I saw a recent report about retail store closures and Gene Simmons (of KISS fame) pointed out that he thinks women in particular are looking for more entertainment or an experience when they shop together, which they often do. I know that when I am not shopping online, I enjoy shopping more at outdoor style malls myself - I like the ability to walk outdoors, breathe fresher air and maybe stop for a coffee or lunch at an outdoor cafe. I also enjoy it when the displays are well done and show off the clothing in their windows - something that seems to be missing more and more.
I recently stepped into a new H&M store and was so disappointed I walked out after less than 2 minutes. It was bland, very brightly lit with harsh white light, devoid of good displays or customer service (staff was busy chatting among themselves) - and filled with cheap synthetic fabric items. Maybe they had some treasures, but they had done nothing to entice me to want to stay long enough to find out. If this was their "intro" to the area for their brand, I can't imagine it working out long term.
This seems to be the same scenario for many stores. Customer service and in store design and display is greatly lacking in particular. I used to work retail when I was a young teen and we were trained to really know the merchandise and expected to go out of our way to assist customers. The window displays were changed weekly or even more often and showcased things we had in stock.
