies of
to 478 million currently, making it the second several e-commerce portals are largely driven
largest country of internet users after China. by heavy discounts, attractive offers along with
Internet penetration in India has reached 56%, fundamental proposition of surpassing physical
largely driven by cheap data pack options. This boundaries to deliver varied range of products
seems to be confirmed by US-based market at buyer’s doorstep – has helped them to grow
research agency eMarketer, which predicts significantly. E-commerce platforms have
that over 1/4th of the country’s population will adopted a quantitative approach – social media.
be using smartphones by the end of 2018. The Attractive HD pictures, rich video-graphics and
ease of shopping from the comfort of one’s user-generated content are some of the tactics
home and having a wide product variety to used by social media to influence online buying
choose from has gained a phenomenal interest decisions.
from the customers.
Figure 16: Internet users in India Figure 17: E-commerce transaction value by
payment tool
478M
456M
38%
32%
Card
355M 7%
29%
e-wallet
277M 11%
16%
Bank
198M 31%
16%
Cash
13%
Others 7%
Source: Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) Source: ANAROCK Research
6
https://www.statista.com
Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized 25
As per estimates, e-commerce in India is With e-commerce spreading its wings, retail
expected to grow from US $38.5 billion as of malls and shopping centers were forced to
2017 to US $70 billion by 20207. The advent expand their presence beyond brick-and-
of e-commerce has converged shopping into mortar and as of today both the online and
mobile devices in the form of websites and/ offline world continue to co-exist and are likely
or apps. At the click of a button, one can buy to do so in the future periods as well. The
just anything from groceries to apparel to changing business environment, favourable
electronics and almost anything else. For a policy shifts, and the entry of numerous global
while, it appeared that ‘couch potato shopping’ players indicate that a resurgence of shopping
was gaining prominence. And, that e-commerce malls in India is definite.
will eventually disrupt the entire brick-and-
mortar business. But, it is not entirely true. Today, shopping malls are considered as
entertainment hubs and hangout zones making
While it did cause some disruption, it was not customers to drive down to malls for social
enough to have a significant and lasting impact gatherings as one can’t really celebrate any
on the conventional retail formats. Initially, occasion online. Also, there are a few categories
the heavy discounts offered by e-commerce that e-commerce can’t cater to significantly
sites lured buyers and impacted malls that including luxury and upmarket products where
registered a slight dip in the overall footfalls look and feel is important than just the cost.
and sales. But, consumers came back as they
missed the holistic retail experience. More As it was, quite a few badly-conceived and
than that, they felt that malls are not mere executed malls did fail. That said, one lesson
shopping destinations but a place where they learnt is that there is a distinct need for
can unwind and get entertained. And, with developing multi-channel retailing rather than
the discount seasons becoming a vogue even just relying on the traditional methods.
across malls, shoppers are all geared up to feel
the experience whether in malls or in the virtual The fact that online biggies like Amazon and
world, as per their convenience. Thus, despite Alibaba Group are investing in offline stores
all the pressures, both e-commerce and brick- indicates that physical retail business is not
and-mortar stores will co-exist in the future. going anywhere in spite of the assault of online
portals. When customers want a shopping
Moreover, while e-commerce has disturbed experience, they come to the stores. Thus,
businesses once considered as mainstream in the online and offline mediums have started
the retail segment, certain retail businesses will working together in one ecosystem.
continue to remain relevant in the offline world
for years to come. For e.g. One can purchase
apparels at a much cheaper rate through online
portals but working out at a fitness center or
dining at a restaurant cannot be replicated E-commerce brought the
in the virtual world. The whole experience of ‘couch potato shopping’
work-out with gym buddies or having a fun experience for the
meal in a good ambience cannot be replaced consumers
by ordering food at home or calling for a gym
instructor.
