Study of Impact of Innovative Methods to Engage Consumers in Malls through Entertainment

According to Thompson (1965), "Innovation is the generation, acceptance and implementation of new ideas, processes products or services". Van de Ven, (1986) have stated that "as long as an idea is perceived as new by the people involved, it is innovation". People come to malls not only for product shopping but also recreation. Recreational motives include relaxation, relieving stress, improving mood, meeting new people, diversion from routine and keeping away from loneliness. The paper studies the innovative methods such as fun zones, food courts, live concerts, movie shows, toy trains, contests and mascots to entertain consumers. It examines mall visitors' response to entertainment activities based on family life cycle stage and timing of visit to the mall i.e. weekdays and weekends. Primary data was collected from select malls in Pune and Mumbai through a structured questionnaire. Kendall's W and Kruskal Wallis test were used to analyse the data. The results revealed that preference for entertainment activities differed with stage of family life cycle and timing of the visit The paper has important implications for mall developers in terms of increasing footfalls through consumer participation in entertainment activities and creating a brand differentiator through unique forms of entertainment.