Malls go wi-fi to make you hang around
How did eateries ensure a busy kitchen during the lean hours - morning hours or late afternoon? They turned wi-fi. The strategy has been aggressively adopted by mall owners across the country.
By Mahima Puri, TNN |
AHMEDABAD: How did eateries ensure a busy kitchen during the lean hours — morning hours or late afternoon? They turned wi-fi. The strategy has been aggressively adopted by mall owners across the country. Malls across Bangalore, Mumbai and Ahmedabad have gone wi-fi to ensure executives and students spend more time in the mall. The longer time spent inside the mall translates into more purchases, say mall owners.
If earlier malls went innovative and introduced play zones for children to attract families, they are now providing a perfect work ambience for executives who can continue with their business while their families shop. And at a cost ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2 lakh, it’s not a tough bet for the mall owners. In Mumbai, at least two malls, Inorbit Mall and Infinity Mall, are w-fi enabled, whereas in Bangalore, Forum Mall provides the facility.
"We have got tremendous response since we installed wi-fi system two months back, especially from young adults," says brand manager Forum Merveil Varghese.
In Ahmedabad, which is in the midst of a mall revolution, as many as three have already gone wi-fi. Iscon Mega Mall, Himalaya Mall, Gallops, to name a few. The concept is already a hit in a number of food joints across Ahmedabad.
"Young executives have thronged our outlets since we provided the facility. In fact, people mostly come here to access the Net, food has become our secondary product," says Mint director Pinoy Pandya. “We are in the process of installing a Wi-fi system in the mall. It’s an added facility we decided to provide our customers,” says mall manager Iscon Mega Mall Vikram Guleria. When asked if people bring in their laptops to malls he said, “We have seen a few people with their laptops. Hopefully, the numbers will pick up once the service is provided.”
Most of the malls will provide the service complementary to its customers. The infrastructure cost can be anywhere between Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh, depending on the area being covered. Retail giants may also want to limit the access to a few areas like the Central Atrium or food courts.
As of now, there are a few wi-fi providers in the city who set up the infrastructure, and the bandwidth. Tata Indicom, Bharti Airtel and Reliance are a few such players. According to Darpan Garg, regional operations manager, VSNL, Gujarat, “A lot of mall developers have approached us to set up wi-fi infrastructure, and the numbers are increasing everyday. We are undergoing negotiations for the same. In fact, cineplexes like Wide Angle (in Ahmedabad) are also thinking of enabling their arena with wi-fi.” When asked if the concept would be well-received among the people, he said,” Malls will have to provide special seating areas, where young executives can work on laptops while their wives shop or kids play."
If earlier malls went innovative and introduced play zones for children to attract families, they are now providing a perfect work ambience for executives who can continue with their business while their families shop. And at a cost ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2 lakh, it’s not a tough bet for the mall owners. In Mumbai, at least two malls, Inorbit Mall and Infinity Mall, are w-fi enabled, whereas in Bangalore, Forum Mall provides the facility.
"We have got tremendous response since we installed wi-fi system two months back, especially from young adults," says brand manager Forum Merveil Varghese.
In Ahmedabad, which is in the midst of a mall revolution, as many as three have already gone wi-fi. Iscon Mega Mall, Himalaya Mall, Gallops, to name a few. The concept is already a hit in a number of food joints across Ahmedabad.
"Young executives have thronged our outlets since we provided the facility. In fact, people mostly come here to access the Net, food has become our secondary product," says Mint director Pinoy Pandya. “We are in the process of installing a Wi-fi system in the mall. It’s an added facility we decided to provide our customers,” says mall manager Iscon Mega Mall Vikram Guleria. When asked if people bring in their laptops to malls he said, “We have seen a few people with their laptops. Hopefully, the numbers will pick up once the service is provided.”
Most of the malls will provide the service complementary to its customers. The infrastructure cost can be anywhere between Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh, depending on the area being covered. Retail giants may also want to limit the access to a few areas like the Central Atrium or food courts.
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As of now, there are a few wi-fi providers in the city who set up the infrastructure, and the bandwidth. Tata Indicom, Bharti Airtel and Reliance are a few such players. According to Darpan Garg, regional operations manager, VSNL, Gujarat, “A lot of mall developers have approached us to set up wi-fi infrastructure, and the numbers are increasing everyday. We are undergoing negotiations for the same. In fact, cineplexes like Wide Angle (in Ahmedabad) are also thinking of enabling their arena with wi-fi.” When asked if the concept would be well-received among the people, he said,” Malls will have to provide special seating areas, where young executives can work on laptops while their wives shop or kids play."
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