Shoppers start flocking to shopping malls

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.