Shop until you drop? An exploratory analysis of mall experiences

Purpose – The present exploratory study aims to link various fields of inquiry dealing with the consumer experience so as to conceptualise the mall experience and delineate its components.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 119 informants wrote narratives about their mall experience. Of these stories, 100 underwent narrative and content analysis in order to identify key components of the mall experience.Findings – The findings show that the mall experience can be conceptualised as a holistic subjective phenomenon, encompassing a behavioural core accompanied by cognitive and emotional reactions. Four different mall experiences were identified: seductive, interactive museum, social arena, and functional.Research limitations/implications – This exploratory study offers a theoretical conceptualisation of the mall experience.Originality/value – The paper offers a new conceptualisation of the mall experience, based on a behavioural core with associated cognitive and emotional reactions. The paper identifie...

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