Research Management Assignment

“Mall Culture in Bangalore”

Table of Contents

Introduction

Statement of the Problem

Review of Previous Studies

Scope of the Study

Objective of the Study

Operational Definitions of Concepts

Methodology

Sampling Plan

Tools for Gathering Data

Time Budget

Financial Budget

Presentation and Analysis of Data Malls Frequented Preferential Reasons Frequency of Visits Activities Enjoyed Expenditure Advantages of Malls Situational Preferences Trend of Westernization Time Spent in Individual Shops Adverse Effects on Individual Shops Price of Goods Threat to the Malls Construction of More Malls Mall Timings Additional Features

Interpretation and Conclusion

2

Introduction

Bangalore has a lot of places to visit and see. There are loads of individual shops that cater to specific needs. There are restaurants at almost every road in Bangalore. Theatres like Rex, Urvashi, Symphony etc., play the latest movies.

But people want all of it under one roof. These places fail to satisfy people. Hence a lot of malls have cropped up. Bangalore has a variety of malls situated in different places. Garuda Mall on Magrath Road, Eva Mall on Brigade Road, Forum on Hosur Road, Total Mall, Sigma Mall on Cunningham Road, etc attract loads of people mainly youngsters everyday.

Since there are few places that attract Bangaloreans, the Malls have cashed on this. It has ushered in a different culture.

What attracts the people to malls? How often and why do they visit it? What are the advantages of malls? All these questions and more have to be answered to get an insight into the people’s behavior towards malls.

We would understand why malls have become so popular in these few years in Bangalore. This is our precise interest in conducting this research.

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Statement of the Problem

We are studying the effect of mall culture in Bangalore. Various issues relating to this problem among others are:

Do people prefer malls that are close by or offer a wide variety? When do people visit malls? How much do they spend per visit?

Review of Previous Studies

There have been studies that have been conducted before. But this research is conducted independently without basing it on any other research. Hence it is a primary research.

Scope of the Study

A complete study of mall culture in Bangalore is totally unimaginable. Bangalore is home to lakhs of people, and has a dozen malls or so. Hence we have limited our study to the most famous malls like Forum, Garuda and Sigma and the respondents that were studied were the students of Christ College, families and friends.

Objective of the Study

The reason why we are conducting this research is to study the effect of mall culture in Bangalore, i.e., to investigate the impact of malls on people in Bangalore.

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Operational Definitions of Concepts

The concepts in our research are quite clear but to deal away with ambiguity, the following concepts are defined:

Proximity = the distance one is willing to travel/ close

Weekends = Saturday and Sunday

Gaming = Video arcades or Internet cafes in malls like Reliance Webworldoffer a wide variety of games.

Special occasions = Birthdays, Anniversaries… any occasion that peopledeem special and important.

Branded = good offered from a known source having high quality and value.Eg- clothes from United Colors of Benetton.

Acquaintance = someone you know but are not very close to

Time – pass movie = a movie that offers a few laughs and thrills but didn’t dowell at the box office.

Box – office movie = a movie that has got box office acclaim.

Westernization = the culture of the west

Methodology

There are various techniques to collect information. We have used the survey method through the distribution of questionnaires.

Sampling Plan

Since the population of Bangalore is so huge and it would be impossible to collect information from so many people we’ve limited our study to the students in Christ College and other institutions, family members and friends.

Tools for Gathering Data

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We have used questionnaires to gather relevant data. These questionnaires were handed put personally to the respondents.

Time Budget

StagesTime

period

Initial review of literature and selection of problem –

Formulation of the selected problem and the preparation of the research plan

1 day

Construction of tools and pretesting 2 days

Field work experimentation and collection of data 10 days

Processing and analysis of data 2 days

Planning and report-writing work 3 days

Drafting and finalizing the report 2 days

Financial Budget

We didn’t have any major expenses. Printing the questionnaires amounted to Rs. 200.

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Presentation and Analysis of Data

The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions, the responses to which have been graphed and analyzed below.

Malls frequented

The above graph depicts the malls frequented by the respondents.

Of the 150, respondents, it has been found that 64.67% frequent Forum Mall, 27.33% frequent Garuda Mall, 3.33% frequent Sigma Mall, and 4.67% frequent other malls such as Eva Mall etc.

