A STUDY ON FACTORS DETERMINING CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR IN SHOPPING MALLS.

A shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings interconnected with walkways which helps the visitors or customers to walk around and shop their preference. It generally refers to large shopping area consisting of huge building with large number of shops along with a parking space for the convenience of the customers. The term, Mall can also mean ‘market for all’. The concept of shopping malls was first introduced in the year 1950 in the US called the North Gate Mall. Mr. Victor Green an Australian born Architect designed the first shopping mall in US named ‘The Northland Shopping Center’. In India the retail industry developed with the advent of shopping malls which provided entertainment along with shopping which was a new experience to the Indian shoppers. The Indian Malls are located in urban areas varying in size from 60000 sq. ft. to 70000 sq. ft. The shoppers or consumers are highly attracted towards the shopping malls due to various factors like quality, quantity, ambience, recreational and entertainment facilities, variety of product choices etc. Another important reason for customer to choose a shopping mall for his shopping needs is that all the products he requires are available under one roof. This paper is an outcome of various studies conducted in determining factors influencing the consumer buying behavior in shopping malls.