Shoppers' Perceptions of Retail Developments: Suburban Shopping Centres and Night Markets in Singapore

Abstract

Over the last decade, pasar malam or night markets have been

making thei r presence felt within the suburban public housing

estates in Singapore. Similarly, suburban shopping centres have

been sprouting up within public housing estates and situated

next to mass rapid transit (MRT ) and light rail transit (LRT )

stations, bus stops and interchang es. Bothpasar malam and

suburban shoppin g centres belong to di fferent components of

the retail marketing system: the former belong to the bazaar

sector while the latter belong to the firm-centred sector. In view

of their differences , using a sequential mixed method approa ch

involving a qualitative/qua ntitative sequence, this paper

examines the different profi les of the shoppers and the link to

their perceptions of different types of retail development. The

findings suggest that prop erty developers and retailers need to

have a better understanding of their local markets in order to

develop an appropriate 'experience'/product mix to cater for the

shoppers within the catchment area.

Keywords:

percep tions, subu rban shopp ing centre s, nigh t mark ets, Singapore,

shoppers, demogr aphics

BACKGROUND

The economies operating in the world can be generally classified

into either firm-centred economies or bazaar economies. The firm-Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim

Departmen t o f R eal Estate

School of Design and Envir onment

Nat ional University of Singapore

4 A rchi tecture Drive

Singapore 117566

Tel: +65 6874 6901

Fax: +65 6774 8684

E-mail: faish al@nus.edu.sg

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Firm-centred and

bazaar econom ies

McGee's three-stage

model

Night markets

Suburban shop ping

centres

centred economy is 'where trade and industry occur through a set

of impersonally defined social institutions which organise a variety

of specialised occupations with respect to some particular

production or distributive end'.

1

The bazaar economy is one in

which the total flow of commerce is fragmented into a very great

number of unrelated person-to-person transactions. This sort of

economy is based on the independent activities of a set of highly

competitive commodity traders who relate to one another mainly

by means of an incredible volume of ad hoc acts of exchange.

2

The main distinction between the two sectors is that the firm-centred sector is capital intensive whereas the bazaar sector is

labour intensive. Another significant distinction is that the former

is, by organisation and character, sedentary, while the latter is

mobile. By definition, mobility in the bazaar sector is a mark of

differentiation that distinguishes it from its sedentary firm-centred

counterpart.

3

Depending on the stage of economic development, a country can

have both these components of the economy existing in

equilibrium, or with one in decline and the other thriving.

According to McGee's three-stage model,

4

the third stage of the

model will see the firm-type sector overriding the bazaar sector in

an economy. Singapore has arrived at this 'third stage' as its bazaar

sector is almost completely subordinated by the firm-type sector

save for periodic staging of bazaar-sector retailing entities during

festive holidays and/or for the purpose of attracting tourists.

The dichotomisation of the marketing system in Singapore into a

firm-centred economy and a bazaar economy has been taking place

since the earliest days when commerce began on the island.

5

The

bazaar sector on the island is manifested in the form of travelling

night markets orpasar malam, as they are locally and frequently

called. The first travelling night market was set up in the early

1950s. In 1978, however, a ban was imposed on the travelling night

markets, but in 1991 they made a comeback to the local marketing

scene within public housing estates and have since been a common

feature in public housing estates.

Over the last decade,