Full beach replicas, a farm scene with live baby pigs, and women dressed as mermaids in aquariums are all attractions that have recently found their way into China’s shopping malls as brick-and-mortar locations vie with both each other and online shopping sites.
In a new Wall Street Journal video interview, China Value Retail CEO Mark Israel discusses why this trend is gaining steam in China’s malls. “We’ve passed the time where the consumer cares just about the product or the brands they can find,” he says. “They care about the entire experience.”
In his view, “at the end of the day, if all you want to do is buy something, you can go online. What we offer is the opportunity for a rich emotional experience that you cannot get online.” Watch the embedded video above for the full interview.