GNH@1&2

A Study on Customer Perception Towards Services Provided At S Mall in Tumkur City
CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
1.1INTRODUCTION
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall’s one or
more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with inter connecting
walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area a modern,
indoor version of the traditional marketplace.
A shopping mall (or simply mall), shopping center, or shopping arcade is a building or set of
building 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 first structure resembling what is considered to be a "shopping mall" in the present-day is
located in The City of Damascus, the capital city of Syria. It is called Al-Hamidiyah Souqin old
Damascus and dates back to the 19th century. Isfahan's Grand Bazaar, which is largely covered,
dates from the 10thcentury. The 10 kilometer long covered Tehran’s Grand Bazaar also has a
long history. The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul was built in the 15th century and is still one of the
largest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 streets and 4,000 shops.
The great Indian mall boom
It is a revolution that is fast changing the way of life for millions of shopping crazy citizens in
India. Kanpur is way behind in this process but we can see the trends in NCR. From the days of
mama-papa stores at the local marketplace, Delhi and NCR is now metamorphosing into the land
of upscale shopping centers and malls, much on the lines of Singapore and Dubai.
At last count, over four dozen shopping malls were operational in the region last year and
another 140-odd new shopping arcades are set to dot the city landscape in days to come. Kanpur
will follow same path in near future as Rave, Glob us, Visual mega mart are indications.
Global estimates say India will be home to 36.2 million square feet of shopping malls in 2008
and the developers of these malls seem to have their finger on the pulse of discerning customer’s
needs.
DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 1

That explains why special malls focusing on marriages, jeweler and on high-end brands are
mushrooming all over the country.
Take the example of Gorgon, a sleepy little suburb of the Indian capital New Delhi. Ina
development that surprised many town planners, Gorgon transformed itself overnight by first
housing the headquarters of many multinational corporations and banks, and then calling itself
the ³shopping-mall capital of India´. So, friends Malls are here, kneel before them.
1.2Meaning of Shopping
Shopping is the activity of visiting places where goods are sold in order to look at and buy things
(such as food, clothing, etc.) It is the activity of buying goods, especially from a store.
Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented
by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them .
1.3 Meaning of Mall
A mall or shopping center is a large building that is full of many smaller shops and stores. It is
different from earlier markets or bazaars because most of the shops are not little booths or stalls
in one big open area. Each store has its own space with walls. Most of their entrances face a
central walking area inside the building.
People visit the stores in the mall to shop. Most malls have parking lots (places to park cars).
Most malls also have roofs so people can shop inside. Most malls have a food court where
people buy food. Some malls have movie theatres.
1.4 Meaning of Shopping Mall
Shopping mall means any parcel of land zoned and used for retail sales by more than one retailer
that is jointly operated or which includes shared parking facilities.
Shopping mall means an indoor public walkway or hall area that serves to connect retail or
professional businesses.

Modern technology has revolutionized our lives the way we knew it. Whether it is a hospital or a
shopping mall, today everything is well-equipped with technological tools that are playing their
part in making our lifestyle fit to the modern standards.
Therefore, when one chooses to do shopping in a mall, he/she prefers to have everything that
they need under one roof. Besides, shops for clothing, bags, shoes, cosmetics, cookware, and
home decor one can find a play area, food court, entertainment activities, departmental stores,
money exchange options, etc. These features have made shopping malls beyond recognition.
A good shopping mall has not only shops for bags, shoes, clothes but also shops for grocery,
furnishing, makeup, and all the basic needs of daily routine. In structural aspect shopping mall is
considered to have a large building that should have wide corridors, lifts, and escalators to have
access to all floors and shops. However, since the competition is on the rise, every mall is
working to introduce innovative entertainment and facilities to ease the shoppers to provide a
seamless and fun-filled shopping experience.
1.5 Features of the Shopping Mall
The best shopping malls offer a number of features that attract shoppers and keep them coming
back, and knowing what these features are can help you figure out which malls are worth your
time and which ones to avoid like the plague. Not all shopping malls have the same features, but
the top ones tend to share many similarities. Here are five of the most important features to look
for when shopping around for the best mall in your area.
 Prime location
It is important to be in a prime location for attracting shoppers. It’s good to have huge parking
space, it can attract many people who just enjoy shopping at a mall that has enough parking
space. That way you can make more profit from selling your goods and services. Make sure you
are in a central area where you will have more traffic. The first thing to do when looking for a
place for your business is find out what business environment might work best for your kind of
business.

 Exceptional design
A shopping mall is more than just a collection of stores. It’s an experience, and how your mall is
designed can go a long way in ensuring that visitors have a memorable experience. The look and
feel you choose for your mall can be as simple or complex as you want, but what matters most is
that it meets your target demographics needs. If people are looking for high-end brands, for
example, a luxury design may be appropriate; on the other hand, if you’re targeting budget
shoppers with limited time on their hands, consider streamlining your mall’s appearance to
emphasize speed over visual appeal. This can also help minimize costs associated with
maintenance and cleaning. A clean space is important for any business hoping to attract
customers.
 Entertainment facilities
Nowadays, shopping malls are much more than just a place to shop. They’re often all
encompassing entertainment complexes, featuring everything from museums and aquariums to
karaoke bars and skate parks. From family-friendly entertainment centers to first-class nightlife,
there’s something for everyone at today’s malls—just check out your local mall directory online
or visit their official websites. To find out what your closest shopping mall has in store for you,
here are some key facilities worth looking out for.
 Top-tier amenities
The best shopping malls tend to offer top-tier amenities. You’ll find anything from luxury hotels,
gourmet food trucks, and high-end spas and salons at these centers. This is because their tenants
are paying more for rent and they want a quality experience for their shoppers. For example, you
might be able to get a facial while you’re trying on new outfits at Bonanza or an oil change while
getting your hair done at Toni and Guy. Convenience: The best shopping malls also have
locations that are convenient for shoppers and are easily accessible from anywhere in town by
car or mass transit options such as metro bus.

