The essay is an attempt to investigate how customers shopping at MetroCity differ from those shopping at the Kanyon, two of the leading shopping malls in Istanbul, Turkey. The writer deemed it appropriate to investigate these two malls in particular because of their unique situation: the two shopping malls are situated side by side. In order to achieve this, the essay shall endeavor to assess the differences in the shopping characteristics of customers visiting the two malls, and how these variations could influence the choice of the shopping mall.
Having lived in Istanbul for several years I have witnessed the constant development of new shopping malls around the city. The development of these malls in Istanbul is a result of urbanization, leading to growth in population, and hence an increase in demand for easily accessible and compact leisure centres such as malls.
Malls do not only provide various shops but also leisure facilities such as gyms and cinemas. However, In Istanbul, almost none of the several malls are located in the same region and as such the fact that Kanyon and MetroCity are not only in the same region but only a couple of hundred meters apart grabbed my attention. In this essay I will be looking at the various features of a mall that attract customers, including the differences in the design of the two malls, the services offered, as well as the similarities and differences in goods sold. Ultimately the study endeavors to reveal whether the two malls target certain groups of customers.
Kanyon has been designed with the high socio-economic group in mind, while MetroCity mainly targets the middle class consumers. Kanyon has been designed as an open-air shopping mall and started its operations 3 years after MetroCity.
