One Festive Ends, Another Begins: Tales of Malaysian Malls

The Art of Constant Change

Whether during Raya Seasons, Chinese New Year or any other celebrations, one thing Malaysian will surely noticed are the mall’s decorations. It can even be overnight completely change from one into another. From a winter wonderlands transformed into a sea of red & gold with Chinese celebrations. Such becoming a norm every year, creating a seamless annual cycle of celebrations. So, why it is so for Malaysia having a lot of different festivals annually?

Malaysia, Truly Asia

Ignore the subtitle above if that doesn’t make sense but yes, Malaysia well-known for it multi-cultural tapestry. As so, the calendar is filled variety of festivals (sometimes including Halloween, Thanksgiving and Mid-Autumn too). This including sales of specific items during those festival seasons. Malls also captivating on such opportunities to start a promos based on the festive seasons (buy above rm50 to get a free ang pao set!). And now we think, what drive every malls to follow such trends? As we already know, malls thrive on maintaining the festive spirit, attracting foot traffic, and encouraging consumer spending.

The Logistics of a Festive Makeover

You might believe that mall decorations take months to prepare, just halfway right there as the switch may just happens in just few days (or even overnight). The planning actually takes months in advance among a dedicated team of designers, event planners, contractors and marketing experts. While some may have a very specific themes throughout the whole mall.

• Design & Concept : Months before a festival, malls choose their theme. Some may goes traditional while some may goes trendy.
• Sourcing Materials : Decorations can be expensive. Some big malls, like Sunway Pyramid or Sunway Velocity, team up with local artisans to create unique handcrafted items, while others bring in materials from overseas.
• Installation & Execution : Most major malls hire contractors who specialize in festive decorations. Teams often work late into the night, sometimes after closing hours, to take down and set up the holiday displays in just a few days.

Usually malls will avoid leaving any blank spaces at all cost. Undecorated mall could mean fewer engagement, social media posts and also less exposure (no Instagramable spots to post). Malls may getting less foot-traffics too as may give the dead mall vibe there.

The Psychology Behind Constant Festive Decor

It’s not just about aesthetics. Retail psychology significantly influences why malls frequently refresh their decorations. Research indicates that consumers tend to spend more when they feel an emotional connection to a particular season. (New year, new cloths, and new you!)

Been to Mid Valley Megamall? Every year during Deepavali, it’s full of colorful rangoli artworks and traditional kolam displays. It really evoke those festive spirits and feelings of nostalgia and cultural pride (it makes me rush to buy a sari even though i’m a guy!). Likewise, the huge giant Christmas tree at Suria KLCC creates a very inviting atmosphere that Christmas just around the corner, encouraging everyone to come buy gifts for your love ones, or just having a nice dinner around.

Social media plays a vital role here in this dynamic. Everyone can’t miss the chance to snap those pretty decorations and share it out. This in turn, boosting mall traffics and likely sales too. As mentioned earlier, this gave the malls some much needed exposures. Alot like to flock around Instagramable hot spots for those sweet sharing.

Is It Worth the Cost?

It’s OK to be curious on how much such malls spend on their everchanging decorations and will there be any recycle. Although the costs usually unknown for most of us (unless you’re part of it), it expected most malls invest millions on this every year. For high end malls like Pavilion or The Gardens, they go big for this with extravagant and over-the-top displays to uphold their premium image. While smaller malls may choose more straightforward or budget-friendly direction.

Despite the high initial costs, the return on investment can be seen through:

• Increased Foot Traffic : Many people come just to admire the decorations, and while they’re there, they tend to shop.
• Boosted Sales During Promotions : Seasonal sales linked to the decorations create a sense of urgency, encouraging shoppers to make purchases before the season wraps up. (Mooncakes during Mid-Autumn!)
• Branding & Social Media Visibility : A beautifully crafted festive display can capture attention online (you’ll see alot of posts!), generating free publicity for the mall.

How Malaysian Malls Compare to the World

Fast-paced, that’s how to describe it. While malls at other places will adapt to festive changes too but not as frequent and only on major festivals.

• China : With CNY as major festive, will go all out on it. While probably didn’t bother to shift to other smaller festive.
• United States (US) : Mall like The Mall of America (Minnesota) will go big on Christmas and all the way through January. They rarely transitioned to other festive.
• Singapore : Have a similar fast festive transition to Malaysia. However not as big scale as megamalls in Malaysia. Singapore malls focuses on efficiency, high-tech solutions, and strategic outdoor attractions (like Orchard Road).

What’s Next? The Future of Malaysian Mall Decorations

As already happening with the emerging technology which continues to evolve. We might soon begun to explore on AR experiences. In the years ahead, we may see an increase in projection mapping, holographic displays, and the recent massive hit, the drone shows that adjusts to various festivals even more seamless.