Malls do their best to lure shoppers but remain vigilant

Malls do their best to lure shoppers but remain vigilant

Rudijanto
Contributor
Jakarta

Not even bomb threats can stop shoppers from flocking to
Indonesian malls during the months of November and December, as
their only concern is to get everything they need to celebrate
Idul Fitri, Christmas and the New Year.

The third and fourth weeks of November are expected to be the
peak of the shopping season, as this is the period when people
will be frantic to find everything they need to celebrate Idul
Fitri.

This frantic buying not only makes the malls crowded but even
the roads leading to malls are expected to experience heavy
traffic as waves of cars from all over the city crash down on
them.

While the police are busy taking preventive measures to
prevent terrorist attacks, shoppers don't seem to pay too much
attention to the possibility of terrorist attacks on public
places since their only intention is to shop for Idul Fitri and
to take advantage of the sales. With more people arriving at
malls, most mall owners expect transactions to rise drastically.

Though not revealing exact figures, Bandung Super Mall's
advertising and promotion manager Linda Tampi said here last week
that this year's transactions would increase from previous year
due to routinely held customer reward programs at BSM.

PT Mega Pasaraya Nusakarya (Mega Pasaraya) public relations
manager Dian Anggraeni Zulkarnain also saw a similar trend. Since
the start of Ramadhan, the number of visitors had been increasing
and was double the numbers in previous months, she added.

With the peak season on the 14th day of Ramadhan, she expects
a drastic increase in the number of visitors on Sunday, November
16. Though transactions will increase during this month, Dian
said that the level of transactions would remain the same as last
year.

"We expect the same level of transaction as last year's
transactions because the purchasing power of people has remained
stable," said Dian.

To anticipate the sudden flow of visitors that potentially
could create heavy traffic jams, Mega Pasaraya in Blok M, South
Jakarta, has enlarged the parking area capacity from 1,500 to
3,000 cars. To add more parking spaces, all employees' cars have
been transferred to another location.

Besides creating more space and a sense of security for
visitors, malls also have various programs to draw more visitors.
Since the majority of Indonesians are Muslims, all malls are
putting on Ramadhan-related events this month.

In cooperation with the Malaysian Tourism Board, Mall Taman
Anggrek (MTA) in Tomang, West Jakarta, is presenting a program
called Hari Raya Aidil Fitri from Oct. 31 to Nov. 30. The program
has various attractions, including Islamic music and calligraphy
demonstrations. It was opened by no less than Malaysian
Ambassador to Indonesia Dato' Hamidon Ali.

"We are presenting Islamic culture in Malaysia such as Mesjid
Zahir, Alor Setar Kedah and the Sultan Hamid Building. We also
are putting on Malaysian and Indonesian stages performances every
day. The other thing is that we have a ball pool with pyramid
design for children," said Dessy Tanumihardjo, MTA's advertising
and public relations coordinator

MTA also has a Ramadhan Bazaar with various religious-related
items and attractive Idul Fitri presents.

"For certain, we hope that our visitors not only will enjoy
the shows but also can satisfy all their Lebaran needs here,"
Dessy said, using the Indonesian word for Idul Fitri.

Ramadhan has also inspired Mega Pasaraya to open the Buffet
Ramadhan Nusantara, which has a special menu with foods from all
around Indonesia. Mega Pasaraya has added 1,000 seats to its food
court to accommodate those who want to break their fast at the
mall.

While there is a definite Islamic vibe in malls, shoppers will
also be pleased with all the discount programs now being offered.
Mega Pasaraya is offering discounts of up to 50 percent for this
year's Idul Fitri sale.

By cooperating with banks and other financial institutions,
malls are able to provide additional benefits to shoppers. Lucky
draws and discount points for certain banks' or financial
institutions' cardholders provide more incentive for customers to
buy more.

BSM is among the malls using this strategy. In cooperation
with Standard Chartered Bank, BSM has launched a program called
"Year-End Shopping Becomes More Profitable with Special Discounts
and Direct Prizes" for BSM and Standard Chartered cardholders.

Some malls are even extending their sales programs through
next year's Chinese New Year in February, which is considered
another peak shopping season. The MTA is holding the MTA Lucky
Shoppers program from Oct. 31 to Feb. 1, 2004. One lucky shopper
will win a grand prize of a BMW 318i.

However, since the majority of Indonesians are Muslim, most
malls consider Idul Fitri the peak of shopping season of the
year. No wonder then that this November will be the busiest month
for malls and shopping centers throughout the nation.

Seemingly, people have forgotten the bombing threats that have
continued to haunt the nation since the Bali blasts and the JW
Marriott explosion.

"There has been no impact from the bomb threat on the number
of customers visiting the Bandung Super Mal," said Linda.

However, almost all malls have increased their alertness and
security measures.