It is apparent from the above graph that the majority of the respondents frequent Forum Mall. This allows for two deductions. One is that Forum Mall is favoured by most people for its cleanliness, spaciousness, and wide variety of products and services. The second deduction is that it may be indicative of the sampling error made by circulating questionnaires mostly among students of Christ College.

Preferential Reasons

The graph, subsequent, depicts the reasons why the respondents frequent some malls and not others.

Which mall do you visit most frequently?

64.67

27.33

3.33 4.67

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

70.00

Forum Garuda Sigma Others

Malls

% o

f re

spo

nd

ents

7

Of the 150 respondents, 45.33% frequent their favourite mall due to it proximity to their home or workplace; 46%, due to the variety of goods and services offered; 4.33% as they think it’s cheaper; and 7.33% for other reasons such as a shortcut to go home etc.

As is apparent from the graph, proximity and wide variety of goods are the top reasons for respondents to visit certain malls. It may be assumed that if malls were built such that they were easily accessible and had a wide variety of goods, more people would visit such malls.

Frequency of visits

The above graph depicts the frequency with which the respondents visit malls.

Of the 150 respondents, 11.33% visit malls rarely; 12%, monthly; 12%, fortnightly; 42.67%, on weekends; and 22%, daily.

45.33 46.00

1.337.33

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

% o

f re

spo

nd

ents

Proximity Variety Cheaper Others

Reasons

Why do you prefer the above mall?

How often do you visit malls?

22.00

42.67

12.00

12.00

11.33

0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00 45.00

Daily

Weekends

Fortnightly

Monthly

Rarely

Fre

qu

ency

% of respondents

8

It is apparent from the above graph that most of the respondents visit malls on the weekends, i.e., Saturday and Sunday. Surprisingly, 22% of the respondents visit malls daily. It can thus be concluded that since the opening of malls, people have been spending more of their time there than they would have in individual shops had there been no malls.

Activities Enjoyed

The above graph depicts the activities enjoyed by the respondents in malls.

Of the 150 respondents, 10.73% visit malls to spend quality time with their friends and family; 8.54%, to celebrate special occasions; 23.17%, to watch movies; 21.22%, to eat; 2.20%, to play games; 13.41%, to kill time; and 20.73%, to shop for clothes, accessories, books, music etc.

It can be deduced from the above graph that most people visit malls mainly to watch movies, eat and to shop. It can thus be assumed that malls make a huge income from the provision of these three services. If they were improved, it would attract more customers.

Another deduction is that people do not see malls as gaming centres. This poses two choices to a builder. He can, either, have a small corner for gaming, as it does not draw much crowd. Or, he can set up an exclusive gaming mall. This new trend could change the perspective of the customers.

Expenditure

The graph, subsequent, depicts the average amount spent by customers in malls on various activities.

20.73

13.41

2.20

21.22

23.17

8.54

10.73

0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00

% of respondents

Shopping

Kill time

Gaming

Eat

Movies

Special Occasions

Spend Quality time

Act

ivit

ies

You go to malls mainly to/for:

9

Of the 150 respondents, 11% spend less than Rs. 100 per visit, 49% spend Rs. 100 – Rs. 500 per visit, 23% spend Rs. 500 – Rs. 1000, and 17% spend more than Rs. 1000 per visit.

The above graph portrays the amount of expenditure made in malls. It can be deduced that people spend a larger amount of money in malls than they do in individual shops. This could be due to two reasons. One is the obvious reason that malls showcase expensive products. Another reason may be that people may indulge in impulse buys, being overwhelmed by the wide variety of products and services offered.

Advantages of Malls

The above graph depicts the advantages of malls according to the respondents.

How much do you spend per visit to the mall?

11%

49%

23%

17%

> 100

100 - 500

500 - 1000

1000 <

In your opinion, the advantages of malls are:

34%

35%

26%

5%

All shopping together

Wide choice

'Branded' goods

Others

10

Of the 150 respondents, 34% feel that malls allow them to do all their shopping (groceries, clothes, food etc.) together, 35% emphasize the wide choice of products, 26% can purchase ‘branded’ goods, and 5% cite other advantages such as good collections of books and music etc.

