Whether during Raya Seasons, Chinese New Year or any other celebrations, one thing Malaysian will surely noticed are the mall's decorations. It can even be overnight completely change from one into another. From a winter wonderlands transformed into a sea of red & gold with Chinese celebrations. Such becoming a norm every year, creating a seamless annual cycle of celebrations. So, why it is so for Malaysia having a lot of different festivals annually?
Ignore the subtitle above if that doesn't make sense but yes, Malaysia well-known for it multi-cultural tapestry. As so, the calendar is filled variety of festivals (sometimes including Halloween, Thanksgiving and Mid-Autumn too). This including sales of specific items during those festival seasons. Malls also captivating on such opportunities to start a promos based on the festive seasons (buy above rm50 to get a free ang pao set!). And now we think, what drive every malls to follow such trends? As we already know, malls thrive on maintaining the festive spirit, attracting foot traffic, and encouraging consumer spending.
A giant Christmas tree at Suria KLCC during Christmas
You might believe that mall decorations take months to prepare, just halfway right there as the switch may just happens in just few days (or even overnight). The planning actually takes months in advance among a dedicated team of designers, event planners, contractors and marketing experts. While some may have a very specific themes throughout the whole mall.
Usually malls will avoid leaving any blank spaces at all cost. Undecorated mall could mean fewer engagement, social media posts and also less exposure (no Instagramable spots to post). Malls may getting less foot-traffics too as may give the dead mall vibe there.
It’s not just about aesthetics. Retail psychology significantly influences why malls frequently refresh their decorations. Research indicates that consumers tend to spend more when they feel an emotional connection to a particular season. (New year, new cloths, and new you!)
Been to Mid Valley Megamall? Every year during Deepavali, it's full of colorful rangoli artworks and traditional kolam displays. It really evoke those festive spirits and feelings of nostalgia and cultural pride (it makes me rush to buy a sari even though i'm a guy!). Likewise, the huge giant Christmas tree at Suria KLCC creates a very inviting atmosphere that Christmas just around the corner, encouraging everyone to come buy gifts for your love ones, or just having a nice dinner around.
Social media plays a vital role here in this dynamic. Everyone can't miss the chance to snap those pretty decorations and share it out. This in turn, boosting mall traffics and likely sales too. As mentioned earlier, this gave the malls some much needed exposures. Alot like to flock around Instagramable hot spots for those sweet sharing.
Deepavali Decorations at TRX
It's OK to be curious on how much such malls spend on their everchanging decorations and will there be any recycle. Although the costs usually unknown for most of us (unless you're part of it), it expected most malls invest millions on this every year. For high end malls like Pavilion or The Gardens, they go big for this with extravagant and over-the-top displays to uphold their premium image. While smaller malls may choose more straightforward or budget-friendly direction.