DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL OF THEMATIC MALLS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

The study focused on the consumer perspective of the local shopping scene, their attitude towards thematic malls, and their preference on the type of thematic malls. To find out the shoppers' perception on the Singapore shopping scene and their interest on thematic malls, a questionnaire of 17 questions was created. The survey design was divided into three sections. The three sections ask for the respondents' particulars, their impression on the local shopping scene, and their opinion on thematic malls respectively. Data collection for the survey interviews was then conducted in the Central Region of Singapore. This is because existing thematic malls in Singapore locate in this region. In particular, places near these malls were chosen as the ideal spots for survey interview. This is so that respondents will be able to associate with the idea of thematic mall. In all, a total of 202 responses were collected but two were discarded due to incompletion of questionnaire. Initial findings on the data collected showed a good mix of responses from various age groups, types of occupation, and income groups. However the groupings for age and monthly income were later regrouped to conduct ANOVA analyses. As a whole, the initial findings indicate a neutral stance towards the Singapore shopping scene, an interest in thematic malls in Singapore, a preference for specialty mall, and a consensus that thematic malls would increase the vibrancy of the local shopping scene. However, further analysis using statistical methods portrayed a non-representative model for the first and third hypotheses thereby indicating a non-conclusive answer for both hypotheses. On the other hand, the results on shoppers' attitude towards thematic malls were both representative to the general population and significant.