Reflections

Analyzing “Dubai- A city of malls, souks and shoppers!”, Our Experience with a collection of facts & figures

Dubai is truly a magical land….Not only because of oil wells and beautiful sand dunes but also because of its major developments in the retail and tourism industry in the recent 20 years. We witnessed the newly emerged little world town- Dubai, with amazing skyscrapers and fascinating malls.

The rich Arabs spend their money abundantly everywhere and foreign nationals apply their brains to utilize the opportunity to make money. Their main business is to keep entertaining people residing in UAE, attract tourists to this land, and of course earn profits by doing so.

We began our stay there by observing the nitty-gritty in the launch promotions of the world’s largest mall- ‘The Dubai Mall’ and ended our knowledge trip by on looking the launch day of Dubai Summer Surprises 2009 in the great ‘Mall of Emirates’. Both the events were one of its kind and a must see for fresh marketers stepping into fashion, retail, tourism, hospitality and entertainment industry as well. The days went by and we kept visiting malls, souks, market areas, hotels, resorts, Desert Safari, beaches and every such place where there is a possibility for marketers to please their creative urges.

Be it a ‘Deira city centre’ which is one of the oldest and convenient shopping place, housing value brands till the hi- end ones at one place, or a mall like Mercato possessing an architecture which resembles Greek culture architecture, making the Europeans feel at home. The busiest road E 11, better known as the Sheikh Zayed road, has a Times square known for its bowling and Ice café, an ‘Ibn Batutta Mall’ which is named after great the Arab traveler, mesmerizing all the visitors with the themes of six different countries. This road also has an ‘Oasis center mall’ which has an old-got-burnt-&-turned into-new tag attracting great footfalls in the new version. The newly opened ‘Dubai mall’ has a ubiquitous catchment area, with a remarkable malls-within-a-mall concept comprising a huge Gold souk, a dedicated fashion avenue, a heritage mall, endless brands, amazing food court with an out-and-out kids floor selling luxurious kids brands, always jam packed with mom dad and kids on their skating shoes! It also has the world’s largest walk in aquarium & underwater zoo, an ice rink, a kids zone and a waterfall..phewww!!! You name it and they have it to please you and your family. There’s an another mall which is experienced in entertaining its visitors and giving a absolute fun and shopping package for the family which is the ‘Mall of Emirates’ sheltering the Ski Dubai, an ice resort, which magnetizes people of Dubai to come and enjoy ice games in sizzling summers. The sophisticated ‘Wafi Mall’ has an Egyptian exterior and is in the shape of a pyramid where celebrities from all over the world drop in often to shop for luxurious brands and designer wear. Another one in Bur dubai, named ‘Burjuman’, the oldest mall of Dubai gives competition to Wafi as this one also has ‘Saks Fifth Avenue’ which is like an MBO of kuxury brands. Burjuman also has mid segment brands and is an attraction for sports lovers, with a big multiplex sized screen telecasting live cricket matches. This city of malls also has ‘Dubai Festival City’ anchored by Ikea and Hyper Panda- hypermarket and is a major attraction for mothers and children with a beautiful water front and an amusement park at another end.

All the malls in Dubai have distinct characteristics and diverse ways of attracting people. Every mall is doing wonders in terms of footfalls and conversions, and they get nearly doubled up on weekends as we noticed that there is a craze within people to move out of their shelters on Fridays and Saturdays. Not only malls, but market places like Meena Bazaar, Al Karama, Bur Dubai, Mirdiff Uptown are also doing great business through value seeking customers and people who love to scroll out in evenings to enjoy the real weather of Dubai.

It was a great learning experience to view and understand the overwhelming malls and the brands play within this city. Overall, Dubai is a marketer’s dream place to work upon not only because of the above mentioned reasons but also because of the government policies and framework which we have elaborated in the full report along with some other facts.
Read on to know the Real Dubai………….