How does shopper-based mall equity generate mall loyalty? A conceptual model and empirical evidence

Understanding the antecedents of shopper mall loyalty remains one of the crucial issues for both mall managers and retailing researchers. We propose a conceptual model that explains the psychological process by which shopper-based mall equity (e.g., the perceived mall value) generates mall loyalty. We collected data from shoppers in two urban North-American shopping malls (N=905). The empirical results were generally supportive of the model: Mall loyalty was significantly predicted by the commitment that shoppers held toward the mall; and that commitment, in turn, was significantly predicted by shopper's positive awareness of the mall's characteristics, and shopper's self-congruity. The latter construct, in turn, was significantly predicted by mall image dimensions such as the mall's environment and the quality of the products and services found in the mall. We also found the model to be invariant between female and male shoppers. Theoretical and managerial implications of the model and the findings were also discussed.     

The effects of mall renovation on shopping values,satisfaction and spending behaviour

Managers renovate malls to keep up with newer shopping centres and retail formats that erode traffic. This paper investigates shoppers׳ psychological processes that trigger changes in spending behaviour in the renovated mall. Renovation has a direct impact on the perception of the mall atmosphere and an indirect one on shoppers׳ hedonic and utilitarian values, satisfaction, and spending. Renovation affects shoppers׳ spending through the perception of utilitarian shopping benefits.This study is the first of its kind to explore the effects of mall renovation on shoppers׳ spending. It focuses on the effect of renovations on shoppers׳ holistic perception of the mall atmosphere. The hedonic benefit contributes more to shoppers׳ satisfaction than does the utilitarian value. However, the utilitarian value affects shoppers׳ spending while the hedonic value does not.     

The effects of mall personality and fashion orientation on shopping value and mall patronage intension

It is imperative for mall operators in China to gain insights into consumer shopping behaviours that will allow them to further develop their mall personalities, in order to better differentiate themselves from the competition. The overarching objective of the present study was two-fold: to increase our understanding about contemporary Chinese shoppers; and to examine the relationships among mall personality, fashion orientation, shopping value and mall patronage intention. This study presents the results of a research survey conducted in Wuhan, China. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS SEM) was used to analyze the survey responses from 324 shopping mall patrons. The findings indicate that consumers' fashion orientation has a significant influence based on their perception of the shopping mall personality. The path model analysis revealed that consumers' perception of shopping value had the strongest effect on their shopping intentions at the mall.     

Satisfaction of mall shoppers: A study on perceived utilitarian and hedonic shopping values

Declining consumer footfall and diminishing sales in Indian metro cities have guided the expansion of malls in cities of central India. Shoppers of these cities are unfamiliar with the mall concept and have limited exposure of shopping values in the past. The present research focused on the influence of utilitarian and hedonic shopping values on satisfaction of mall shoppers of central India Bhopal by establishing a proposed research framework based on 288 responses from two shopping malls, using utilitarian and hedonic dimensions of shopping values. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) are used to analyze and validate the proposed research framework. The result supports the relationship between shopping values and customer satisfaction, where both the shopping values show positive significant influences on customer satisfaction. Therefore this research paper would help mall owners to focus on these shopping values effectively and efficiently while planning malls in central India for gaining competitive advantage, attracting new customer and hold their profitable customers by enhancing customer satisfaction with shopping values in the current retail scenario.     

It’s all at the mall: exploring adolescent girls’ experiences

While overall mall patronage in the United States has been declining for several years, patronage among U.S. adolescents (especially girls) has risen sharply. We describe a qualitative study that examines in-depth the young girl’s mall experience. A theoretical model was developed from the findings that includes some factors that have been examined in previous research, such as mall atmosphere and utilitarian and hedonic shopping motives. In addition, several new factors specifically relevant to girl shoppers, aged 12-19, also emerged, including education cohort, trend consciousness, comfort, safety, mall companion, freedom as a mall-patronage motivation, and accessibility issues. This insight into young girls’ patronage behaviors and motivations will provide academics, mall developers and retailers a richer understanding of the various components that contribute to the female adolescent mall experience, and allow them to more effectively study and market to this segment.     