 Advanced safety features
The purpose of a shopping mall is to allow customers to access multiple retailers in one
location. For that reason, it’s imperative that they are safe and secure environments. Many
malls have already taken these measures, but there’s always room for improvement.
At your local mall, you can look for: advanced electronic surveillance systems, active security
officers on duty at all times (you may even want to stop by during their nightly rounds), well-
trained customer service representatives with access to various emergency resources and
telephones throughout each retail establishment so employees can reach security quickly in case
an incident arises.
1.6 Advantages of Shopping Malls

 Many types of stores within one location
 Merchandise assortments available within those stores
 Opportunity to combine shopping with entertainment
 Attract many shoppers
 Large trade area
 Generate significant pedestrian traffic
 Inexpensive form of entertainment
 Customers don’t have to worry about weather
1.7 Disadvantages of Shopping Malls
 Occupancy costs are higher than those of strip centers, freestanding sites, most central
business districts
 Retailers may not like mall managements control of their operations
 Strict rules governing store displays and signage
 Competition within shopping centers can be intense
 Similar merchandise sold in a close proximity

1.8 Types of shopping mall
 Regional Mall
A regional mall is a shopping place which offers general merchandise (a large percentage of
which is apparel) and services in depth and width. A typical regional mall is usually enclosed
with an inward orientation of the stores connected by a common walkway and parking
surrounds the outside perimeter.
As per International Council of Shopping Centers any mall which is designed to cater large
number of local people and is larger with 400,000 sq ft (37,000 m2) to 800,000 sq ft (74,000
m2) gross leasable area with at least two anchor stores is known as regional mall. These
malls are proved to be good tourist attractions if are located in vacation areas.
The unique feature of such malls is that their goods such as clothes, fashion accessories,
grocery, etc are made in their regions. Many of these malls provide information about
lodgings, restaurants, local events, and services in their area as well. During weekends and
holidays, these become a place for fun and social get together.
 Super Regional mall

A super regional mall, as the vary name implies, is a shopping place which is an extension of
regional malls in terms of size and merchandise assortment. As per International Council of
Shopping Centers, any mall which is designed to cater large population base and is larger
with over 800,000 sq ft (74,000 m2) of gross leasable area, and serves as the dominant
shopping venue for the region (25 miles) in which it is located is known as super regional
mall.
A super regional mall usually is an enclosed mall with three or more anchors catering
visitors with mass merchants, more variety, and a deeper selection of merchandise. Most of
the regional malls are multilevel and serve as dominant shopping venues for the region in
which they are located.

 Vertical Malls
The concept of vertical mall came in existence because of the complexities of densely
populated cities/nations where land price were so high that it was becoming difficult for
existing retailers to think of any kind of horizontal expansion to accommodate increasing
crowd to their retail outlets.
Therefore, retail stores were configured over a number of stories accessible by elevators
or/and escalators connecting the different parts and levels of the mall. The main philosophy
behind such creations was to dedicate each story or a part of the mall to particular theme like
beauty and fashion, apparel, furniture, grocery and kitchen ware and so on.
Times Square is considered the first “vertical mall” in the Hong Kong. Due to skyrocketing
land prices in Hong Kong, and the higher yield on retail property, Times Square departed
itself from the common western model of the flat shopping mall and converted it into nine
stories mall. The mall and lifts to the office tower were connected by long escalators linking
the ground floor podium and the first level of the mall.
The most obvious reasons for establishing vertical malls are:
i. High land prices

ii. Densely populated cities
 Strip Malls
Strip mall (commonly known as shopping plaza, arcade or mini mall) is an open area shopping
place where various stores are generally arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls
are typically developed as a unit and have large parking arrangement in front. They face major
traffic arterials and tend to be self-contained with few pedestrian connections to surrounding
neighborhoods.

