Xian Tse

4.5/5 (2)

Thanks to the rise of social media, we can keep in touch with our friends and families living on the other side of the world, and share our daily activities with them. Not only that, but nowadays it feels like our lives are revolved around the usage of social media and that it has integrated to be a part of our lives. Think about all the times we have spent checking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other social media platforms daily. Nevertheless, there is also a dark side of social media. According to Marsh (2017), almost half of the girls in the UK have experienced some sort of harassment or abuse on social media while 40% of boys have also experienced similar bullying experiences online. Sometimes cyberbullying could be much more worse, resulting cyberbullying victims to take their own lives when they couldn’t stand against the constant online bullying anymore (NoBullying.com, 2017).

tbh

Recently, an app has been created named “Tbh”, the abbreviation of “To Be Honest”, with the goal to encourage teenagers to be kind towards each other. This app has become so popular since its launch 9 weeks ago that it has been downloaded more than 5 million times (Lee, 2017). In fact, Facebook acquired the app recently for an undisclosed fee too, since they believe that they share the same goal of building community and enabling people to share in ways that bring us closer together (Liao, 2017). The cool thing about Tbh is that it allows you to send prewritten complements to your friends as seen on the picture above. How it basically works is that after you import your contact list into the app, the app will show predetermined questions such as “Who has the best smile?” and 3-4 names will pop up. Then you have to answer the question by selecting one your friends who you believe has the best smile. In the end, your friends who are selected will be notified, but who selected them will be kept anonymous.

This app strives to create a positive and interactive environment online, where it encourages users to give each other compliments in a fun and mysterious way. With the introduction of Tbh, I believe that more apps with similar positive interactions will start coming, as it will also help minimize cyberbullying indirectly. What do you think? Would you also like to use Tbh?

Bibliography

Lee, D., 2017. Facebook buys weeks-old app for teens to be nice to each other. [Online]
Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-41646738
[Accessed 18 October 2017].

Liao, S., 2017. Facebook buys app that lets teens send each other compliments. [Online]
Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/16/16485428/facebook-tbh-to-be-honest-acquisition-ios-app
[Accessed 18 October 2017].

Marsh, S., 2017. Half of UK girls are bullied on social media, says survey. [Online]
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/14/half-uk-girls-bullied-social-media-survey
[Accessed 18 October 2017].

NoBullying.com, 2017. The Top Six Unforgettable CyberBullying Cases Ever. [Online]
Available at: http://nobullying.com/six-unforgettable-cyber-bullying-cases/
[Accessed 18 October 2017].

5/5 (2)

After America’s most popular department store Macy’s announced that it would shut down 100 stores across the country, we knew that it was a sign that shopping malls are being killed by online shopping (Peterson, 2017). Shoppers who once spent their hours in stores trying on products and queuing in the line to pay, are now shopping online comparing prices among the competitors and choosing the most ideal time to deliver at their homes. Shopping online is not only convenient and accessible 24/7, but it also provides more options to the consumers and it is much more timesaving. According to Ram (2017), nowadays consumers are much more into shopping for experiences. Millenials have shifted their ways of spending to dining out and traveling. Furthermore, millenials are more driven by the experiences that will make the best social media content (Thompson, 2017). All in all, this group noticed how time is a luxury and prefer to order products online. Malls and retail stores need to wake up soon and realize that in order to stay relevant and grow, they need to adapt and change their strategies.

So will malls be able to overcome this trend and continue to survive? There are several things malls can do to strengthen their position in the retail industry:

Setting up a diverse tenant mix: the once occupied spaces in malls could now be replaced with entertainments, learning zones or food hotspots (Schaefer, 2016). By housing fitness studios, medical offices, beaty salons and grocery stores in the mall, many consumers will find there are more values added in going to a mall that will contribute to their experiences.
Creating a ‘click & collect’ concept: in order to make shopping more convenient for customers, malls could start using the ‘click and collect’ concept. This way, customers could purchase products online and then collect it later at the mall. According to ICSC (2015), consumers who participate in click and collect shopping, they tend to buy additional goods that were not part of their original purchase once they hit the store.
Rolling out mobile apps: malls could start rolling out mobile apps, or upgrading their current apps to be more interactive and customer-focused. For instance, shoppers could use their location and find real-time parking lot spaces on the app, real-time navigations to find certain stores, finding their customer’s loyalty on the app and much more. The app could also personalize offerings and recommendations to the consumers, which in return would likely stimulate consumers to purchase more in the mall or on the app.

With these action points, malls could certainly step up their game and combat the current crisis they are in. I strongly believe that malls would not fade away entirely if they start providing more diversity of products and services within their malls and start embracing technology. Sometimes you would find me hours in a mall because they just have so much to offer: from sitting in a Ferris wheel to joining 2-hours art classes to eating at delicious restaurants. Of course, many malls (especially older and traditional ones) still have to catch up with these ideas and it will take some years before they could fully implement it. Lastly, what are your thoughts regarding malls becoming obsolete? Do you think they will disappear in the future or they will rejuvenate?

Bibliography

Peterson, H., 2017. Macy’s may shut down even more stores. [Online]
Available at: https://www.businessinsider.nl/macys-might-shut-down-more-stores-2017-5/?international=true&r=US
[Accessed 24 September 2017].

Ram, S., 2017. Meeting millennials where they shop: Shaping the future of shopping malls. [Online]
Available at: http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/capital-projects-and-infrastructure/our-insights/meeting-millennials-where-they-shop-shaping-the-future-of-shopping-malls
[Accessed 25 September 2017].

Schaefer, S., 2016. How Malls Will Survive In The Age Of Amazon. [Online]
Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveschaefer/2016/07/08/can-malls-stay-relevant-in-the-age-of-amazon/#30dbda2330b2
[Accessed 25 September 2017].

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), 2016. A Whopping 91 Percent Of Holiday Shoppers Made Purchases In A Physical Store, According To New ICSC Holiday Consumer Purchasing Trends Study. [Online]
Available at: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-whopping-91-percent-of-holiday-shoppers-made-purchases-in-a-physical-store-according-to-new-icsc-holiday-consumer-purchasing-trends-study-300202004.html
[Accessed 26 September 2017].

Thompson, D., 2017. What in the World Is Causing the Retail Meltdown of 2017?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/retail-meltdown-of-2017/522384/
[Accessed 25 September 2017].

Will malls and retail shops soon disappear?

27

Please rate this

19

Please rate this

27

Please rate this