Marketing the Fusionopolis mall

Abstract

Shopping malls have gained a significant prominence in the retail scene in Singapore. Since the government's plan to decentralise due to overcrowding of the Central Business District in the 1990's, suburban malls have sprouted and grew to become an important feature of the urban landscape of the country. These suburban shopping malls are now available in most neighbourhood towns and they have altered the lifestyles of residents with their tenant mix of customary retail shops, entertainment outlets, cinemas, public libraries and food courts.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the attractiveness of the shopping mall at the Fusionopolis and to propose ways to enhance its attractiveness. This study also looks at shopper avoidance factors to find out what contributes to a shoppers' decision to avoid a particular shopping mall. Two surveys were conducted for this study, with 174 respondents for the consumer survey and 10 respondents for the tenant survey. The surveys were conducted at the Fusionopolis.

The investigation singled out three shopper avoidance factors that could cause a shopping mall to fail if left unchecked. A lack of store variety would provide less utility for shoppers and discourage them from patronising the mall. The location of the shopping mall is crucial as a good location would bring about agglomeration benefits. Transportation and accessibility to a shopping mall is vital in ensuring that it is convenient for shoppers to visit. Inaccessibility to a shopping mall is a major hindrance and would discourage shoppers from patronising the mall. The Fusionopolis has the potential to be a successful suburban mall despite its relatively less accessible location and the fact that it resides outside of any major shopping belt. However, much work needs to be done to overcome its current situation and make it attractive and competitive.