Strip malls are very common in most of the sub-urban areas of USA and Canada. Some of these
malls are as small as 5000 square feet while others are over 100,000 square feet. These malls
usually cater local population and have merchandise assortment as per the location and demand.
The other form of strip mall in the USA and Canada is usually anchored on one end by a big box
retailer, such as Target, Wal-Mart, or Kohl’s, and by a large supermarket on the other. In the real
estate development industry, strip malls are also known as power centre as they attract and cater
to residents of a local and extended population area. The type of retailers may vary from grocery
stores to book stores to electronic stores.
Though such categories of malls are very less in number, but are popular ones as compared to
large number of smaller types. Number of retailers vary from area to area and may range from
four or five retailers to a dozen or more.
A strip mall (also called a shopping plaza, shopping center, or mini-mall) is an open air
shopping mall where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are
typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front.
They are usually referred to as power centers in the real estate development industry because
they attract and cater to residents of an expanded population area. The categories of retailers may
vary widely, from electronics stores to bookstores to home improvement stores.
Strip Malls:
i. A multifaceted shopping mall containing a row of various stores, businesses, and

restaurants along a road or busy street that usually opens onto a common parking lot.
ii. In USA and Canada, strip malls are very common and generally range in size from 5,000
square feet (460 m2) to over 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2).
iii. Small sized strip malls are very common and are found at the crossroads of major streets
in residential areas catering to a small residential area.
iv. Small size strip malls are found in almost all cities and towns the USA and Canada.
v. These malls are service-oriented and may contain a grocery store, small restaurant, fast
food stores, video rental store, dry cleaner, and other similar stores.

Dead Malls:
Dead malls are those malls which initially were operational like any other malls but due to some
reasons now they have became unpopular and have very less or no footfall. Therefore, in spite of
all facilities and retail shops, customers are not visiting to these stores. In the USA, Canada,
Australia, UK, and other parts of the world some malls are declared as ‘dead’.
The main reasons for a mall to be declared as dead is the attraction of latest malls where modem
facilities such as automated parking, comfortable escalators, control temperature, capsules lifts,
provisions for entertainment, state of the art recreation conveniences, and multi-stored malls
dedicated to different sections such as electronics, readymade garments, grocery, toys, jewelers
& fashion are built, barring customers to visit early built malls.
In USA and other countries, many early malls have become abandoned, due to decreased traffic
and tenancy. These “dead malls” have failed to attract new business and often sit unused for
many years until restored or demolished. Until the mid-1990s, the trend was to build enclosed
malls and to renovate older outdoor malls into enclosed ones. Such malls had advantages such as
temperature control.
Since then, the trend has turned and it is once again fashionable to build open-air malls.
According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, only one new enclosed mall has
been built in the United States since 2006.
In some cases, a mall starts dying when the mall’s adjoining areas undergoes a socio-economic
decline or a larger, newer malls opens close by. Further, architectural advancements in the
department store industry have made future of these malls difficult.
A few national (Big Bazaar) and international chains (Spencer, Wal-Mart) have replaced many
regional chains (Six to Ten). Consequently, in some cities there are not enough traditional stores
to cater local population. Big box chains such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Tesco, Reliance Fresh,
and Big Bazaar usually prefer to set-up free standing buildings rather than mall-anchor places.

India’s Biggest Mall: Phoenix Market Phoenix Market city is

situated in Kurla, Mumbai. It
is developed by The Phoenix
Mills Co. Ltd., and has a
total retail space area of 1.14
million square feet. It houses
311 stores with domestic and
foreign brands, including
PVR Cinemas which has 14
movie screens and 70 restaurants. Its sister mall in Mumbai is High Street Phoenix, located in
Lower Parel.
Phoenix Market City is a joint venture, a concept born out of a bold vision to offer India’s urban
consumers a place where they can find the best brands, entertainment, convenience and an
overall exciting experience. ‘Phoenix Market City has become a name for quality and offers the
most enjoyable shopping experience with the best products the world has to offer.
Outlet Malls
An outlet mall (also known as outlet centre) is a brick and mortar (sometimes online retail store)
is a shopping mall in which a manufacturer sells their products directly to the general public
through their own retail stores.
While other stores in the outlet mall sell returned products and discounted goods, generally at
reduced prices.
Outlet malls are generally located in rural or occasionally in tourist locations. These malls
consist mostly of manufacturers’ outlet stores selling their own brands at a discount.
These malls are typically not anchored. A strip configuration is most common, although some
are enclosed malls, and others can be arranged in a “village” cluster.
The first ever outlet mall was invented by Harold Alfond, founder of the Dexter Shoe Company
in 1936 but the first multi-store outlet mall, Vanity Fair, opened in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA,

in 1974. Belz Enterprises opened the first enclosed factory outlet mall in 1979 in Lakeland, TN,
a suburb of Memphis, United States.
Features of an Outlet Malls
Originally the outlet stores were located near the manufacturing facilities where shoes, apparel
were made, but since outsourcing has come in practice, this strategy is not practical for most
bricks and mortar stores.
The main features of an Outlet Malls are:
 Prices of goods offered are comparatively less.

 The store is owned by the manufacturer.
 Stores are often located outside the towns to enjoy cheaper rent and grouped together
with a variety of other outlet stores into what is called an outlet mall.
 For price conscious people, the outlet store may be a great way to get savings on well-
known brands but one should know that highest brand quality is not always represented at
the outlet.
 For a manufacturer, having an outlet store can be a good way to sell any irregular stock
that has minor defects, which a customer would not generally accept if offered at high
end store.
In addition to making a profit on non-standardized stock, an outlet store is a best place to sell off-
season stock or even sometimes old-fashioned merchandise which otherwise may not attract any
response if offered in other departmental stores. Besides this, the manufacturer can go one step
ahead and sell those merchandise which otherwise would normally either be discarded or written
off as a pure loss, because people are fascinated by getting the manufacturer’s brand name at a
considerable lesser cost.
As outlet stores present win-win situation for both the customers and the trader, many companies
have added a new practice to increase overall profitability. Now they intentionally produce less
costly items that look similar to the original ones under the same brand names but in actual are
lower in quality and sell at their outlet stores. This is where the price conscious people and
bargain hunters should take care.

