THE EVALUATION OF CONSUMER SATISFACTION AND EXPECTATION FROM SHOPPING MALLS SUCH A NEW PUBLIC SPHERE

Shopping Centers offer certain advantages to customers such as social activities, lack of car parking problems, security, product variety, and hygiene; these advantages enable them to hold a considerable market share in the retail sector. Shopping centers are also superior in providing their customers with ease and comfort as well as keeping the retail stores alive. Shopping centers, due to the proximity of stores to each other, create a synergy inside, despite the competition among these stores. Despite a considerable number of shopping center oriented studies both at home and abroad, in the literature, a study on determining the level of importance of the factors influencing costumer satisfaction and expectation selection could not be detected.This study looks into the factors that are influential on the preferences for shopping center’s costumers satisfaction and expectation selection and explains these factors through a conceptual model. By means of a comprehensive literature search, the theoretical framework of the factors affecting the causes of preference is established and relevant research questions are chosen. Thus, the theoretical foundations of the model have been created. The field research includes the 7 different types of shopping centers that operate in Istanbul. In this study, among the qualitative research methods, in-depth interview technique and interview form approach are preferred. Interviews have been held with people from shopping center’s costumers pursuing different characteristics. In 7 different shopping center, 420 questionnaires in total have been given by using face-to-face interview technique. The results of the study have been evaluated by applying One-way Analysis of Varience, Factor Analysis and Regressional Analysis. These methods can be defined as the decision-making and estimating method, which gives the percentage distribution of decision points in terms of factors affecting decisions; it is used in the identification of decision hierarchy.The occurrence of a competitive environment with the increase in the number of shopping centers in our country, there is not enough research to provide guidance to investors as well as to enliven the retail industry.This study aims at becoming a source for shopping centre investors, developers, architects and other related disciplines; additionally, expects all these sides to act with the knowledge of what is expected from them.