This is invaluable information. It helps builders when deciding whether to build a mall or not. It is apparent that people do favour malls and feel that they have many advantages. It shows that people are not averse to malls.

However, it also points to the trend that more and more people favour ‘branded’ goods. A product that is labelled “United Colors of Benetton” or “Tommy Hilfiger” seems to carry more importance.

Situational Preferences

The above graph depicts respondents’ preferences in different situations.

6 different situations have been identified.

When buying a ‘perfect outfit’, of the 150 respondents, 32% favoured malls; 32%, individual shops; 21.33%, either of the two; and 14.67% were undecided.

When giving a birthday or anniversary treat, 43.33% favoured malls; 18%, individual shops; 13.33%, either of the two; and 25.33% were undecided.

When wishing to watch a ‘box-office hit’ movie, 68.67% favoured malls; 8%, individual theatres; 8%, either of the two; and 15.33% were undecided.

When wishing to watch a ‘time-pass’ movie, 63.33% favoured malls; 20%, individual theatres; 8.67%, either of the two; and 8% were undecided.

29.33 50.00 16.67 4.00

55.33 23.33 16.00 5.33

63.33 20.00 8.67 8.00

68.67 8.00 8.00 15.33

43.33 18.00 13.33 25.33

32.00 32.00 21.33 14.67

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

% of respondents

Gift for acquaintance

Gift for family/friend

Time-pass movie

Box-office hit movie

Treat

Perfect outfit

Sit

ua

tio

ns

In the following situations, which would you prefer?

Mall

Shop

Either

Can't say

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When buying gifts for close family or friends, 55.33% favoured malls; 23.33%, individual shops; 16%, either of the two; and 5.33% were undecided.

When buying gifts for acquaintances, 29.33% favoured malls; 50%, individual shops; 16.67%, either of the two; and 4% were undecided.

The above statistics expound that in spite of the high prices charged by malls, they are still preferred when watching movies, giving treats and buying gifts. It is remarkable that most people would prefer a mall to watch a film whether it is doing well at the box-office or not. People prefer malls when buying gifts for close friends and family.

Regardless of cost, most people prefer the safer, cleaner and more accessible malls to individual shops and theatres. The reasons for such preferences have already been presented.

Trend of Westernization

The above graph depicts the opinion of the respondents as regards malls developing a trend of westernization.

Of the 150 respondents, 46% felt that malls have a definite role in contributing to a trend of westernization, 33.33% felt that malls play a sizeable role, 13.33% felt that malls may have contributed to this trend, and 7.23% felt that malls have had very little contribution.

Thus, it is apparent that in spite of the advantages cited by the respondents, they do feel that malls have had a definite hand in contributing to a trend of westernization. It can also be turned around, and be said, that though people feel that malls promote westernization, they still visit them, as malls provide so many advantages.

46.00

33.33

13.33

7.33

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

% o

f re

spo

nd

ents

Of course Somewhat May be Not really

Responses

Do you feel malls have contributed to a trend of westernization?

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Time Spent in Individual Shops

The above graph depicts the variation in time spent in individual shops after malls opened up in the city.

Of the 150 respondents, 47.33% felt that they spend the same time as they always did, 22.67% felt that they spend more time in individual shops, and 30% felt that they spend lesser time.

It can be deduced that the amount of time spent in individual shops has not changed very dramatically for a majority of the respondents. It may be assumed that individual shops therefore maintain a regular stream of their clientele and have not experienced a dramatic fall in their market.

Adverse Effect on Individual Shops

The above graph depicts the opinion of the respondents on the adverse effects of malls on individual shops.

30.00

22.67

47.33

0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00

% of respondents

Decreased

Increased

Remained same

Res

po

nse

sThe time spent by you in various individual shops after the

openeing of malls has:

Do you think malls have adversely affected local shops?

20.00

31.33

25.33

23.33

0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00

Yes, they will die

Yes, they have to put inmore capital

No, it's an incentive

No, they share anequal market

Res

po

ses

% of respondents

13

Of the 150 respondents, 23.33% felt that individual shops share an equal market with malls, 25.33% felt that malls are incentives for the individual shops to do better, 31.33% felt that individual shops have to put in more capital to compete, and 20% felt that eventually the individual shops would die out.

