Over 40 per cent shoppers are likely to visit malls within a fortnight of reopening, showed a survey finding conducted by Viviana Mall, Thane, and Market Resonance. Apart from showing willingness to visit malls, its patrons also want the management to have precautionary measures in place to make the visit safe.
The survey was commissioned to analyse footfall and customer preferences to effectively reopen the Thane mall. As per the findings, 14 per cent of the footfall will be back in the first week and another 27 per cent within 15 days of reopening.
Talking about the survey, Manoj K Agarwal, chief executive officer, Viviana Mall, said, "A detailed customer survey done by us has yielded the most encouraging responses. First cut feedbacks are extremely positive as far as customer sentiment and customer outlook vis-a-vis shopping are concerned. One of the key takeaways was that 41 per cent shoppers want to visit the mall within the initial fortnight of the lockdown being lifted."
For the study, the opinions of 57 per cent male, 42 per cent female and 1 per cent from the third gender from across Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region were collated. The total sample size was over 2,300. “A few favourite sections of the mall that consumers are looking forward to visiting are the food and beverage, departmental stores, and essentials and apparels sections," said Agarwal.
The highest demand will be for department stores with 46 per cent of the respondents stating that they will prefer visiting one. It is followed by restaurants and cafes with 24 per cent demand.
During the ongoing lockdown, shoppers within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region were also approached to find out about their preferences and suggestions on the precautionary measures that can be taken to curb the spread of COVID-19. “People have suggested a restricted use of the trial rooms, issuing coupons to visit malls and to avoid crowding inside, maintaining social distancing, doing away with frisking booths, compulsory digital payments, and providing masks, amongst others, which we have already incorporated in our Standard Operating Procedure. Our SOP document is exhaustive to ensure the safety of our shoppers,” said Rima Kirtikar, chief marketing officer, Viviana Mall.
