62% of Israelis visit mall at least once a month
New study reveals Israeli public spends a little less than two hours in each visit to shopping center, buying products for NIS 1,000 in average each month
According to the survey, the Israeli public visits the different malls three or four times a month, spending a little less than two hours at the shopping center each time.
The study was based on a representative sample of the Israeli population and included 1,115 respondents. It found that Israeli households spent NIS 14.6 billion (about $4.2 billion) in total in shopping centers, an average of NIS 1,000 ($288.5) a month.
Most Israelis are loyal to one shopping center with 60% visiting one regular mall and 26% visiting two regular ones.
The main considerations when choosing one's regular mall are its accessibility, how easy it is to orientate in it and whether the parking is convenient.
The study findings show that while most people visit the mall in order to shop, a significant part of the public arrives at the shopping center for recreation purposes, including a social meeting, spending time at a café or restaurant, or going to the movies.
Additional services offered at the mall – including children's playgrounds, cultural activities, sewing workshops, shoemakers' workshops, banks and post offices, clinics and barber's shops – are used less frequently.
Who, why and how often
Israel's weaker populations and those with basic education view the shopping mall as a place offering an array of services and consumer goods, which may not be available to them in other places.
For these populations the mall serves as a public place, where they can spend their free time and hang out with their families, and sometimes also shop. This behavior is also manifested in particularly positive views expressed by these populations in regards to the mall.
The survey also found that people aged 18 to 24 arrive at the mall spontaneously and more frequently (more than four times a month). They usually visit the restaurants and cinema, use the gyms and buy lottery tickets. If they come there to shop, they usually consume clothes, CDs and sports equipment.
People over the age of 45 visit a regular mall, usually three times a month, mostly accompanied by family members. They usually use the mall for child services and clinics and purchase housekeeping-related products.
According to the study, religious people visit the mall less frequently than traditional and secular people, who also spend more time at the mall during each visit. Religious people use the services offered at a mall less frequently and purchase fewer products.