Why shopping pals make malls different?

The present study examines the effects of the specific type of ompanion a shopper shops with (i.e., friend versus family member) on the emotional attachment to malls. The study aims to explain this influence through two potential mediators, that is, shopping arousal, and shopping apprehension, the relevance of which has been shown in the extant reviewed psychosocial literature. The emotional attachment of shoppers to their mall depends on whom they are shopping with: shopping with friends affects both shoppers' arousal and apprehension. Only arousal mediates the relationship between shopping pal and mall attachment. Our findings provide new insight on the psychological processes explaining the relation shoppers develop with their shopping environment and give retail managers guidelines for increasing shoppers' attachment to their malls.     

How can shopping mall management best capture mall image?

One way to generate more traffic in a mall is to build a strong mall image perceived by shoppers as delivering a unique bundle of benefits. Such effort has to be guided by a performance metric, namely a comprehensive measure of mall image. We hypothesize that mall image can best be conceptualized in terms of five major dimensions a la Ailawadi and Keller [Ailawadi K.L., Keller K.L. Understanding Retail Branding: Conceptual Insights and Research Priorities. J Retail 2004; 80 (Winter):331-342.] retail branding dimensions: access, store atmosphere, price and promotion, cross-category assortment, and within-category assortment. The predictive (nomological) validity of the mall image measure was tested in relation to mall attitude, mall patronage, and word-of-mouth communications. We validated the mall image measure using data generated with mall-intercept surveys in two different malls in a large city in Canada (N = 861). The data provided support for the predictive validity of the mall image measure. Managerial implications of the mall image measure are also discussed.     

Shopping mall retailing: A bibliometric analysis and systematic assessment of Chebat's contributions

Shopping malls are unique retail environments offering individual consumption experiences within a holistic retail ecosystem. Drawing on a bibliometric analysis and a systematic review of 31 articles, this research synthetizes Jean-Charles Chebat's contributions to the shopping mall literature. Findings highlight four core clusters of the shopping mall literature, namely spatial wayfinding, atmospherics, consumer differences across shopping mall experiences, and shopping mall consequences. The newly developed Shopping Mall Experience Framework extends Chebat's research proposing additional elements of interest for current mall retailing research. Managerial implications offer practical guidance on successfully designing and maneuvering shopping malls of the future.     

When income matters: Customers evaluation of shopping malls’ hedonic and utilitarian orientations

This study, based on 772 shopper's interviews in two shopping malls, establishes that malls can achieve differentiation from their competitors through the pursuit of singular orientations following the hedonic and utilitarian dimensions of shopping. Furthermore, perceived differentiation from competitors is found to positively influence customers’ attachment to the mall, a determining factor in the mall's evaluation. Interestingly, mall's orientation related to hedonic elements was found appealing by all subjects, although slightly more by those with lower income. However, utilitarian orientation appeared strictly effective on those with higher income. Theoretical and managerial implications along with limitations are discussed.     

Developing and validating a psychometric shopper-based mall equity measure

This paper introduces a new retailing concept called shopper-based mall equity (SBME). SBME is the differential effect of mall knowledge on shoppers' responses to a mall's marketing activities. The results of a study in two Canadian shopping malls consisting of 905 shoppers who were administered a questionnaire suggest that SBME is a bi-dimensional construct, composing two sub-scales, namely mall awareness and mall image. Further psychometric tests show a parsimonious SBME measure with support for convergent, discriminant and predictive validities. Multi-group latent mean structures show that the SBME measure is able to discriminate shoppers that globally attribute high-mall scores from those who globally attribute low-mall scores. The article includes theoretical and managerial implications.     

