ATTITUDE TOWARDS MALL CULTURE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

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1 KAAV INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OFECONOMICS, COMMERCE & BUSINESS MANAGEMENT A REFEREED BLIND PEER REVIEW QUARTERLY JOURNAL KIJECBM/JUL-SEP (07)/VOL-4/ISS-3/0 PAGE NO ISSN: IMPACT FACTOR(07) ATTITUDE TOWARDS MALL CULTURE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY DR. RAJKUMAR R. RATHOD Associate Professor, G.N.A Arts, Commerce and Science College Barshitakli, Dist-Akola Abstract Mall culture is rapidly growing in India. There are lots of people who love to visit malls regularly. In India the visitor have lot of different purposes for visiting a mall but almost all of them see malls as a shopping cum fun destination and also a place for complete experience. The present study finds of the attitude of mall visitors towards mall culture. The sample size is 50 mall visitors. The data has been collected with the help of a structured questionnaire. The sampling method is systematic random sampling in which every 3 rd mall visitor who was coming out of the mall was approached to fill the questionnaire. The study measures the attitude with the help of a five point Likert scale. Further, mean is applied to measure and independent sample t-test has been applied to check the significance of the attitude of mall visitors towards various determinants of mall culture. Keywords:- Shopping Malls, Attitude, Culture. Introduction: A shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings that contain retail units, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit. Mall is generally used to refer to a large shopping area usually composed of a single building which contains multiple shops, usually "anchored" by one or more department stores surrounded by a parking lot. In simple words a mall can refer to a place where a collection of shops all adjoins a pedestrian area that allows shoppers to walk without interference from vehicle traffic. Generally in India in a lay man s language a mall is a huge building vertical or horizontal containing a large number of stores offering different products and services to the customers. These stores include one or more anchor stores which occupy maximum retail space of a mall and attract maximum number of shoppers. Culture is the set of learned beliefs and values and mall culture is the learned and shared shopping experiences in malls. It is different from the typical Indian shopping in from convenience/ Kirana shops or mom and pop stores. Shopping, roaming, enjoying movies and entertainment, making a routine to visit a mall for all these by mass creates mall culture in the society. In India all this has happened rapidly and still a huge potential market remains untapped. The best way to understand mall culture in India is to understand mall culture in Delhi and National Capital Region (Gurgaon, Noida, Gaziabad, Faridabad) and in metro cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune Banglore etc. Presently due to the high population density in these areas the developers see them in target Copyright 07 Published by kaav publications. All rights reserved 70

2 markets. There are so many other regions of development of mall culture in these cities. Some of them can be listed below; Population Density: Market is the sum total of existing and potential customers. Prominent cities of India cover a huge part of population. A huge percentage of population lives in these areas. This gives developers a very big market to serve. High Income: These cities are known as industrial hubs. Here the income level of people is higher than the level in rural and semi urban areas. People have more money to spend on good shopping experience they can think more than bread and butter and also ready to spend for entertainment. Different buying Habits: In metro cities shoppers are more brand conscious. Malls collect these all brands at one place. A number of national and international brands of repute are made available by malls. Further most of the families are nuclear and both husband and wife are working. In such a situation they have very less time go shop different products at different stores, This also led to nurture mall culture in these areas Youth orientation: The migration of youth is significant in metro cities from rural and semi urban areas. Youth come for higher studies and jobs. A newly recruited unmarried youngster is one of the best prospects for retailers. They have high income and very less expenses. They can spend enough to enjoy a good shopping experience and malls make it happen. Reasons for Growth of Mall Culture in India:. Fast growing middle class with higher discretionary income.. Emergence of youth as an independent shopper with lot of disposal income 3. Eagerness of Indian shoppers for a new shopping experience 4. Ability of mall developers to make shopping an enjoyable experience. 5. Presence of factors like cost effectiveness, conveniences, wide variety of products with the fun element; entertainment and good time pass plus shopping on week ends. 6. Influence of media and marketing communication resulting in changing aspirations, lifestyle orientation and change in consumer perceptions about shopping.. Literature Review Kaur and Singh (7) found that Indian consumers (under the age of 45) mainly shop for hedonic benefits. Malls in India appeal to this generation of consumers because of the wide range of experiences they offer (Kuruvilla & Ganguli, 8). Kuruvilla and Joshi (00) pointed that different shopping mall visitors patronize the shopping mall and can have interest in different groups of products. Some may have purposeful shopping activities like having refreshments or watching a movie, while others may visit the shopping mall for window shopping with no firm objective of buying. Farrag et al. (00) indicated that window shopping involves a situation where a shopping mall visitor browses or goes through window displays to feel part of shopping mall culture and environment. This browsing on window displays allows shopping mall visitors to keep track of fashions and keep themselves informed of the latest changes in the retail market. Shopping mall visitors also visit restaurants and coffee shops at the shopping mall just to have a cup of coffee or for lunch. In addition, family members can also go to these restaurants together for family bonding (Farrag et al., 00). Fiore (0) suggests that today s culture is spending addicted and the mall has become a temple to be visited regularly which has converted shopping into a comforting ritual. The several underlying success factors of centrally planned and managed shopping malls is customer satisfaction in terms of selection, atmosphere, convenience, sales people, refreshments, location, promotional activities and merchandising policy (Anselmsson, 6). El-Adly (6) identified in his study, that mall management should do the following: to make shoppers comfortable in their shopping, it is important to have comfortable seats, ample parking space, secured mall, and give attention to the mall cleanness. Since, many shoppers are looking for entertainment, so malls management have to create a Copyright 07 Published by kaav publications. All rights reserved 7

