We are at a time of great transformation in the Indian customer universe, reflected in the rising awareness of and aspirations for consumption of all kinds of goods and services. The retail customer today is firmly in the driving seat and the old adage ‘customer is king’ has never been as true as it is today.

With urbanisation and consumerism gaining ground, organised retail is fast growing in Tier II & Tier III cities. The average consumer is well travelled, constantly connected and is more often than not, aware of new trends, competing brands. To keep this modern consumer captivated, the shopping mall industry is metamorphosing into a consumer engagement space, focusing on experiential retail like never before.

Contemporary malls are providing services and experiences ranging from top notch facilities to entertainment and food, and even organising events and festivals to go the extra mile. There’s virtual reality, artificial intelligence and augmented reality – everything the newage shopper could want. Mall developers are dabbling in digitising services and giving the confident, connected consumer a place where s/he can come to socialise and unwind. The December issue of Shopping Centre News’ brings you a detailed analyses of the need for customer centricity and how for malls, it is not just about offering great customer service, it means offering a great experience
to visitors. There are case studies on how malls have
prospered after implementing more services.

And that’s not all. As the year draws to close, this final edition of 2019 takes a close look at how Indian malls have spent the better part of the last few years on their heels, finding technology solutions for appreciating audiences and in a bid to lure those customers who  have begun shifting to e-commerce due to convenienceand a seemingly endless variety.

As always, we hope you find the issue informed and beneficial. We look forward to seeing you in 2020 with more analytical, path-breaking stories. Do log on to our website,  www.indiaretailing.com to readmore informative articles and analyses on the stage of the global retail and shopping centre industry with an emphasis on India.