1.9 Components of Most Modern Shopping Malls
a) Food Courts
b) Department Stores
c) Stand Alone stores
a) Food Courts:
One of the most popular components of a shopping mall, however, is a collection of different
restaurants known as a food court. A food court offers mall visitors with a collection of diverse
eateries, from local franchises to multinational chains. Venues in a typical food court operate
side-by-side to each other, with a centralized common dining area to accommodate customers.
The three most widely used practices to operate food courts are (a) close to large “anchor stores”,
(b) near a location convenient for truck deliveries and (c) dedicated a separate floor or a larger
part of a floor to eateries. Although many shopping malls have full-service theme restaurants, the
food court offers customers the opportunity to sample many different styles of fast food.
For instance, one spouse may want Indian food, while the other may have a preference for
Continental food. Children usually prefer something different from their parents, so a food court
allows each family member to have what they want and still eat together in a shared dining area.
Food vendors, who offer international or exotic items, may find it easier to run a smaller outlet
rather than a separate stand alone restaurant in or outside the malls. Even customers find the
option of having diverse restaurants grouped together in a food court. To attract customers,
especially towards exotic and international taste, employees offer free samples of their products
to potential customers walking through the food court area.
It has also been seen that some popular chain restaurants offer customers the same menu items
found in their other large sized stores, but others may offer a more restricted menu because of
shortage of floor space in a food court outlet. Offering limited menu which can be served in a
short span of time, such as burgers, chowmins, rolls, sandwiches, pastries, fried items and pre-
baked goods, is common to most of the food outlets.

Food is usually served in disposable utensils (not always). Payment is made through temporary
debit cards purchased for this purpose at the entry or exit of such food courts. Customers can buy
anything from any place with these rechargeable cards. After dinning, cards are deposited back at
the cash counters and balance is taken back.
b) Department Stores:
A department store is a large retail outlet that offers a large variety and deep assortment and is
organized into separate departments for the purpose of selling, display and promotion, customer
service and control. Each department sells unique products and has its own selling, accounts,
packaging and security staff. Not only in India, but this type of format is popular and well
appreciated in many parts of the world.
To be defined as a department store, usually it follows following conditions:
 It must employ minimum 50 people as store staff.

 Most selling goods relate to FMCG and daily used items.
 It should have proper balance between home furniture, consumer electronics, apparel and
food.
 All the departments should generate balance contribution towards sales. For instance, not
more than 80% of annual sales can come from single product line.
c) Stand Alone Store:
Generally in a shopping mall or shopping centre, most of the area is covered with satellite
buildings to be found on the same tract of land or on one adjacent to it, on which will be located
stand-alone stores, which may or may not be contractually connected to the common facilities.
These stores may have their own separate entry and exit gates, parking lots, security provisions,
or their lots may intersect with those of the mall or center.
The existence of the stores may have been planned by the mall owners (mall developers) or may
have come about through opportunistic actions by others, but visually the central facility – the

mall or shopping center – and the satellite buildings will often be perceived as being a single,
‘unit’ even in circumstances where the outlying buildings are not officially or legally connected
to the mall in any way.
Therefore, as the name goes, a stand-alone store is accurately how it sounds – a store that has its
standing/existence of its own. It is just like a destination store, meaning people know it is there
and will come to it. This sort of store allows more space for merchandise display and can be
easily to reach. Customers also prefer to visit these stand alone stores because due to separate
entities, they don’t have to deal with the crowds at a mall or even a strip mall.
1.10 Design Elements for a Successful Mall
Access and Visibility
This aspect gets covered in the location itself. The mall needs to be in an easy to access area to
attract footfalls. This requires careful demographic research of the catchment area and the
intended target audience.
Parking
On the question of parking basements there is somewhat of a challenge in convincing few

developers of the need for well-designed parking areas, with good ingress and egress and
circulation. Automated parking areas are a definite no-go for retail centers. Customers need the
convenience of easy parking to contribute to the whole feeling of a satisfying shopping trip.
Good Tenant Mix
A good tenant mix is the key to delivering a complete customer experience. Ensuring that the
mall caters to all age groups and diverse interests will help in increasing the footfalls as well as
increasing spends per person. Apart from the anchor stores a mall must try to include major
fashion brands, cosmetic brands, food brands and entertainment in its portfolio.
Sustainability
Energy efficiency is a major factor and with the kind of technology available in terms of lighting,
air conditioning and ventilation can have a positive effect on running costs. Hopefully this kind

of education will be passed on to Tenants to include such considerations in their premises, as

well as in the common areas.
Interiors
Shopping Malls, by their nature, are internalized, and it is important to give attention to the
overall look and feel of the public spaces. Shop fronts should be maximized to give greater
visibility to the merchandise, mall finishes need to be chosen for low maintenance, but
hardwearing and attractive. Tenant signage needs to be controlled and designed to specific
criteria. Lighting also plays a big role in setting the ambience of the mall, and consideration
should be given to introduce natural light, bearing in mind the need to control heat gain.
In the current times when not only are people price sensitive but also time-conscious, it is
imperative that the places are designed keeping these two parameters in minds. A place needs to
address multi-functional aspect of people’s lives. The trend today is toward mixed-use
developments, where retail centers share a site with a different asset class, such as apartments,
offices or hotels.
1.11 Marketing Ideas for Shopping Malls
 Create a unique hashtag for your shopping mall

 Organize events on weekends and during holidays
 Use social media channels for news and promotions
 Engage website visitors with a social media widget
 Combine user-generated content with digital signage
 Leverage user-generated content in your advertising
 Use influencers related to your target group
 Validate all your shopping mall marketing ideas
 Create a unique hashtag for your shopping mall

Hashtags make it easier to search for conversations and participate in them. Of course, this goes
for the private use of social media, but user-generated hashtag campaigns are also something
many businesses leverage nowadays.