It is apparent from the above graph that although a majority of the people feel that malls have adversely affected individual shops, they are optimistic about their survival. However, it is interesting to note that although a majority of the respondents had said that they spent the same time in shops (in the previous question), only 23.33% felt that shops share an equal market with malls.

Price of Goods

The above graph depicts the opinion of the respondents of the price charged in malls on various goods.

Of the 150 respondents, 24% felt that the products offered in malls are very expensive; 51.33%, that they are expensive; 20.67%, that they are moderately priced; and 4% felt that they are very cheap.

Two deductions can be made from the above statistics. One is that the people who visit malls are of the middle and upper income groups, and therefore do not feel the pinch. The other is that although people do find malls expensive, they still feel that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Threat to the Malls

The graph, subsequent, depicts the opinion of the respondents of the threat posed by discount stores such as ‘Big Bazar’.

4.00

20.67

51.33

24.00

0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00

% of respondents

Very Cheap

Moderately priced

Expensive

Very expensive

Pri

ce

You think the products and services offered in malls are, on an average:

14

Of the 150 respondents, 12% feel that discount stores are a threat to malls, 68% feel that they are not, and 20% are undecided.

The above graph portrays the sentiments of the people as regards malls and discount stores. It can be assumed that a majority of the people prefer malls to discount stores like ‘Big Bazar’. This does not indicate, however, the market share of the two. It can thus be deduced that malls and discount stores share an equal market.

Construction of More Malls

The above graph depicts the opinion of the respondents as regards the construction of more malls in and around Bangalore.

Of the 150 respondents, 14.67% strongly support the construction of more malls, 43.33% support construction, 10% oppose construction, 8.67% strongly oppose it, and 23.33% are undecided.

Do you think discount stores like 'Big Bazar' are threats to these malls?

12%

68%

20%

Yes

No

Can't say

14.67

43.33

10.00 8.67

23.33

0.005.00

10.0015.0020.0025.0030.0035.0040.0045.00

% o

f re

sp

on

de

nts

StronglyAgree

Agree Disagree StronglyDisagree

Neitheragree nordisagree

Responses

You want more malls to be built in and around Bangalore:

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It is apparent from the graph that although people support the construction of more malls in and around Bangalore, they are, to an extent, satisfied with the existing malls. More malls would give people new places to eat and shop at. However, the absence of more malls does not seem to trouble them. They are not dissatisfied with the current number of malls.

Mall Timings

The above graph depicts the opinion of the respondents as regards current mall timings.

Of the 150 respondents, 16.67% are satisfied with the current mall timings as they do not wish to promote consumerism, 48.67% are satisfied as they do not go to malls very early or stay too late, 7.83% wish them to be open for a shorter time period, and 27.33% wish them to be open longer.

It is apparent from the graph that not many people are concerned about consumerism. This is because a majority of them are well-balanced and spend little time in malls. Most of the people are satisfied with current mall timings. If there is any dissatisfaction, it is that some wish malls to be open longer.

Additional Features

The graph, subsequent, depicts the additional features or improvements that the respondents would like in malls.

27.33

7.33

48.67

16.67

0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00

% of respondents

No, must be openlonger

No, must be open for ashorter time period

Yes, don't go too earlyor too late

Yes, must not increaseconsumerism

Re

sp

on

se

s

Are you satisfied with the current mall timings?

16

Of the 150 respondents, 60% wanted a lounge to relax in; 21%, wireless connectivity; 15%, special programmes every week; and 4% cited other improvements such as better restrooms.

It is apparent from the above graph that a majority of the people feel the lack of a lounge area to sit in and relax. There are no places currently in malls in which to relax. People are compelled to go to coffee shops in malls to spend time. However, they are not allowed to sit in coffee shops without buying anything to eat. Most people would like a lounge area in which to be able to meet and talk with friends and do work on their laptops.

What additional features or improvements would you like in a mall?