3 pleasant environment for shopping if they want shoppers to visit shopping malls more frequently and spend more times in the malls. Kaufman and Lane (996) concluded that a mall that delivers a clear and well positioned mix of outlets would stand more chance of success. Empirical studies have shown that tenant variety affects the time consumers spend in the mall and their patterns of movement (Brown, 99). 3. Objectives of the Study The objectives of the present study are as below:. To measure the mall visitors attitude towards mall culture in India.. To find out whether the mall visitors attitude towards mall culture in India is significant or not. 4. Methodology The present study is empirical in nature. The sample size is 50 mall visitors. The data has been collected with the help of a structured questionnaire. The sampling method is systematic random sampling in which every 3 rd mall visitor who was coming out of the mall was approached to fill the questionnaire. The study measures the attitude with the help of a five point Likert scale. Further, mean is applied to measure and independent sample t-test has been applied to check the significance of the attitude of mall visitors towards various determinants of mall culture. 5. Data Analysis and Interpretations 5. Demographic Profile of the Respondents Table Demographic Profile of Respondents: Gender No. of Respondents % age Male Female Total 50 Age Groups 5 or below Above Total 50 Qualifications UG degree PG degree Others Total 50 Occupation Salaried Self 64 Employed/Business/Other 5.6 Total 50 Marital Status Single Married 59.6 Total Income Below 50,0 pm ,0 to,,0 pm 44.8 Above,,0 pm Total 50 Copyright 07 Published by kaav publications. All rights reserved 7

4 Frequency of Mall Visit Daily 0 8 Weekly Fortnightly Monthly 50 0 Occasionally Total 50 Table shows the demographic profile of the respondents. 59.% of the respondents are Males and 40.8% of the respondents are females. There is a good representation of females in the study along with males. There are mixed age group respondents, which are true representatives of mall culture in India. 3.% of the respondents are below the age of 5,.6% are between the age group of 6-40 and 7. are from the age group of above % are UG degree holder whereas 58.8% are PG degree holder. Only 5.6% have some other degree or diploma or other qualifications. It may be concluded that there are more educated people who visit malls. 40.4% mall visitors are single or never married rather 59.6% are married. Regarding income groups it was found that 30% respondents earn below Rs. 50,0 per month, 44.8% belong to the income category of 50,0 to,,0. 7.% earn Above Rs.,,0 per month. Frequency of mall visit is an important phenomenon in mall culture. 8% respondents were found daily visitors whereas 30.8% found Weekly visitors of malls, 7.6% visit malls fortnightly, 0% are monthly visitors and 3.6% are Occasional visitors. 5. Attitude of Mall visitors towards Mall Culture in India Table Attitude of Mall visitors towards the Factors Determining the Extent of Mall Culture in India SL Factor Determining Mall Culture Mean Standard. No. value Deviation Malls are the real fun centers I pass most of my leisure time in Malls I am a regular visitor of malls Malls give me a complete shopping experience Malls are the real format of retailing Life without malls in metro cities is not complete 7 Visiting mall is a routine habit of people living in the metro cities 9 Malls are much more than regular shopping Malls are the best place for hangout with family and friends. Indian retail shoppers have become habitual of mall culture A real mall offers wide variety of stores, fun activities, hangout spots, kids zone and variety of brands for shopping and dining out. 3 I do not have any problem in adopting mall culture 4 I see a positive and secure future of mall culture in India 5 I expect mall culture to grow rapidly and will also be able to retail this growth Copyright 07 Published by kaav publications. All rights reserved 73