Experiential shopping,
kept the mall business up
and running
7
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
26 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
Major factors aiding the expansion of retail Majority of the population shopping online
segment to tier II and tier III cities include in India includes millennials (Gen Y) and less
maturing metros (which may lead to a than 35 years of age which account for 30%
stagnancy/fall in demand), high rentals and of the population as of 2018. This generation
lower footfalls, rising aspirations for branded possesses high purchasing power and purchase
product purchases in non-metros (realized products after a thorough research backed by
via the statistics of e-commerce), low cost of reviews and feedbacks.
living coupled with high disposable income
and evolving consumer behavioural pattern in Add to this, residents of smaller cities have a
smaller cities. There are plenty of retail brands better work-life balance, possess significant
with diverse product segment that have started leisure time, are well versed with the usage
expanding and flourishing in tier II and tier of electronic gadgets especially smart mobile
III cities. For instance, McDonald’s, Dominos phones with internet connectivity and aspire
(second highest sales in India in Kanpur), Big for luxury shopping. The demand-supply gap
Bazaar (single largest bill in India was in Sangli created by the absence of physical outlets
– a small town in Maharashtra), Walmart, H&M, in smaller towns along with the presence of
Westside, Pantaloons, Reliance digital, Reliance potential customers is the key reason for the
fresh, Woodland, Arvind Mills, and many more. rapid growth of the e-commerce industry in tier
Likewise, other complimenting factors for the II and tier III cities. As of now, nearly 50-60%
retail segment’s growth in tier II and tier III sales of e-commerce companies are generated
cities include infrastructure development, cities from tier II and tier III cities8. Thus, e-commerce
being identified under the Smart City mission giants are consistently working to expand in
along with excellent domestic and international these cities by investing in mobile technology
air connectivity. to ensure better consumer experience and
stickiness and also improve last-mile delivery of
As a matter of fact, due to the advent of their products.
e-commerce, residents of tier II and tier III cities
are also aware of the latest trends and brands.
8
India’s growth paradigm - E&Y Report
Further, lack of physical outlets is making
e-tailing business flourish big time in these
towns and cities. In fact, e-commerce is rapidly
growing and is expected to reach US $70
billion by 2020 in India.
Figure 20: India’s e-commerce journey Popular national and international brands
have realized the potential of these untapped
markets and have started penetrating here via
rapid online presence and a gradual offline
2004 presence.
E-commerce kick-started
Another major trend seen in recent times is
that 35% luxury sales come from tier II and
- Ebay acquired baazee.com tier III cities - urging the establishment of
- Myntra & Flipkart started retail spaces to tap the market potential.
With the rise of consumers in non-metro
cities demanding fashion products, apparels,
2012 -
Location charges will be 30-40%
lesser than in metros.
- Jabong started
- Amazon started in the name of Junglee.com -
Rental values will be in the range of
Rs 40-80 per sq. ft. in prime
locations, whereas the value is in
the range of Rs 150-250 per sq. ft in
2013 -
equivalent location in metros.
Innovation infused in e-commerce
Operating cost will be almost 30-
- Myntra acquired Fitiquette (a virtual fitting 50% lower than that of metro cities.
room) to solve online fit/size problem
- Amazon started COD facility in India -
- Flipkart started Payzippy (its own payment Retail sales density will be in the
gateway) range of Rs 5,500-8,500 which
is lower than in metros, but by
innovative models and by addition
of diverse products, survival in tier II
and tier III will be assured.
Figure 21: Growth potential for reputed brands in tier II & tier III cities
Availability of
Investment
large parcels of
opportunity
land at low prices
High disposable
income, more
leisure hours
Aspiration and
brand knowledge
Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized 33
Technological enhancements to
aid mall sustenance & growth
The upsurge in technological advancements Thus, by uniting conventional methods with
has revolutionized the overall Indian retail key success elements of digital experience,
market and given phenomenal rise to brick-and-mortar retailers have the advantage
e-commerce segment, which is transforming to offer consumers an experience surpassing
consumer expectations and thereby altering that of even online sites. All they need is to
the function of brick-and-mortar stores tap on the unprecedented growth in overall
into more useful and entertaining customer consumerism in India to their best advantage.