Having a unique hashtag for your shopping mall will help you easily monitor and collect the
content that visitors post on social media while sharing their shopping experiences. It’s also a
great way to discover your true fans. Here’s a great hashtag campaign guide to help you choose a
good hashtag.
Encourage your customers to use your official hashtag and post about their experience at your
shopping mall, stores, or interactions with customer service. People enjoy sharing unique
products and experiences with their community on social media, which is powerful authentic
content you can use in your marketing.
 Organize events on weekends and during holidays

People no longer need to leave their homes to shop; they do so to interact with each other, join a
community, and get a sense of belonging. That’s why malls should focus less on the notion of
‘shopping’ and more on their function as centers for socializing and culture.
Marketing actions should target the general public through musical, artistic, and social events.
Over the weekend or during holidays, everyone is looking for different events they can go to and
enjoy their time off work. Your unused mall space is large enough to serve as an event venue.
This opens up opportunities for community groups and non-profit organizations to hold events
year-round and increase foot traffic.
You can also host competitions with attractive prizes. For example, you can leverage photo
contests to promote your brand and that of the tenants, as well. You can get lots of usergenerated
content by asking your customers to take photos or selfies of their experience at your mall. You
could also do cross-promotions by asking the store owners to share the pictures on their social
media accounts. Finally, gather all that fantastic content on a social wall and allow people to vote
for their favorite photo using Reactions.
 Use Social Media Channels for News And Promotions

It would be best if you used all your social media channels to promote new stores, the events
you organize, new collections, new movies at the mall’s cinema, or the sales and giveaways your
tenants are running.
Generating a sense of anticipation and making followers feel they are the first to receive the
latest news will guarantee positive reactions. In addition, it will drive people to your shopping

mall. If you’re searching for inspiration when it comes to great social media content for your
shopping mall, make sure you check out the Instagram account of the world’s biggest mall. The
Dubai Mall does a great job mixing different kinds of engaging content on their social media
profiles. They have over 1 million followers on Instagram alone.
 Engage website visitors with a social media widget

The content you invest time creating for your social media fans should go beyond the platforms
you publish it on. For example, a social media widget lets you display content on the shopping
mall’s website from all your social media accounts.
Every new post published on your company’s profiles will be automatically added to the social
widget. You can further curate the content, only choosing content around a specific event or
campaign.
Apart from the content you create, you can use a social media widget to collect and display posts
that customers and influencers share on social media. They will make valuable social proof for
your website.
If your shopping mall has locations in different countries or cities, you can create a customized
social hub that displays content relevant to each site.
 Combine user-generated content with digital signage

Displaying your social media feed and the user-generated content you collected using your
official hashtag on digital signage is a great way to connect your online and offline marketing
efforts.
Setting a social media screen benefits your marketing communication strategy in many ways. It
enables you to connect with the audience, boost sales and brand awareness, promote your events
and tenants, and keep your community engaged.
The best posts would be featured on billboards throughout the country every Friday. The social
displays gave people a good reason to participate in the campaign and share their messages on
social media using the official hashtag.

 Leverage user-generated content in advertising

Product reviews from other people influence us. Existing customers provide social proof for
potential ones that your brand is worthy of their time and money. Most importantly, you are now
selling your products to the first generation of digital natives. And they are incredibly ad-averse.
They prefer authentic, inspiring content echoed by the voices of real people. Someone might not
click on a regular ad for your brand, but they are likely to click on a post their friends have
shared about it. Drive conversions with authentic UGC from existing visitors raving about how
happy they are visiting your shopping mall, joining events or fun competitions organized by your
tenants.
User-generated content lets consumers see what other shoppers say about your shopping mall
and can help foster a sense of trust that motivates them to visit and make a purchase.
Through social media advertising, you can maximize user-generated content to attract new
customers, establish a positive reputation, and provide value to first-time and frequent visitors.
 Use influencers related to target group

When it comes to marketing ideas for shopping malls, influencer marketing cannot be left out.
It’s a great way to expand your reach. Find a handful of influencers relevant to your market and
ask them to promote your hashtag, tweet, retweet, and create content around events happening at
your shopping mall. You can even involve your tenants and get influencers to promote new
collections or giveaways your brands are organizing.
Regarding social network communication, we cooperate with leading influencers related to our
target group. We organize a photo shoot at least four times a year; it’s essential to cover the
products our tenants offer and the various promotions and benefits we provide. On our social
profiles, we often show the specificity of the range we offer.
 Validate all shopping mall marketing ideas