Anatomy of shopping experience for malls in Mumbai: A confirmatory factor analysis approach

The city of Mumbai has not yet exhausted its potential in terms of availability of mall space. Yet shoppers of Mumbai seem to prefer high-street locations even if the product or format is operating from inside a shopping mall also. It means that shoppers look beyond the basic chore of shopping and experience plays a vital role. This study was undertaken to understand the composition of shopping experience so that mall developers and managers succeed in generating exciting among shoppers by orchestration of shopping experience using components as identified at the end of this research. It is based on empirical investigation of 400 respondents selected from four shopping malls in Mumbai. The study identifies ambience, convenience, marketing focus, safety & security and physical infrastructure as factors vital in defining shopping experience. Results were confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis.     

The restorative potential of shopping malls

This article illustrates that shopping centres can promote individual and societal well-being by offering shoppers restorative servicescapes. The study links attention restoration theory to biophilic store design, thus merging greenery with physical environments, such as urban shopping centres. To date, natural and environmental psychologists have empirically explored the positive impact of green areas on human mental and physical health. This article expands on these findings and shows that shopping centres that incorporate green elements into retailing areas may promote good health. In a mall shopping centre possessing restorative qualities, similar to natural settings, the study empirically demonstrates that shoppers who perceive restorative qualities hold favourable attitudes and exhibit positive behaviours towards the shopping centre. Theoretical and practical implications for enclosed malls are discussed.     

Shopping values of clothing retailers perceived by consumers of different social classes

With the advent of diverse forms of retailing, competition among retailers is becoming more intense. Due to this phenomenon, retailers now require marketing strategies that can differentiate themselves from other retailers. However, there is a lack of research on what kind of shopping values consumers perceive from the retailers they visit. This paper analyzes dimensions of shopping values consumers perceive and variations in perceived shopping values according to the types of clothing retailers, be it a department store, discount store, or internet shopping mall. More specifically, the paper analyzes the moderating effect of consumers’ different social class in perceiving the shopping values of each retailer. The results show that shopping value consists of five major constructs: experiential, diversional, reliable, efficient, and self-expressive shopping values. We also found that consumers perceive more experiential, diversional, and reliable shopping values in department stores and internet shopping malls than in discount stores, and self-expressive shopping value is highly perceived in department stores. However, consumers’ social class can moderate the perception of shopping values for department stores and internet shopping malls, but not for discount stores. Discount store shopping is likely to provide consistent shopping values to consumers of all classes. Based on these findings, managerial implications are then presented.     

Experiencing atmospherics: The moderating effect of mall experiences on the impact of individual store atmospherics on spending behavior and mall loyalty

Retailers invest in atmospherics to create effective environments that engage shoppers in their shopping journey and promote business success. However, the link between store-level atmospherics and mall-level experiences remains opaque. In a quasi-experimental field study, we confirm that the quality of in-store atmospherics positively impacts in-store spending and reveal for the first time that it also positively influences loyalty intentions toward the mall as a whole. Both effects are mediated by perceived store atmosphere and moderated by mall experiences. The effects on spending are stronger for shoppers who are seeking hedonic experiences (seductive, recreational, and social) and are less interested in the functional experience. However, the impact on mall loyalty is stronger for shoppers pursuing material (functional) and avoiding social experiences. For retailers and mall owners, these findings underscore the importance of matching store atmospherics with mall experiences. Similarities and differences in the effects of atmospherics between and within the store and mall levels are discussed.     

Impact of movie-watching on cross-selling revenue in shopping malls: Implications for post-pandemic recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted consumers to postpone in-store purchases and shift to online shopping, decreasing overall retail spending. As the global lockdown eases and shoppers return to offline stores and malls, shopping malls seek to facilitate in-store consumer experiences at entertainment facilities. Given the importance of entertainment facilities to the cross-selling revenue of shopping malls, we investigate the relationship between consumers' movie-watching and subsequent (hedonistic) grocery purchases. Our analysis of a panel database that includes transaction details at the consumer level shows that movie-watching is negatively correlated with consumer spending. Furthermore, consumers’ psychological states induced by content and contextual factors moderate the negative effect of movie-watching; after watching a fantasy (as compared to thriller) genre or watching a movie in a less crowded theater, consumers are more likely to make hedonic purchases at the supermarket. These findings provide theoretical and managerial implications for retail operators exploring cross-selling opportunities post-pandemic.     

