Variety in malls key to popularity

Dubai: UAE residents frequent malls mostly to shop and eat out, according to a series of online reader surveys done on gulfnews.com last month.

Gulf News readers revealed their mall behaviour through week-long polls. The total number of respondents to the series of online polls is 2,357. Percentages are calculated according to the number of respondents to each question.

Mall of the Emirates took the lead as favourite with 32 per cent of the votes.

With 466 international brands, a wide variety of restaurants and a ski slope under one roof, this mall has apparently become a great success in less than four years. Deira City Centre came next with 27 per cent votes, followed by Dubai Festival City at 19 per cent.

A similar poll conducted by Gulf News in October 2008, showed the same top three rankings, although Dubai Festival City has gained by 8 per cent. It received 11 per cent of the votes last year.

And what makes these malls such favourites? This leads to the next question, which asked readers about their favourite section.

Nearly half of all those polled, 47 per cent, billed stores as the key reason why a particular mall was preferred over another, followed by 33 per cent who made their choice based on the food court.

Genevieve Jozaffe-Naidoo, a South African expatriate, who voted in favour of shopping, said: "I love the clothing and shoe stores because of the variety that is available in malls. There are several brands available in all malls across the UAE. I also like to watch movies in the cinemas located within malls, as it is quite convenient."

Sa'ad Jasem, a Canadian expatriate who prefers the eating outlets, said: "I visit the mall at least three times during the week, but it is usually to eat from one of the restaurants available in the food court. Other than that, I also enjoy purchasing electronic gadgets from dedicated electronic stores".

Cinemas and entertainment areas garnered only 20 per cent of the votes. A study conducted by the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC), the global trade association of the shopping centre industry, indicates that only five per cent of visitors in Montreal, Canada, chose entertainment centres as their first destination in malls.

The UAE stands higher at eight per cent but it is not a key factor that helps a person decide on the mall they would opt for on a weekend visit.

Another study conducted by the ICSC in the US shows that only four per cent of the respondents prefer to visit malls with cinemas. Gulfnews.com results show that not more than 12 per cent picked their favourite mall based on its movie magic.

In a way, mall management would be satisfied with the results as both shopping and eating out guarantees revenue generation for their tenants. Obviously, the global downturn has not managed to impact the joy of retail therapy.

In an attempt to get a handle on how much is being spent on an average in the malls, Gulf News turned to its readers.

Nearly two out of every 10 people spend Dh500 or more each week, while 44 per cent spend anything from Dh100 to Dh500.

If that is linked to the volume of visitors seen by a big mall in the UAE, which could conservatively be placed at over 300,000 each week according to a 2006 news report, the spending figure is Dh30 million. This holds if each visitor spends an average of Dh100 in a week.

Ifrah Abdullah, a Canadian expatriate, keeps a tab on her expenses when at the mall.

She said: "I usually visit the mall on weekends in an attempt to shop. However, I usually just make purchases worth Dh200 and spend the rest of my time hanging out with friends."

Logic demands that fin-ances have a strong influence on consumer behaviour. A study conducted by the ICSC shows that several customers have started to relate to shopping as an undesirable chore instead of a pleasurable activity due to the global economic downturn.

However, an article published in Time magazine confirms that when people are depressed, they tend to be gullible and end up paying for or buying more items. The article further states that this is similar to going to a grocery store on an empty stomach!

But, gulfnews.com survey also conveyed a strong savings trend, as a whopping 68 per cent of readers visit the mall only once during the week. Ange Anderson, an American expatriate, said: "If I visit the mall more often, I might be tempted to buy more, as you end up window shopping."

What is even more interesting is that 62 per cent of the voters take less than two hours to find what they need. This could mean two things - firstly the malls are well planned with good displays preventing people from having to spend time hunting for items or secondly people have very specific targets when they visit a mall. They walk in, purchase what is required and then leave.

Research carried out by the Wharton School, the business college of the American University of Pennsylvania, shows that a regular shopper in the US spends two to three hours in a mall during one trip.

Around 90 per cent of these shoppers return home with at least one purchase, with most of them having spent an average of $150 (Dh552) per visit.

So, malls are doing fine, perhaps not at the unprecedented volume witnessed in 2007 and 2008, but they appear to be in a positive state of health.