experiences. Emergence of e-commerce and With rising disposable incomes, consumer
its wide-spread acceptance was envisaged expenditure is expected to rise to US $3,600
by many retail experts as the beginning of billion by 2020 from US $1,595 billion in 2016.
the end of the brick-and-mortar era including And, if the mall operators along with their
malls particularly. But, to cope with the rising tenants get the strategy right, the result will
competition from the online portals who can add in retaining customers, higher sales, repeat
swiftly adopt new technologies and thereby visits, and increased footfalls.
enhance customer shopping experience, brick-
and-mortar retailers have also begun to re-
strategize and rethink their business model to Figure 22: Technological
attract new and retain old customers. advancements adopted
by malls to aid sustenance
In today’s digital era, even the physical stores and growth
are getting ‘smarter’ by using technologies
like Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analytics, Artificial
geo tagging, omni-channel shopping network, Intelligence
etc. Consumer-centric platforms such as Data
Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality Analytics
(VR) are attracting customers with theme-
based innovative marketing techniques, social
kiosks at malls or places with higher public
concentration, buying online and picking
offline; all adding to the ease of shopping
along with an everlasting experience. With
all the modern means of marketing coupled
with technological assistance, personalisation
is another aspect which is going to flourish
big time making shopping simpler, faster and
Physical stores
qualitative for the customers.
getting smarter
with technology
In a country like India that boasts of a
population of 1.35 Billion (2018 estimated)
and possesses a rapidly adopting tech-savvy
culture, modernisation and innovation are
critical for the survival of the brick-and-
mortar stores. This will assure success by
providing physical innovative experience to the
Omni-channel
customers than what he can get on the online
portals. Virtual trial rooms or screens will help
customers check out variety of products and
help them buy via the online channel of brands
as per their convenience.
Geotagging
34 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
Furthermore, with technology taking centre- There is another modernised way of marketing
stage in connecting people, brick-and-mortar called personalisation, wherein a data-driven
stores are also going online to reach out to approach and geotagging methods are utilised
their customers spread across the length and to retarget consumers with relevant product
breadth of the country and other nations. Thus, and deals. While retailers rejoice over increased
sensing immense opportunity in the growth of sales, customers seem satisfied with their
e-commerce majors such as Amazon, Flipkart, experience and look to return for the next
Myntra etc., existing brick-and-mortar stores are shopping experience.
also syncing up with these e-tailing websites.
A few players such as Tatacliq, Lenskart etc. LULU international mall in Kochi, for instance,
have also gone ahead to develop their own is setting a new benchmark in customer
online platforms as well as establish an offline experience by using modern technologies
presence to improve the last mile delivery. like geo-fencing, beacon technology and
Alternately, brands such as Urban Ladder, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)
Pepperfry etc. having an online presence are for customer interaction and thus keep them
putting up physical stores which act more as updated with the latest offers, products and
experience centres for their customers. Thus, availability as soon as they enter the mall
we can say that both e-commerce and brick- premise.
and-mortar spaces will co-exist in the present
ecosystem and drive consumerism to greater Customer-centric platforms
heights.
Today, technology has taken centre stage
Meanwhile, a few key technological and has transformed the way retail segment
enhancements whose adoption will go a long works. In a circumstance where technology
way in improving the brick-and-mortar retail was anticipated by many to be a hindrance
businesses in India are mentioned here. in the growth of malls or shopping arcades,
smarter digitised experience mediums with
Data Analytics and Geotagging customer-centric technology such as Artificial
Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR),
In today’s era where technology is at the Virtual Reality and Internet of Things (IoT) are
forefront of every move, it is imperative to tap attracting customers back to the brick-and-
customers with relevant products and offers. mortar stores.
