The Influence of Entertainment Marketing and Customer Attraction by Shopping Malls in Nairobi

Abstract

In this increasingly competitive global environment, entertainment marketing has become more relevant for the shopping malls. The research in the area of shopping mall is very limited in Kenya .The connection between entertainment marketing practices and customer attraction has been of interest in performance of shopping malls in Nairobi. It is against this background that this research was carried out to establish the extent to which entertainment strategies are used by shopping malls in Nairobi to attract consumers who seek fun and enjoyment through their mall activities. These attractiveness attributes covered seven factors. The research target population was ten shopping malls and respondents consisted of marketing managers, tenants and shoppers. A descriptive research design was used and primary data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires which were filled using center intercept interviews approach following systematic sampling. Three objectives were examined. The most important finding showed that all seven factors have a positive effect on customer attraction to a shopping mall in the Nairobi market; that positive experiences result in repeat business; and that entertainment can be an effective strategy of increasing customer visits and shopping malls performance. Further to this marketing of entertainment was perceived to encounter unique challenges in implementing the marketing tools. The research limitation was that the study was limited to Nairobi. Future research should study the moderating effect of variables such as brand image, the variety of stores, location and shoppers pursuing particular goods and services who are not generally drawn to entertainment activities.