You can get creative when it comes to marketing ideas for shopping malls, but it can be that you
end up with a bunch of great ideas on the table. Would they all work for your target audience,
though if you can do it, ask before you invest a lot of time in a new initiative.
1.12 Reasons Why Malls Struggle to Influence Customer Behavior

 The declining effect of Traditional Marketing
Printed magazines, TV commercials, billboards - for shopping centers, these are all too familiar.
Times have changed, and traditional marketing has been losing its' effect for years. With
declining effect, the resources needed to get magazines and TV spots to the customers, have
become a large investment with a small outcome.
Now, customers are moving away from their mailbox and onto their phone. This means that a
lot of shopping malls have followed them online, swapping out their printed for digital ads. The
only problem is that the solution might not be as straight forward.
Because, while shopping centers are interested in digital ads, so are everyone else, which has
meant digital ads have become marketing Hunger Games, where the odds aren't in your favor.
When you do manage to get your digital ad in front of your customers, chances are they won't
pay it any attention, as modern consumers are becoming immune to the noise of digital
marketing.
This also includes presence on social media platforms. Having a channel is a great way to have
your presence known, but reach is becoming limited and using it as the end all, be all digital
platform for a shopping center is an issue; consumers often aren't getting much value from it and
what you can say, do, set up and create are in the hands of the tech giants, making it difficult to
provide customers with catered digital experiences. With the changing marketing landscape,
shopping centers need to consider including owned media, in order to have a platform, where
they have full control to offer what customers want, without having to compete for their
attention.
 Poor data and insights
Around the world, shopping centers are seeing a decline in footfall, sales and customer
satisfaction. Many are unsure about what to do to prevent this. After all, they're essentially doing
the same things they always have, which have previously earned them good results. And that's an
issue, because traditionally, many shopping centers' main insight into their customers has been
limited to visitor count. While visitor count can tell you how many people visit your mall, it can't

tell you anything about the reasoning’s behind it, and it won't give you any idea of what your
customers like and dislike. This, in turns means shopping centers have limited options for
providing real customer incentives and increase customer preference.
In order to know what needs to be done to increase footfall and sales, the issue of customer
satisfaction needs to be tackled. For that, shopping centers need to know their customers.
Because, as customer behavior is changing and competition is growing, having customer insights
is more important than it's ever been.
The lack of customer insights means ecommerce has the upper hand; as they're digital, they
know exactly who visits their store, what their demographics are and what their customers like,
which they then can tap into to improve their results. This is why it's important to take the
measures needed to gain insights into your customers. Because, by knowing this you have the
power to shape and encourage wanted customer behavior, increase customer satisfaction and in
turn generate more footfall and sales.
 Outdated customer experiences
Customer behavior has changed, but many shopping centers have not. This has resulted in a
disconnection between the malls and their consumers, which mean the customer experiences the
malls offers, have become outdated, driving customers away, rather than luring them in. The
modern consumer is a digital consumer - the customer journeys start online, and the expectations
for customer experiences are high; today, customers won't be satisfied with a generic loyalty
email. Instead, they want personalized, digital experiences which add to their shopping
experience and create real value for them.
One of physical retails' main advantages over ecommerce is the experience it offers, and this
needs to be strengthened further to secure malls' position. That means that for modern shopping
centers, there's no room for outdated customer experiences. While it is natural to see the digital
as the enemy of physical retail, utilizing it to shopping centers' advantage can be the solution to
the issues shopping centers are facing. Because, while the customer journey starts online, it
doesn't have to end there.

By tapping into modern shopper’s behavior, it is possible to create a mutually beneficial

situation - A real-life example of this can be digital loyalty where customers are automatically
rewarded with loyalty points every time they visit the shopping center, which they can use on
different rewards. It makes customers happy because they are getting rewarded for their
behavior, and it's a win for the shopping center, too.

CHAPTER-2
RESEARCH DESIGN
2.1 Conceptual framework
Shopping in India has witnessed a revolution with the change in consumer behavior and the
whole format of shopping is also altering. The phenomenon called shopping Centre or shopping
mall is rocking India - metros and now even the smaller towns are buzzing with the mall mania.
Modern retail format i.e. shopping malls are characterized by professionally managed large
format stores, providing goods and services that appeal to consumers, in an ambience that is
conducive for shopping. The recent surge in the growth of shopping malls is changing the way
people shop. Today consumers look for facilities like cost, comfort, convenience, in-house
parking, entertainment, coffee shops, food courts and children play area when they step into the
malls and they demand the best of everything. It’s not about shopping, dining or watching a
movie, it’s an experience in itself, a lifestyle activity, and providing this experience is what these
malls are building up as their Unique Selling Proposition.
Mall culture in India 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.