60%21%

15%4%

Lounge

Wireless Connectivity

Special programmes

Others

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Interpretation and Conclusion

It is apparent from the research conducted that the majority of the respondents frequent Forum Mall. This allows for two deductions. One is that Forum Mall is favoured by most people for its cleanliness, spaciousness, and wide variety of products and services. The second deduction is that it may be indicative of the sampling error made by circulating questionnaires mostly among students of Christ College.

As is apparent from the research conducted, proximity and wide variety of goods are the top reasons for respondents to visit certain malls. It may be assumed that if malls were built such that they were easily accessible and had a wide variety of goods, more people would visit such malls.

It is apparent from the research that most of the respondents visit malls on the weekends, i.e., Saturday and Sunday. Surprisingly, 22% of the respondents visit malls daily. It can thus be concluded that since the opening of malls, people have been spending more of their time there than they would have in individual shops had there been no malls.

It can be deduced that most people visit malls mainly to watch movies, eat and to shop. It can thus be assumed that malls make a huge income from the provision of these three services. If they were improved, it would attract more customers.

Another deduction is that people do not see malls as gaming centres. This poses two choices to a builder. He can, either, have a small corner for gaming, as it does not draw much crowd. Or, he can set up an exclusive gaming mall. This new trend could change the perspective of the customers.

The research presents the amount of expenditure made in malls. It can be deduced that people spend a larger amount of money in malls than they do in individual shops. This could be due to two reasons. One is the obvious reason that malls showcase expensive products. Another reason may be that people may indulge in impulse buys, being overwhelmed by the wide variety of products and services offered.

The research helps builders when deciding whether to build a mall or not. It is apparent that people do favour malls and feel that they have many advantages. It shows that people are not averse to malls.

However, it also points to the trend that more and more people favour ‘branded’ goods. A product that is labelled “United Colors of Benetton” or “Tommy Hilfiger” seems to carry more importance.

The statistics expound that in spite of the high prices charged by malls, they are still preferred when watching movies, giving treats and buying gifts. It is remarkable that most people would prefer a mall to watch a film whether it is doing well at the box-office or not. People prefer malls when buying gifts for close friends and family.

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Regardless of cost, most people prefer the safer, cleaner and more accessible malls to individual shops and theatres. The reasons for such preferences have already been presented.

It is apparent that in spite of the advantages cited by the respondents, they do feel that malls have had a definite hand in contributing to a trend of westernization. It can also be turned around, and be said, that though people feel that malls promote westernization, they still visit them, as malls provide so many advantages.

It can be deduced that the amount of time spent in individual shops has not changed very dramatically for a majority of the respondents. It may be assumed that individual shops therefore maintain a regular stream of their clientele and have not experienced a dramatic fall in their market.

It is apparent from the research conducted that although a majority of the people feel that malls have adversely affected individual shops, they are optimistic about their survival. However, it is interesting to note that although a majority of the respondents had said that they spent the same time in shops (in the previous question), only 23.33% felt that shops share an equal market with malls.

Two deductions can be made from the statistics. One is that the people who visit malls are of the middle and upper income groups, and therefore do not feel the pinch. The other is that although people do find malls expensive, they still feel that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

The research showcases the sentiments of the people as regards malls and discount stores. It can be assumed that a majority of the people prefer malls to discount stores like ‘Big Bazar’. This does not indicate, however, the market share of the two. It can thus be deduced that malls and discount stores share an equal market.

It is apparent that although people support the construction of more malls in and around Bangalore, they are, to an extent, satisfied with the existing malls. More malls would give people new places to eat and shop at. However, the absence of more malls does not seem to trouble them. They are not dissatisfied with the current number of malls.

It is apparent that not many people are concerned about consumerism. This is because a majority of them are well-balanced and spend little time in malls. Most of the people are satisfied with current mall timings. If there is any dissatisfaction, it is that some wish malls to be open longer.

It is apparent that a majority of the people feel the lack of a lounge area to sit in and relax. There are no places currently in malls in which to relax. People are compelled to go to coffee shops in malls to spend time. However, they are not allowed to sit in coffee shops without buying anything to eat. Most people

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would like a lounge area in which to be able to meet and talk with friends and do work on their laptops.

Thus is the mall culture in Bangalore.

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