Mall Culture: Understanding the Consumer Behaviour

Management

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 are now eye witnessing the same phenomenon, described earlier as the “mall culture”. Indian economy has transformed from an extensive controlled economy to a liberal market driven economy. High-income opportunities, changing attitude towards saving, international exposure and necessities of lifestyle are the key drivers for fast evolving Indian consumer behaviour. Indian retail industry is witnessing a paradigm shift as the sector is getting organized and consumers are seeking a one-stop shopping place with convenience and entertainment. Organized Retailing is introduced in the last decade and has emerged as one of the sunrise industries in India. Today, supermalls are replacing ‘kirana’ stores all over India. India’s retail infrastructure is slowly undergoing a change with many hi-fi supermalls being constructed and operating in various cities. The mall concept has come to stay for good. The Indian consumer seems to be undergoing a shift in terms of personality, buying motives, interests, attitudes, beliefs and values when he or she is making a shift from ‘kirana’ stores towards shopping malls. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to investigate the consumer behaviour towards these shopping malls, with special reference to Bhopal city.

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