2.2 Review of literature
 Ahmed and Mayya (2015) conducted a study to examine and analyse the buying
behaviour and the perceptions of the customers of shopping malls. Results of their study
indicate that consumers have gained lot of benefits from organized retail on multiple
counts like wider choice of products and well-known brands, one stop shopping, new
market arrivals, festive offers, huge discounts, and other benefits. The survey results
revealed that almost all income groups get benefited through organized retail purchases.
Thus, from the consumers‟ perspective, expansion of organized retailing is more
preferred as different malls and corporate retailers compete with each other resulting in
reduced prices with reasonable quality products.
 (Muzzafar Ahmad Bhat and Amit Kumar 2016) Study to know the customers
perception on the price & quality of products and services, satisfaction at the availability
of different brands offered at Big Bazaar and to obtain suggestions to improve services at
Big Bazaar.
 (Elangovan.D., Sangeetha.R 2016) A study done to understand the factors influencing
customers to visit malls, the present promotion activities of malls, to know the customer's
expectation towards malls and to ascertain the satisfaction level of customers of malls in
Coimbatore.
 Rashmi, Poojary and Deepak(2016) analyse the factors influencing customer behaviour
and its impact on loyalty towards shopping malls. The purpose of this paper is to study
customer behaviour towards shopping malls with six important dimensions using
structural equation modelling.The study concluded that the shoppers‟ shopping behaviour
is having a positive impact on shoppers‟ satisfaction and loyalty. This implies that
improving the factors that affect shoppers‟ shopping behaviour, will lead to increase in
shoppers‟ satisfaction and loyalty towards the retail shops in selected shopping malls.
 (Ala'Eddin Mohammad Khalaf Ahmad(2012) Did an empirical study the role of the
attractiveness factors namely (aesthetic, convenience and accessibility, product variety,
entertainment, and service quality) in enhancing shopper satisfaction, loyalty, and
positive WOM shopping mall centers.

 Chandan A Chavadi and Shilpa S. kokatnur (April 2010) in their paper “Driving
factors and effectiveness of sales promotion in shopping malls:” a consume perspective:
investigated the factors driving customers towards shopping malls and popular consumer
promotional tools which influence buying behavior of the customers and concluded that
in spite of the challenges, sales promotions act as a weapon for marketing the products
and services.
 Rupesh Kumar Tiwari, and Anish Abraham, (2010) in their paper “ understanding the
consumer behavior towards shopping malls in Raipur city in their research paper explore
the emergence of malls, as an important and significant destination for shopping,
recreation and socialization has turned the face of the retail industry in India. Cities of
India like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore etc have received colossal economic and social
contributions from these malls making them one of the most prominent cities not only in
India but around the globe as well. Even, small cities like Raipur is now eye witnessing
the same phenomenon, described earlier as the “mall culture”.
 Harvinder Singh and , Vinita Sahay (2012) in their paper “Determinants of shopping
experience: Exploring the mall shoppers of national capital region (NCR) of India” This
paper aims to explore the composition of “shopping experience” for shoppers in the
metropolitan area of Delhi national capital region (Delhi NCR) in India.
 Ahmed and Mayya (2015) conducted a study to examine and analyse the buying
behaviour and the perceptions of the customers of shopping malls. Results of their study
indicate that consumers have gained lot of benefits from organized retail on multiple
counts like wider choice of products and well-known brands, one stop shopping, new
market arrivals, festive offers, huge discounts, and other benefits. The survey results
revealed that almost all income groups get benefited through organized retail purchases.
Thus, from the consumers‟ perspective, expansion of organized retailing is more
preferred as different malls and corporate retailers compete with each other resulting in
reduced prices with reasonable quality products.
 Narahari & Kuvad (2017) examined customer behaviour towards shopping malls. The
main objective of their study is to understand the purchasing behaviour of customers who
visit shopping malls and identify gender differences if any, in terms of purchasing
behaviour. The study predominantly proves that the Bhavnagar customers are quite happy

with overall shopping mall experience and absolutely comfortable as they consider it
as“One-Stop Shop” for wide range of products and brands. However, regarding the safety
measure, there is huge death of awareness among customers.
 Rashmi, Poojary and Deepak (2016) analyse the factors influencing customer
behaviour and its impact on loyalty towards shopping malls. The purpose of this paper is
to study customer behaviour towards shopping malls with six important dimensions using
structural equation modelling.The study concluded that the shoppers‟ shopping behaviour
is having a positive impact on shoppers‟ satisfaction and loyalty. This implies that
improving the factors that affect shoppers‟ shopping behaviour, will lead to increase in
shoppers‟ satisfaction and loyalty towards the retail shops in selected shopping malls.
 Snap, and Singh (2012) in their study analysed the relationships among the constructs of
mall positioning, shopper satisfaction and patronage behaviour of mall shoppers. The
study revealed that the positioning dimensions influence shopper satisfaction. Shopper
satisfaction in turn influences patronage behaviour of the shoppers. The study has
established causality among the constructs of positioning, shopper satisfaction and
patronage behaviour.
 Lorch and Smith (1993) in their study concluded that customers coming from a parking
lot walk straight forward to the nearest shopping mall entrance and only those shops
which are immediately adjacent to this entrance benefit from it. Yaaminidevi (2013) in
her study analysed Facility Management like ambience, infrastructure and traffic were
analyzed particularly. She suggested that malls not only cater to the product needs of the
customers, but also a source of entertainment, recreation.
2.3 Statement of the problem
The study of consumer perception is the study of how individuals make decisions to spend their
available resources (time, money, efforts) on consumption related items. It includes the study of
what they buy, why they buy it, when they buy it, where they buy it, how often they buy it, and
how often they use it. Shopping mall is the fastest route for business expansion which offers an
excellent business model particularly for service organizations waiting to extend their networks
and reach to the consumers. Indian consumers are transforming into global customers, now they
demand better facilities, International standards of services and top brands and quality. Thus,

shopping malls have a bright future in India. With this background the present study is made an
attempt to understand the consumer perception towards shopping mall with special reference to S
Mall in Tumkur city.
2.4 Objectives of the study
1. To know the customers perception towards shopping mall.

