The role of gender in shopping mall patronage and management

Abstract

Gender has been a frequently studied variable in the academia, especially for literatures related to shopping, retailing and shopping behaviors. Shopping or window shopping has long been recognized as a ‘feminine’ activity. It is believed that gender stereotyping—man as the husband or father is responsible for earning a living in the working realm, while woman as the wife or mother is responsible for domestic tasks and childcare tasks, is one of the key reasons causing such phenomenon. However, transcendence of gender role is getting more apparent in numerous international metropolis including Hong Kong, which more males are willing to engage in “female activities” such as facial treatment, meanwhile, more women are actively engaging in “male activities” such as watching football and drinking beer. In this regard, this research would like to probe the role of gender on local mall patronage and management through using one of the largest regional malls in town—Cityplaza in Taikoo Shing as sample. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic in town, an online questionnaire survey of sample size 150-200 targeting people aged 18 or above who have visited Cityplaza over the past 6 months number was conducted from February to April 2021 to understand respondents’ mall visiting habits and how male and female customers perceive and weigh different mall attributes and indicators. Hygiene related attributes, shop, brand and F&B diversities and accessibility were found to be the most influential factors to male and female shoppers’ patronage intention, while customer service exerts moderate importance to mall patronage. However, it was surprising to see “atmosphere/physical environment” exerts limited influence on mall patronage to both males and females, this may explain by the typical character traits of Hongkongers—efficiency-oriented and thus less attentive to the details of malls. In short, mall developers and managers are advised to place greater attention and allocate more resources on the hygienic and tenant combination aspects, meanwhile, address the respective needs of males and females, such as providing more female toilet compartments to cope with the long queuing problem. Such that local malls could become greater places for buy and sell, socializing and relaxing.