Let's go out: From malls and movies to music and standup comedy, the idea of an ‘outing’ evolves for Indians
Going out? To a restaurant, for a movie, maybe some time in a mall, or an ice-cream? Well, the average Indian’s concept of an ‘outing’ seems to have undergone a sea change, with experiences catapulting to the top, beating back shopping activities in a mall or plain cinema watching.
The experience economy is here, and it is redefining the way people are spending their leisure time. That was brought home by a new report released by Invest India—the government’s investment promotion agency—along with CBRE, titled ‘Retail Level Up: The Entertainment Edition'.
The experience economy, referring to consumers opting for personal experiential recreational activities, became a talking point in recent months after the craze for concert tickets for the British band Coldplay when they toured India. Along with a string of similar music shows from Diljeet Dosanjh to the Lollapalooza festival’s Mumbai edition, it brought home the fact that Indians are ready to pay up big bucks for the experiences they feel are worth it.
Going further, this new report has shown the extent to which this trend has taken hold of the public imagination, altering previous concepts of recreation being going to a mall or watching a film into anything from adventure sports to amusement parks to even newbie activities like trampoline parks, escape rooms and AR/VR experiences.
Anything from bowling, play zones, escape rooms, and rock climbing are much preferred, especially amongst Gen Z, whereas a relatively smaller portion favours passive experiences such as immersive art, art fairs, museums, and the theatre.
Children’s play zones have also witnessed a surge, including arcade gaming.
Malls are still the go-to when it comes to retail experiences, but hardly for shopping alone. On average, over 65% of the respondents preferred to focus solely on entertainment experiences or combine them with eating and drinking, as per the survey.
While malls remained a top choice, the survey also indicated rising popularity for high streets and standalone experience centres. Nearly 35% of Gen Z respondents preferred high street retail experiences, while 31% of all respondents favoured standalone experience centres.
“The entertainment sector’s growth is redefining retail real estate in India. As consumers increasingly seek experiential engagement, entertainment formats—particularly Family Entertainment Centres and Children Entertainment Centres—are becoming critical to mall strategies,” said Anshuman Magazine, India Chairman & CEO of CBRE.
“We believe the integration of experience-driven formats will be central to the next phase of retail development in India,” he added.
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