How People Shop in China - Case Study Example

Title: How malls affect traditional values in China Even though we still have some shops along the streets, the development of malls has changed the tradition of how people shop in China (A). Over the last three decades we have experience changes along our busy streets as well as local shops in the city. I remember during my young age shopping was done in shops which were not linked under one roof in any way; including bankers, butchers and grocers. This is not the same case in the current world.

The malls have been developed where one can access almost all the products and services he/she wishes to purchase. Someone will can this change ‘modernity.’ Yes, I agree. The chronology of change in shopping tradition can be traced, where supermarkets have appeared and have led to closing down of retail shops in the city, malls have developed and accommodate the supermarkets under one roof. The shopper, who is me and you, can get clothing, hardware products, meals, bank services and other leisure activities under one roof (D).

This is not only amazing, but also shows a new culture of shopping in the contemporary world. My question is, ‘do malls affects traditional values in China?’ Let’s find out together. Clearly, traditional shopping value has been changed; nevertheless, we are in a contemporary society where people can adopt changes from other shoppers around the world (C). I believe the emergence of malls is good news to the consumers and bad news to the retailers in the city streets. Although there is radical development of malls in urban and metropolitan areas in China, retailers in the rural regions are trying to maintain the traditional shopping values of the consumer (A).

Generation Y is the most regular cohort that visits malls in China, and they are the most with a higher buying power for those visiting the malls (B). Generation Y is a group of teenage consumers who spend a lot of time buying putting in mind what they want to buy. The research shows that the teenage consumers are the highest ranked shoppers who spend up to 100 dollars per week. Apparently, malls have brought in ethnic atmosphere which is perceived to be an economic gain to the consumers since they can access what they need to buy within one roof.

Although the consumer may spent a little more money per visit when he/she visits a mall, the relative value at the end of the month will still remain low because of mall convenience (A). I assume that the consumer’s decision on where to shop depends on if he/she is going to get what he/she needs under one roof. This shows that instead of consumer moving from one retailer to another, he/she prefers to move to a mall where he/she can variety of products and services to choose for purchase. Indeed, I consider this as a positive experience to a consumer due to it mall convenience.

The consumer saves time and money at the same time. And as the blog says, ‘the ultimate purpose of a successful economy is to produce consumer goods in large quantities which are easily dumped.’ Malls appear to be a dumping place for consumer goods because of its strong arousing effects. Everything consumable is found in the mall, and no consumer could find everything in the traditional market: the retailers on the streets (B). Have you ever realized that new brands are coming in every year?

The producers are conscious about the demands needs of the consumer, and where to place their product: of course in the malls (C). As tempting as the attractive products and service in the mall, consumers are subjected to perceived obsolesces. When consumers visits the mall perhaps for leisure or shopping, they encounter new environment almost changes every day. If you had bought a product some years ago, you may feel that you have not contributed to the emerged brands in the market. As mentioned, malls are the habitat of new luxury brand products in China and therefore provoke the consumer to perceive the old product he/she has as obsolete.

This is evident that malls are agent of transforming traditional values where consumers in China could buy products for utilitarianism consumption. Apparently, we can’t deny that malls have a powerful influence which can change the mode of consumption from utilitarianism to hedonic. Each of us is exposed to the promotions offered at the malls everyday through print, social or digital media. Traditional shoppers spent most of their time without exposed to these advertisements from the malls.

Have you ever asked yourself what is the point of malls informing us on the promotions? Why do retailers not advertise their products as well? The point is that promotions will convince the customers that with the little they have, apart from what they allocate for shopping, they can get what is being offered in the mall (D). For example, end month promotions often target consumers’ salary. This has made the customers follow the promotions offered in the malls since they want to be part of that cohort that benefit from the products from the mall.

Evidently, malls are perceived as part of urban modernization where consumers adopt the new culture of shopping. They have various facilities which include internal parks for cars where shoppers leave their cars secure and go for shopping in the mall. I believe with this perspective, shopping malls are gradually replacing traditional values because of the social advantage they are giving to the shoppers. Imagine ten customers with cars going to shop from a single retailer in the city; all of them with cars.

Retailers within are given only a small space for parking their cars which may not be enough for ten customers. Customers may need to buy parking tickets in order to access the retailer thus incurring more expense. Malls have spacious parking places which can accommodate more than 20 consumers with cars at ago. Customers, particularly those with cars, will go with their families to shopping malls since they will find a place to park their cars (D). When it comes to modern shopping environment, traditional markets are no way comparable to shopping malls.

A consumer can spend long time without getting bored in the mall. If he/she wants a particular product or service, the mall is there to provide many choices and alternatives; including prices and quality. If a customer gets tired while shopping, he/she has many places within the mall to rest like coffee shop or game club. Basing on this scenario, malls provide a lot of convenience not only to everyone provided a consumer has enough money to experience various departments of the mall. Basically, one can get motivated by the mall environment to increase his/her consumption power regardless of the prices offered at the mall.

The congestion of small shops in the malls selling the same brands of products has increased the attraction of shoppers and visits to the malls as well. This is because these every brand in the mall is an excitement to the customer and it brings a desire of buying. The main goal of mall developers is to ensure that consumers are aroused to the highest level possible so that they can take up the coins from their pockets and buy products. Despite of the presence of traditional retailers in the cities, malls will continue rejuvenating their impacts on traditional value through mainstreaming brands in mall stores.

Retailers outside the mall will continue trying to integrate consumers through collective behavior such as lowering prices and increasing appeal of their products but consumers will remain transformed by the modernity of the malls. Even with the ethnic products, small will continue being a leading source of consumer product because of its image in the society. So you see, the malls ambience has provided a massive satisfactory effect that has affected the traditional values of China people. Consumers have their specific shopping places, they are modernized by the malls, they enjoy a lot of promotions which they consider as providing a comparative gain to their shopping life and above they find malls as major ‘theatre’ of shopping experience.

Some say this is not the case but I say that those who are saying malls do not have effect on traditional values have not experienced the shopping environment to the fullest. Remember, economy has to grow, and for it to grow consumers must use money to consume products produced in the economy and distributed to various malls. As the blog says, ‘a complete circle of products starts with production, distribution to consumption. Malls are there as agent of distributors and the more the exchange in the malls, the more the economy is growing.

Source The Story of Stuff Project,. 'The Story Of Stuff'. N.p., 2007. Web. 4 May 2015.