Multitude of options available before the consumer has made the environment competitive for the shopping malls and they need to differentiate themselves from the competition. Shopping mall image is a useful instrument to do so as it is strongly associated with vital parameters of mall success. Different studies conducted in the past have identified different dimensions of mall image. Present study proposes and validates a four-factor model of mall image for the Indian context. Results are based on a sample of 216 respondents collected from different malls. The model is analysed and authenticated using second-degree confirmatory factor analysis using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). Results indicate that the four dimensions constituting mall image are accessibility, atmospherics, tenant-mix and facilities. The research reveals that atmospherics is the strongest determinant of mall image in the Indian context, whereas accessibility is the least potent. The article ends with a discussion on strategies that Indian mall developers and managers may use to improve mall image in the minds of consumers.
BalogluS.McClearlyK.W. (1999). A model of destination image formation. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(4), 868–897.
2.
BellengerD.RobertsonD.GreenbergB. (1977). Shopping centre patronage motives. Journal of Retailing, 53(2), 29–38.
3.
BitnerM.J. (1992). Servicescape: The impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees. Journal of Marketing, 56(2), 57–71.
4.
DardenW.R.BabinB.J. (1994). Exploring the concept of effective quality: Expanding the concept of retail personality. Journal of Business Research, 29(2), 101–110.
5.
DennisC.MarslandD.CockettT. (2001). The mystery of consumer behaviour: Market segmentation and shoppers’ choices of shopping centres. International Journal of New Product Development & Innovation Management, 3(3), 221–237.
6.
DennisC.NewmanA.MarslandD. (2005). Objects of desire. New York, USA: Palgrave Macmillan.
7.
DoddsW.B.MonroeK.B.GrewalD. (1991). Effects of price, brand, and store information on buyer’s product evaluations. Journal of Marketing Research, 28(August), 307–319.
8.
DonovanR.J.RossiterR.J. (1982). Store atmosphere: An environmental psychology approach. Journal of Retailing, 58(1), 34–57.
9.
DownsR.M. (1970). The cognitive structure of an urban shopping center. Environment and Behaviour, 2(1), 13–39.
10.
FinnA.LouviereJ.J. (1996). Shopping centre image, consideration, and choice: Anchor store contribution. Journal of Business Research, 35(3), 241–251.
11.
FisherJ.D. (1974). Situation-specific variables as determinants of perceived environmental aesthetic quality and perceived crowdedness. Journal of Research in Personality, 8(2), 177–188.
12.
FrasquetM.GilI.MollaA. (2001). Shopping-centre selection modeling: A segmentation approach. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 11(1), 23–38.
13.
GentryJ.W.BurnsA.C. (1977). How ‘Important’ are evaluative criteria in shopping center patronage?Journal of Retailing, 53(4), 73–85.
14.
HairJ.F.BlackW.C.BabinB.J.AndersonR.E.TathamR.I. (2006). Multivariate data analysis (6th ed.). New Delhi, India: Pearson Education.
15.
HartC.FarrellA.M.StachowG.ReedG.CadoganJ.W. (2007). Enjoyment of the shopping experience: Impact on customers’ repatronage intentions and gender influence. The Services Industries Journal, 27(5), 583–604.
16.
HauserJ.R.KoppelmanF.S. (1979). Alternative perceptual mapping techniques: Relative accuracy and usefulness. Journal of Marketing Research, 16(1), 495–506.
17.
HaynesJ.TalpadeS. (1996). Does entertainment draw shoppers: The effects of entertainment centres on shopping behaviour in malls?Journal of Shopping Centre Research, 3(2), 29–48.
18.
HedhliK.E.ChebatJ.C. (2009). Developing and validating a shopper-based mall equity measure. Journal of Business Research, 62(6), 581–587.
19.
HoustonM.NevinJ. (1981). Retail shopping area image: Structure and congruency between downtown areas and shopping centres. Advances in Consumer Research, 8, 677–681.
20.
HowellR.D.RogersJ.D. (1980). Research into shopping mall choice behaviour. Advances in Consumer Research, 8, 671–681.
21.
KhareA. (2011). Influence of hedonic and utilitarian values in determining attitude towards malls: A case of Indian small city consumers. Journal of Retail and Leisure Property, 9(5), 429–442.
22.
KimC.LarocheM.TomiukM.A. (2001). A measure of acculturation for Italian Canadians: Scale development and construct validation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 25(6), 607–637.
23.
KirkupM.H.RafiqM. (1994). Managing tenant-mix in new shopping centres. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 22(6), 29–37.
24.
LeeG.HollingerR.DabneyD. (1999). The relationship between crime and private security at US shopping centres. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 23(2), 157–177.
25.
LeHewM.A.BurgessB.WesleyS. (2002). Expanding the loyalty concept to include preference for a shopping mall. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 12(3), 225–236.
26.
LeoP.Y.PhilippeJ. (2002). Retail centers: Location and consumer’s satisfaction. The Service Industries Journal, 22(1), 122–146.
27.
LindquistJ. (1974–1975). Meaning of image: A survey of empirical and hypothetical evidence. Journal of Retailing, 50(4), 29–38.
28.
MartineauP. (1958). The personality of the retail store. Harvard Business Review, 36(1), 47–55.
29.
McGoldrickP.J. (2002). Retail marketing–First edition. London: McGraw Hill Education.
30.
McGoldrickP.J.ThompsonM.G. (1992). The role of image in the attraction of the out of town mall. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 2(1), 81–98.
31.
MehrabianA.RusselJ.A. (1974). An approach to environmental psychology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
32.
NevinJ.R.HoustonM.J. (1980). Image as a component of attraction to interurban shopping areas. Journal of Retailing, 56, 77–93.
33.
OppewalH.TimmermansH. (1997). Retailer self-perceived store image and competitive position. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 7(1), 41–59.
34.
PessemierE. (1980). Store image and positioning. Journal of Retailing, 56(1), 94–106.
35.
RuizF. (1999). Image of suburban shopping malls and two-stage versus uni-equational modeling of the retail trade attraction: An empirical application. European Journal of Marketing, 33(5/6), 512–530.
36.
SinghH.BoseS.K. (2008). My American cousin: A comparison between US and the Indian malls. Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, 9(4), 358–372.
37.
SitJ.MerrileesB.BirchD. (2003). Entertainment seeking shopping centre patrons: The missing segments. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 31(2), 80–94.
38.
SpiesK.HesseF.LoeschK. (1997). Store atmosphere, mood and purchasing behaviour. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 14(1), 1–17.
39.
SrivastavaR.K. (2008). Changing retail scene in India. International Journal of Retailing and Distribution Management, 36(9), 714–721.
40.
SteenkampJ.B.WedelM. (1991). Segmenting retail markets on store image using a consumer-based methodology. Journal of Retailing, 67(3), 300–321.
41.
WakefieldK.BakerJ. (1998). Excitement at the mall: Determinants and effects on shopping response. Journal of Retailing, 74(4), 515–539.
42.
WarnabyG.MedwayD. (2004). The role of place marketing as a competitive response by town centres to out-of-town retail developments. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 14(4), 457–477.