5 Table shows the mean values of the determinants of the mall culture in India. Most of the factors have been rated with a value of more than 4. Below are some of the statements which have been given a value of 4.0 or more by the mall visitors. A real mall offers wide variety of stores, fun activities, hangout spots, kids zone and variety of brands for shopping and dining out (mean value 4.4). I see a positive and secure future of mall culture in India (4.4), Malls give me a complete shopping experience (4.39) Malls are the real format of retailing (4.8), I do not have any problem in adopting mall culture (4.0), Malls are the real fun centers (4.8), Malls are the best place for hangout with family and friends (4.8), I expect mall culture to grow rapidly and will also be able to retail this growth (4.7) and I am a regular visitor of malls (4.0) Test for Hypothesis: To check the significance of the responses regarding whether the attitude towards mall culture is positive or not, one sample t-test was applied. The test value is 3 for the same. A test value is the representative value. Any mean value significantly more than the test value shows the response was significant. Null Hypothesis: Ho Mall visitors attitude towards mall culture is not significant. Alternate Hypothesis Ha Mall visitors attitude towards mall culture is significant. Table 3 One Sample t-test for the attitude towards the Factors Determining the Extent of Mall Culture in India SL. No Factor Determining Mall Culture tvalues df Malls are the real fun centers I pass most of my leisure time in Malls 3 I am a regular visitor of malls 4 Malls give me a complete shopping experience 5 Malls are the real format of retailing 6 7 Life without malls in metro cities is not complete Visiting mall is a routine habit of people living in the metro cities 9 Malls are much more than regular shopping Malls are the best place for hangout with family and friends. Indian retail shoppers have become habitual of mall culture A real mall offers wide variety of stores, fun activities, hangout spots, kids zone and variety of brands for shopping and dining out. I do not have any problem in adopting mall culture I see a positive and secure future of mall culture in India SE of Mean Si g Copyright 07 Published by kaav publications. All rights reserved 74

6 5 I expect mall culture to grow rapidly and will also be able to retail this growth Table 3 shows the results of the Independent sample t-test for attitude of mall visitors regarding the determinants of mall culture in India. It was found from the table the all the null hypotheses have been rejected and alternative hypotheses have been accepted in all cases (a null hypothesis is rejected when the value under sig. column is below.05). Hence it is concluded here the mall visitors have a strongly positive attitude towards mall culture in India. 6. Conclusion: The results of the study show that the respondents not only are sure about the mall culture and malls future in India but they are also sure about their growth and sustainability. Not only this they enjoys the malls regularly with their family and friends. Shoppers and mall visitors want a complete experience. They want malls to mall offers wide variety of stores, fun activities, handout spots, kids zone and variety of brands for shopping and dining out. Indian shoppers have adopted the mall culture being proximate to malls and by the virtue of living in the metro cities. People go to malls for fun, shopping and many other activities and purposes, however, online retailing is one of the biggest threat in the way of development of mall culture but the another fact is that mall culture has already developed and malls are much more than only shopping destination. 7. References Kaur, P., & Singh, R. (7). Uncovering retail shopping motives of Indian youth. Young Consumers, 8(), Kuruvilla, S.J. and Ganguli, J. (8) Mall development and operations: An Indian perspective. Journal of Retail and Leisure Property 7 (3): Farrag, D.A., El Sayed, I.M. and Belk, R.W. (00). Mall shopping motives and activities: a multimethod approach, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, (), pp Fiore, A. M. (8). The shopping experience. In H. N. J. Schifferstein & P. Hekkert (Eds.), Product experience, (pp ). Elsevier Press. El-Adly (6) Shopping malls attractiveness: a segmentation approach, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 35 No., Kaufman, C. and Lane, P. (996), A new look at one-stop shopping: a TIMES model approach to matching store hours and shopper schedules, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 3 No., pp Ghosh, A., Ray, S., & Shah, K. (0). Indian retail industry: An update. Relaxation of FDI norms for the Indian retail sector, albeit continues to face political roadblocks. Retrieved from Ghosh, P., Tripathi, V., & Kumar, A. (00). Customer expectations of store attributes: A study of organized retail outlets in India. Journal of Retail & Leisure Property, 9(), Ghosh, P., Tripathi, V., Saini, S., & Agrawal, S. (00). Shopping orientation and behavioral patterns of Indian consumers: Study of a tier II city. International Journal of Services, Economics, & Management, (), -36. Appendix Questionnaire General Information Gender: Male Female Copyright 07 Published by kaav publications. All rights reserved 75

7 Age: below Above 40 Education: Graduate or Below Post Graduate Others Family Income: Below Rs. 50,0 50,0 to,,0 Above Rs.,,0 Occupation: Salaried Self Employed/Business/Others Marital Status: Single Married How frequently do you visit a mall? Daily Monthly Weekly Occasionally Fortnightly Q. What is your attitude towards the mall culture? Kindly tick the appropriate from the following determinants of mall culture in India as given in the table and rate accordingly: SA Strongly Agree A Agree N Neutral D Disagree SD - Strongly Disagree Statements SA A N D SD Malls are the real fun centers I pass most of my leisure time in Malls I am a regular visitor of malls Malls give me a complete shopping experience Malls are the real format of retailing Life without malls in metro cities is not complete Visiting mall is a routine habit of people living in the metro cities Malls are much more than regular shopping Malls are the best place for hangout with family and friends. Indian retail shoppers have become habitual of mall culture A real mall offers wide variety of stores, fun activities, hangout spots, kids zone and variety of brands for shopping and dining out. I do not have any problem in adopting mall culture I see a positive and secure future of mall culture in India I expect mall culture to grow rapidly and will also be able to retail this growth Copyright 07 Published by kaav publications. All rights reserved 76