2. To identify the factors influencing customers to prefer shopping mall.
3. To analyze the impact of mall environment on customer buying decision.
4. To know and analyze the level of satisfaction of customers with regard to shopping malls
as one of modern retail format.
2.5 Scope of the Study
The present study aims at analyzing the customers perception towards service provided at
S Mall in Tumkur city. It focuses on the Customer perception, satisfaction level and the
factors influenced them to purchase at S Mall in Tumkur city only.
2.6 Need/Significance of the study
The consumer perception plays a major role for growth and development of the company in the
modern market scenario. India is growing rapidly and changes are dynamic. People are changing
the preference and the demand is changing. The market also has to be change accordingly.
Establishment of Malls is the result of these changes. S Mall is the first mall started in Tumkur
city. Hence, the study undertaken helps in knowing the perception of the customers towards it
and the satisfaction level.
2.7 Research Methodology
The present study is a Descriptive research which uses both primary and secondary data. Both
the data has been collected by using structured questionnaires. The questionnaire consist the data
from consumer who were buying from shopping malls that emphasized exploring consumer
Preferences towards shopping malls.

2.8 Period of the Study
The study was conducted for the period of 5 months from April 2024 to August 2024
2.9 Sources of Data
The data required for the study has collected from the various sources of both primary and
secondary data.
 Primary Data: Primary data required for the study has collected using structured
questionnaires.
 Secondary Data: Secondary Data has been collected through the various sources such as
Books, Research articles and websites.
2.10 Sampling Design
 Population of the Study: Population of the study includes all the customers at S mall in
Tumkur City
 Sample Size: For the purpose of the study sample of 100 respondents were taken.
 Sample Technique: Simple random technique has used to select the sample required for
the study.
 Sampling area: Sample area of the study is Tumkur City.
2.11 Operational Definitions of the Study
 Customer Perception: Customer perception is the opinions, feelings, and beliefs 

customers have about your brand. It plays an important role in building customer loyalty
and retention as well as brand reputation and awareness.
 Malls: Mall primarily refers to either a shopping mall – a place where a collection of 
shops all adjoin a pedestrian area – or an exclusively pedestrianized street that allows
shoppers to walk without interference from vehicle traffic.
 Services: A service is an intangible activity, benefit, or item offered for economic  value.
This service definition in marketing is based on the non-physical nature of services.
Indeed, transactions involving services do not result in consumer ownership of any
tangible commodity.

2.12 Plan of Analysis
The data required for the study has collected with the help of questionnaires and analyzed with
the help of applicable statistical techniques, charts, graphs and tables.
2.13 Limitations of the Study

The present study is subject to some limitations which are mentioned below:-
 The study is restricted to perception of customers with regard to services provided at S
Mall.
 The sample size of the study is limited to only 100 respondents.
 For the present study the data has been collected from few respondents who are
purchasing from S Mall, Tumkur.






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A Study on Customer Perception Towards Services Provided At S Mall in Tumkur City

The great Indian mall boom

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 1

1.3 Meaning of Mall

1.4 Meaning of Shopping Mall

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 2

1.5 Features of the Shopping Mall

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 3

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 4

 Advanced safety features

1.6 Advantages of Shopping Malls

1.7 Disadvantages of Shopping Malls

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 5

1.8 Types of shopping mall

 Super Regional mall

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 6

The most obvious reasons for establishing vertical malls are:

i. High land prices

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 7

i. A multifaceted shopping mall containing a row of various stores, businesses, and

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 8

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 9

India’s Biggest Mall: Phoenix Market Phoenix Market city is

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 10

Features of an Outlet Malls

The main features of an Outlet Malls are:

 Prices of goods offered are comparatively less.

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 11

1.9 Components of Most Modern Shopping Malls

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 12

To be defined as a department store, usually it follows following conditions:

 It must employ minimum 50 people as store staff.

c) Stand Alone Store:

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 13

1.10 Design Elements for a Successful Mall

Access and Visibility

On the question of parking basements there is somewhat of a challenge in convincing few

Good Tenant Mix

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 14

of education will be passed on to Tenants to include such considerations in their premises, as

1.11 Marketing Ideas for Shopping Malls

 Create a unique hashtag for your shopping mall

 Create a unique hashtag for your shopping mall

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 15

 Organize events on weekends and during holidays

 Use Social Media Channels for News And Promotions

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 16

 Engage website visitors with a social media widget

 Combine user-generated content with digital signage

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 17

 Leverage user-generated content in advertising

 Use influencers related to target group

 Validate all shopping mall marketing ideas

1.12 Reasons Why Malls Struggle to Influence Customer Behavior

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 18

 The declining effect of Traditional Marketing

 Poor data and insights

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 19

 Outdated customer experiences

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 20

By tapping into modern shopper’s behavior, it is possible to create a mutually beneficial

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 21

2.1 Conceptual framework

DOSR In Commerce Tumkur University, Tumakuru Page 22

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