SINGAPORE — As the Covid-19 rules in Singapore were progressively eased this year, Ms Melody Ann Gibson decided to resume one of her favourite pastimes which she had to put on hold for over two years: in-store shopping.
These days, the 26-year-old interior designer finds herself heading out to the malls a little earlier when she makes an appointment to meet her friends.“There's definitely this desire to just get myself out there,” said Ms Gibson, who estimates that she goes window shopping about three to four times a week now.
“I think what draws me to workshops is that I can customise things exactly to what I like, and I would know that no one else in Singapore would have it as well,” she said. Ms Lee said, however, that even before the pandemic hit Singapore’s shores, there was already talk within the industry in 2019 about the concept of experiential retail because “people were bored by transactional malls”.
Otherwise, they will have to lower their prices, though there is only so much they can do so without hurting their bottom line due to higher overhead costs, he said. Said Mr Sachet: “Now, post-pandemic, we have observed another shift in consumer behaviour where shoppers are adopting a mix of physical and online shopping but expecting personalisation and differentiation from brands.
She said that in the past, people would go to a place of worship, or to some other community gathering spot, to have conversations with their neighbours. Mr Chean said that the aquascaping community is not large, and it is daunting for anyone trying to get into the craft of arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks and other natural elements, in an aquarium tank due to the sheer amount of information available.
In the centre is a cushioned bench for visitors to sit and admire the works of art — much akin to a museum. “It’s better for us to focus on relationship building than hard selling. No one wants to be forced to buy something. It drives them away,” said Mr Chean. A 2019 press release from Funan’s landlord, CapitaLand, described the mall as a place for “experiential and activity-based retail” that includes an indoor rock-climbing wall and an indoor cycling path.Between Funan and Jewel, the experts interviewed had little doubt that it is the latter which is a runaway success and a better example of experiential shopping done right.
At least one business at Funan said there have been months when its revenue is in the red, while TODAY spotted other stores that have already shuttered. Suburban malls, for instance, are unlikely to need it as they serve a “utilitarian function”, said Prof Loh. The 53-year-old, who runs the shop with one other employee, said: “For retailers like us, we hardly have the time also. When you’re in the mall, you start work at 11am and close at 9pm. Then there is the issue of manpower. All these are costs.”