Need to discuss change in customer preferences and buying behaviour towards malls when compared to small shops?

malls provide the total experience. you are ushered into a world with valet parking (sometimes, yes it's true where i live), into a climate-controlled venue that is planned in such a way to make the visitors feel comfortable, safe and relaxed. it is also planned in such a way that visitors can spend several hours there, and there is usually something offered of interest to every member of society. for the kids there is the exciting play area with supervised activities, the toy stores and the vendor carts with sweets and treats. they offer stroller rentals and there are elevators and a smooth surface so that strollers are easy to push and it's easy to get upstairs and downstairs, no hazards. this also applies to anyone that is disabled, or heck, even injured, you can go there with a walker, crutches, cane or wheelchair and manuver around pretty safely with really no obstacles at all, and the climate control means that young and old, sick and well will all feel pretty comfortable.

malls are designed strategically to offer accessible parking, to provide several "anchor" shops, these are nationwide retailers that are well known, such as sears, and macy's, jc penney and so forth, these larger stores provide a large revenue as they have an established customer base and people are familiar with their products and will shop there regularly. the other shops within the mall are geared toward more specialized demographics, ie the toy store, the lingerie store, the sports store, the gourmet store, the tween clothes store, the larger women's sizes, the kids clothing store and so forth.

it's possible to visit 200 shops all in one visit, to check out 200 sales without ever having to get back into the car. to have breakfast lunch and dinner and a playdate for your kids and wind up with a movie without ever having to go outside again until you are ready to leave for the evening.

it's a fairly safe place for people of all ages to "hang out". teens can go there and be unsupervised and dropped off and picked up all the while parents know they are fairly safe and can socialize with friends and not get into any trouble. young moms with little kids can bring them there and the children can play in the play area, buy a new toy and meet a few kids their own age while the mom's chat over coffee.

it's really easy to lose track of time in a mall. when was the last time you saw a clock in any store or any hallway of a mall? never.

the mall becomes in and of itself an entertainment opportunity. most people go there to spend time, as a form of recreation. and when exposed to the vast array of items and services for sale, they inevitably purchase something, even if it's really small, and almost certainly they will buy a snack or meal while they are there since it's likely they will become thirsty or hungry after a few hours.

conversely, the smaller shops, well, once in the shop, it's usually a short visit, you find what you were looking for (or not) check the price and decide whether or not to make a purchase. it's easy to get bored after just a few minutes and ready to leave to go home or to the next shop.

there are no opportunities for children to play at most small shops, and socializing is difficult if not impossible as visitors will be seen more as "loitering" rather than socializing if they gather in a small shop to have a conversation. there is no where to sit and it's hard to walk around the same small shop over and over and over while talking to a friend or family member.

small shops obviously have lower revenue than the mall, however they do have the benefit of lower rents. big retailers such as walmart have incorportated many of the "mall experiences" into their "big box" shops, often you can find a mcdonalds, a subway, an optical shop (glasses), a bakery, a bank and other special shops so that walmart can truly become your "one stop shopping" destination. while this big box shop is very very effective at luring customers and having them linger, it also focuses on purchases, by offering huge shopping carts (some with kid-friendly seating) and all your grocery and home needs, electronics, and even hardware. so you go in there and come out an hour later with everything that you needed (or didn't need) conveniently wrapped up and ready to go home, with a bag of mcdonalds to have for lunch and no need to go anywhere else to finish your errands.

you go home, watch your new dvd, snack on your mcdonalds' lunch and put away your purchases, all done for the day.

whereas at the smaller shops, it's likely that you will stop at 10 different businesses to complete all your errands, starting off with the bank, heading next to the hardware store, then off to the fresh produce stand, over to the kids clothing shop, then to the auto supply shop, over to the bakery, next to the grocery and then to the cd store. tired yet? i'm sure you are. so then you head over to the boston market or other f