Happiness is/not the Shopping Mall

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Let’s talk shopping. Specifically shopping malls. It was said that malls would eventually fall by the wayside with the rise of Amazon. Many have died, yet Amazon is focused on building foot traffic with its purchase of Whole Foods, creation of physical bookstores, and introduction of Kohl’s hassle free returns. Personally, I struggle to find enjoyment from shopping. Especially in a mall. 

As a shopping partner, I’m horrible- my attention span is no better than a toddler and I use my phone as a distraction. This panelist's shopping partner shares my party pooper mentality, “He takes the fun out of it. Can't be spontaneous and can't browse for a lengthy amount of time.”

Now that the holidays are over, and gifts have been, ...er, returned; I wanted to find out from our women shoppers, the ones who still do the majority of their shopping in stores, if they enjoy the mall and who do they take? After all, 85% of all purchases are influenced by women. I wondered who women choose to take to the mall, especially given my grumbler ways. 

It turns out that the vast majority of women enjoy shopping in the mall and 90% dress up for the activity. Shopping is an event. Only 20% of our female shoppers, who expressed doing most of their shopping offline, dislike shopping at the mall. Stores should rejoice. I see that as a sign, that the number of defectors to an online-only shopping experience, is very small.  

It’s predicted that half of all online purchases will come from a mobile device. I can see that happening, as most of my shopping was done online this year, though very little directly from my phone. The convenience of Amazon Prime and the improved shopping experience across most online stores made this attainable. I see the future as a hybrid of a digital experience, as expressed by this woman, “I look in the mirror usually. Maybe take a photo in the mirror & text a friend for an opinion.” Or this woman, “I usually take pictures and send it to people who will tell me honestly how it looks.” I also use my wife as a proxy, a kind of dial-a-friend for help from my pocket, if I can’t make a decision.

The mall is a trap for me. And like a well-trained soldier, I see it as a challenge to get in and out of the stores with sniper-like precision, avoiding eye contact, and going straight to my marked spots. My trips to the mall are captured in minutes based on the task at hand: in and out with military organization. I even optimize my walking path between stores to make sure I’ve got the most convenient path. 

The last time I bought something spontaneously for myself was two years ago. A flat brim hat and a Herschel backpack from my friends over at Ohana Board Shop. My recent trips to the mall include going to Apple to fix a six month old cracked screen, finding a Lululemon gift for my wife, taking my boy to also get his phone fixed, and surprisingly, making an impromptu Superdry sweatshirt purchase with him on the way out. This woman captured my approach, “I know what I will buy before going shopping. No advice needed.” Further, “I go by overall ratings based on comments by other consumers.”

I’ve got no shame. I recently took an hour nap in the mall seating area waiting for my iPhone screen to be fixed. If I were with my wife that day, my napping certainly wouldn't have gone over too well. To my surprise though, a boyfriend or husband was twice as likely to be chosen as a mall companion than left at home by one of our panelists. The reasons vary and this made me laugh, “Because they are the one who will pay.” Most women still go to the mall with purpose, and maybe their partners still help them in that regard. As for going in groups, only problems seem to arise, “Too many people wanting to see different things, it becomes a waste of time.”

For now, I’m resigned to being an old fart. This woman shopper sums it up, “Because man get tired very quickly.” True dat.

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DesignFail is a light hearted series where I share my love for our Helio product. I’m curious about the world and love figuring out how I fit into it’s chaos. I’ve helped 1000s of companies design products and services to solve these amazing people problems. Text me at 650.533.0469.