And, one way to know what consumers want
is via data analytics and geotagging. Shopping AI is considered essential in mall
experience has transformed over a period and competitiveness and its products mainly
it is simpler, faster, better and hassle-free. With include sales and CRM-based apps. This
mobile devices of shoppers now connecting technology has a greater impact on customer
to the mall’s Wi-Fi network, a new channel service, sales as well as marketing. AR, on the
of communication has opened between the other hand, is known to enrich the experience
retailer and the customer via which offers, by imposing digital content on the real
schemes etc. can be pushed by the retailer. world, where as VR gives altogether a unique
It gives the shopper relevant info right from experience by completely disconnecting from
where to park the car to existing offers. This the actual world and immersing customers in
makes the shopping experience more personal, alternate reality. Personalised, interactive and
convenient and enjoyable. Additionally, the engaging experience for customers via AI, AR,
tech-savvy consumers are now also seen to be VR is and will continue to change the entire
adhering to the idea of sharing few personal perspective of shopping at the malls.
data via digital interaction.
Omni-channel retail
For example, DLF Cyber Hub offers a unique To define it, omni-channel retailing is a fully-
AI-based “Phygital” experience with Huber, integrated approach that provides shoppers
a virtual concierge, where shoppers can a unified experience across both online
talk to Huber to find out about the next and offline channels. It extends from brick-
event, navigate through physical space while and-mortar locations to mobile-browsing,
adding to the ‘discoverability’ of brands and e-commerce marketplaces, onsite stores,
experiences present, reserve a table, checkout social media, and everything in between. Most
the menu, etc. During the conversation, Huber omni-channel retailers have a physical as well
gets to know about the customer and can as digital presence and provide seamless,
make personalized recommendations. effortless and high-quality experiences to
consumers.
Omni-channel Retailing
Products and services reach
consumers where they are at
36 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
Electronic
Figure 24: Smart parking service Tag
CCTV
Electronic
Tag
Geomagnetism Electronic Geomagnetism
detection Tag detection
38 Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized
Conclusion
Retail malls, thus, after surfacing in the late 90’s have witnessed an on-going evolution to
cater to the changing needs of shoppers. The policy support and growing interest of overseas
entities in developing economies such as India has continuously fueled the growth of retail
malls. However, due to lack of experience and expertise, malls in India witnessed failure and
closure as well. But, re-working on the strategies to capture more shoppers in this digital era
of online shopping has helped these malls to co-exist in the highly competitive environment.
It is also evident that the Indian retail industry has been on a steep unlearning / learning
curve. This process is by no means complete. The retail scene in India, as well as the rest of
the world, is changing far too rapidly for players to become complacent. In other words, the
process of evolution for the retail industry is a constant work-in-progress - and yes, there
will always be winners and losers. However, given the rapid pace of adaptation we are seeing
today, it is more than likely that ten years from now, there will be far more winners than losers.
Rebirth of Retail Malls: New, Improved & Revitalized 39
The emergence of tier II and tier III cities as the future growth engines in the country
is also prompting developers to target these under-penetrated markets and compete
with the online shopping portals. More so, with rising millennials and increasing focus on
creating experience, the future of malls is not just limited to the shopping needs of buyers
but creating an overall experience for all age groups, ultimately leading to re-visits and
increase in footfalls.
All in all, retailers who are agile enough to adapt and revolutionize their way through
changes will continue to grow and thrive in the future. Besides technological
advancement and digitization, the future of retail will see diverse business ecosystems
blend together not just to deliver the best to their consumers, but to gain a competitive
edge over the others as well.
ANAROCK GROUP For research services, please contact:
ANAROCK Retail Advisors Pvt. Ltd. is the retail For retail advisory services, please contact:
consulting arm of the ANAROCK Group.
Anuj Kejriwal
Our team specialises in Retail Consulting and CEO & Managing Director
Retail Transaction Advisory & Management ANAROCK Retail Advisors Pvt. Ltd.
Services for our Retail & Leisure verticals that
extensively cover the categories of Fashion, anuj.kejriwal@anarock.com
Home needs, Utilities, F&B and Entertainment.
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