Global Retailing Essay

The unprecedented growth of malls in the Middle East over the past two decades has seen the region emerging as the best place to shop around the world. Tourists flood the region throughout the year in search of the top-notch products and services. Some of the malls in the Middle East include Dubai Mall, Al Ain Mall, and Yas Mall. Malls have been developed in vast areas of space. This has enabled expansion in accordance with customer demands and emerging trends making them the best malls in the world.

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The interest in malls in the United States has substantially decreased, while at the same time increasing in the Middle East. In recent times, American citizens have exhibited a trend of spending on vacations and technology thus leaving very little for expenditure on items such as clothing (Business Insider, 2016). Additionally, more Americans are choosing to shop online through websites such as Amazon and Alibaba. This has led to a plunge in the sales revenue for malls leading to massive divestment from the retail business. The trends in the United States have not been felt as much in the Middle East, with consumers preferring to visit the numerous malls across the region. Tourists visiting the Middle East also like to enjoy the various options available for the malls in Dubai.

Malls in Dubai are different from those in the United States in that they have redefined the concept of shopping. They have largest and most inclusive malls around the world. For instance, the Dubai mall was built by the union of small cities as opposed to other malls. It includes "an Olympic-size ice rink; the world's largest indoor aquarium; a 155-million-year-old, 24-metre long and 7.6-metre high fossil of the Diplodocus longus from the late Jurassic period" (The National, 2016). Clearly, they have surpassed any standards set by malls in the United States by a huge margin. As malls in the United States struggle to survive, malls in the UAE are expanding to create room for the increase in customers.

Customer service is vital for these malls because of the increase in customers who prefer to shop in malls as well as increased competition in the region. These malls have put the interest of consumers at the forefront by developing a multitude of facilities within the malls and developing other facilities that convenience the customers. For instance, Al Ain Mall is located far away on the border between Al Ain and Oman. Yet despite the distance, they still get customers around the week due to the effort made to deliver premier services. The mall is amply facilitated considering that it provides an approximate leasable space of 110,000 sq metres with upwards of 260 retail outlets. This means that customers can do almost anything within the mall with retailers such as the H&M, Danube, Japanese value chain, and Ace hardware all incorporated into the mall. Clearly, service is important to these malls and this has been precipitated by the increase in competition from emerging malls.

Variety is very important to consumers who frequent the malls, as well as, ample parking space. For instance, Abu Dhabi consumers prefer socializing, having meals at cafes and restaurants, making visits to outdoor spaces, playing sports and trips to amusement parks. Malls that offer these facilities within their structures receive the largest number of customers within the area and from outside. Therefore, consumers consider the variety and parking space before deciding on which malls to visit.

The major learning lesson for me is the fact that the growth of malls in the Middle East has been facilitated by the preference by consumers to visit malls and enjoy their services first-hand as opposed to shopping online. The fact that the malls have been equipped with all manner of facilities ranging from tracking footballs, to large cinema halls and eating joints have also promoted their growth. For this reason, malls in the Middle East continue to stay ahead of the global competition by attracting shoppers from all over the world.

Conclusion

Overall, it is clear that the Middle East has the best malls in the world. There has been a decline in the malls' businesses in the United States owing to factors such as the growth of online shopping and decline in demand for apparel. Malls in the Middle East have developed by incorporating all facilities within their structures hence exceeding customer satisfaction. The Middle East is clearly ahead of the rest of the world by a margin.

References

The National. (2017). If you build it they will stay, research tells Abu Dhabi malls. [online] Available at: https://www.thenational.ae/business/if-you-build-it-they-will-stay-research-tells-abu-dhabi-malls-1.75249 [Accessed 15 Apr. 2018].

The National. (2016). Malls of the UAE: Modern retail through a prism to the past in Al Ain. [online] Available at: https://www.thenational.ae/business/malls-of-the-uae-modern-retail-through-a-prism-to-the-past-in-al-ain-1.191358 [Accessed 15 Apr. 2018].

The National. (2016). Malls of the UAE: The Dubai Mall exceeds standards in service and delivery, not just size. [online] Available at: https://www.thenational.ae/business/malls-of-the-uae-the-dubai-mall-exceeds-standards-in-service-and-delivery-not-just-size-1.173556 [Accessed 15 Apr. 2018].

Business Insider. (2016). American malls are dying faster than you think - and it's about to get even worse. [online] Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/are-malls-really-dying-2016-8?IR=T [Accessed 15 Apr. 2018].