Online shopping sites like Amazon have revolutionised the entire shopping experience. Many of us lazy-heads have found comfort in shopping at the click of a button and getting the product delivered at our doorstep. This sudden boom in the online shopping segment would usually have paved the way for the slow demise of the traditional shopping malls.
Contrary to expectations, benefits of shopping in malls however, continue to thrive in this era of Internet-aided services. The popularity of shopping malls is undoubtedly not on the wane, and there are multiple plausible reasons for that.
Benefits of Shopping In Malls
- Choose the best, leave the rest:Shopping in malls have their own set of benefits and perks over online shopping sites. In the case of malls, people can tangibly assess the product that they intend to buy and go through multiple options to select the one that suits them the best. For example, if you wish to purchase a sofa, you can just physically dive into one and examine its material, comfort level, and plush factor yourself. Online shopping does not offer this liberty. The buyers are left to buy a product solely based on the description given. It minimises the personal interaction that a buyer has with the product while shopping.
- Why cry when you can give it a try?: Another major problem arises during garment or shoe shopping. You can try on many clothes at a mall and decide which one looks the best on you. You also get the benefit of assistance from the salesperson in choosing the clothes that fit your needs in shopping malls. Online shopping is primarily without assistance, and the size and material of the clothing are to be judged based on the given description. As a result, people often end up buying things that don’t fit them well or are of inferior quality. Also, people don’t have the liberty to try on multiple garments before zeroing in on one. This is where shopping in malls provide a significant edge over online shopping.
- Happiness is in retail therapy!: We can’t deny the fact that shopping from malls is therapeutic. If you are feeling low or have just got your salary for the month, what better way to spend it than going on a shopping spree with your besties? Shopping in malls can be an instant mood-lifter. Any shopping spree isn’t complete without a trip to the mall food court where you can rest your tired feet and fill your hungry stomach. Thus, a small shopping trip can be a great dayout in itself! In this respect, online shopping just doesn’t offer the same level of satisfaction or happiness and is more of a mechanical task than a merry one.
- Don’t wait, just celebrate: These days, malls have become a celebration hub for many festivals, on and off the calendar. While online sites do provide discounts for festivals like Diwali, Eid, Christmas, etc., malls take the festivities up another notch by decorating the premises, bringing in bands or musicians, organising interactive games besides offering discounts, for people to amass and join in, in the merriment. Malls have thus graduated from being mere shopping spaces to hangout hubs. As a result of the considerable footfall, the brands in the mall enjoy greater visibility and traffic, which encourages overall sales. People who may have come to spend a while at the mall, get enamored by the on-window displays, visit the store and may eventually turn into regular customers. Thus, malls indirectly but successfully draw in a lot of buyers.
- It’s no crime to save time: Benefits of shopping in malls provide another significant advantage to buyers with a time constraint. If you need something urgently, you can plan a trip to the mall and get it. Online shopping, on the other hand,has a more extended waiting period, which is not feasible when the product is needed urgently. Also, returning unwanted or damaged products is more hassle-free offline than online. Apart from this, products bought online, especially electronics may not be dependable, which is why many people still prefer buying gadgets from trusted shops.
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- Be tension-free and save money: Malls can also be a respite for those concerned about the pocket-pinch post-shopping. They regularly offer sales and discounts, with no additional cost, except for the tax. Online shopping, however, can be a bit tricky, in this regard. The discounts offered may be negated by the shipping charges or delivery charges, making the customer pay up almost the same amount as before.
While online shopping does have its share of perks, shopping at the mall has its own set of specific advantages, which have kept the shopping malls busy and blooming. In light of the above factors, it can be safely said that though online shopping has taken the world by storm, shopping at malls still remains a staple for a significant majority of people, for a mall offers not just products but an experience in itself!
I like how you said that shopping malls have the advantage of allowing people to try clothes on and narrow their search. My sister wants to buy some new clothing that she can wear at her new job starting next week. I will suggest that she go shopping at a mall so she can try stuff on to make sure it is the right fit.