High School Girls’ Shopping Mall Experiences, Perceptions and Expectations: A Qualitative Study

Shopping malls have become an important part of the economic and social fabric of Turkey especially in some of the big cities. In Izmir, there are currently eight shopping malls and this number is expected to increase due to the interest of consumers and investors in shopping malls. This can lead to over saturation triggering high level of competition. Thus deeper understanding of consumer expectations, experiences and perceptions regarding mall image has become much more essential. Shopping mall image is critical for patronage decision hence loyalty. For this reason, in this study we have focused on the expectations, experiences and perceptions of high school girls to see what attracts them to the malls. Therefore we designed a qualitative study that includes six focus groups and a questionnaire. The aim was to identify image attributes of participants’ ideal shopping malls, shopping motives and expectations of high school girls. This insight into high school girls’ patronage behavior and motivations will provide academics, mall developers, and retailers with a better understanding of the various components that contribute to the female adolescent mall experience and allow them to study this market segment more effectively.