Managerial bias in anticipated images of competing shopping areas

Several dimensions of consumer retail patronage decisions that affect the firm's marketing program are investigated. In particular, the focus of the research extends previous research in the area to investigate the images held by consumers of shopping malls rather than individual stores. Second, the ability of store managers to accurately predict the image held by consumers both of their own shopping area and of a competitor's shopping area is investigated. This is designed to evaluate the ability of managers to predict consumer perceptions irrespective of their own beliefs. Finally, differences in the perceptions of two potential market segments are compared. Manager ability to differentiate between segments is noted. The implications for marketing programming decisions and the contribution the research makes to the body of literature on image measurement are discussed.     

Mall experiences are not universal: The moderating roles of national culture and mall industry age

Faced with rising competition from innovative retail channels, the primary competitive advantage of shopping malls lies in the unique set of experiences they can provide. A widely accepted assumption in the mall literature is that the contribution of mall experiences to equity and loyalty is stable, positive, and universal. Here shoppers from four countries (England, France, Israel, and Morocco) reported their mall experiences (seductive, social, and recreational). These experiences impact loyalty through mall equity differentially in each country. National culture and mall industry age moderate positive mall outcomes, challenging previous assumptions about standardization across countries as the best approach to mall management.     

An empirical study of the relationship between shopping environment,customer perceived value,satisfaction, and loyalty in the UAE malls context

This study aims to investigate through structural equation modelling (SEM) the relationships between the shopping environment, customer perceived value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in regard to malls in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The main results of this study show that the mall environment is an antecedent of the customer perceived value of malls (MALLVAL) and customer satisfaction. MALLVAL has a significant positive effect on both customer satisfaction and customer loyalty to malls. In addition, MALLVAL and customer satisfaction mediate the relationship between the mall environment and customer loyalty. Finally, customer satisfaction mediates the relationship between MALLVAL and customer loyalty to malls. Some theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.     

Looking at Gen Y shopping preferences and intentions: exploring the role of experience and apparel involvement

Apparel retailers need more information to reach and increase patronage from Generation Y with $150 billion purchasing power. Experiential retailing, involving one or more of the five senses, helps create utilitarian and hedonic benefits for brick‐and‐mortar apparel shoppers. However, little is known about how Generation Y responds to experiential strategies. This study of Generation Y brick‐and‐mortar apparel shoppers, using a cohort approach, seeks to determine which dimensions of a shopping experience, as well as shopping involvement level and demographics, are associated with store preference and patronage intent.     

Linking atmospherics to shopping outcomes: The role of the desire to stay

This study relies on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O-R) paradigm to explore the mediating role of the desire to stay at the shopping mall in the relationship between shopper positive attitudes towards three atmospheric cues (color schemes, lighting, and music) and the shopping outcomes of shopper satisfaction, positive Word-of-Mouth (WOM) and patronage intentions. Moreover, the study elaborates on the path from the desire to stay to positive WOM and patronage intentions by considering the mediating role of shopper satisfaction. A survey-based study comprising a sample size of 451 mall shoppers has been developed to test the proposed research model. The results indicate that the desire to stay mediates the relationship between shoppers’ positive attitudes towards color schemes and music, on one hand, and shopper satisfaction and positive WOM, on the other hand. Although the desire to stay has a direct effect on positive WOM, it does not directly impact patronage intention. However, the latter path becomes significant when considering the mediating role of shopper satisfaction, indicating that satisfying mall stays enhance desirable outcomes. Based on these findings, implications for theory and retailers are discussed.