A national survey, conducted by the Geocartography Institute to mark the opening of the Platinum Floor at the Golden Mall this month in Rishon Lezion, shows that 45% of Israelis shop at malls. Respondents explained that shopping in malls, including at booths stationed in the center of the mall, enhances the shopping experience.

Furthermore: The primary perceived advantage of the mall is the ability to form an impression of and try on the products, in addition to the variety of brands located in one place that provide a sense of immediate gratification. 18% shop on international websites, and a similar percentage shop in open-air commercial centers.

It turns out that despite the significantly more comfortable prices when shopping on international websites, Israelis have quite a few reservations: 32% of respondents noted that the inability to try on and experience clothing bothers them, 16% noted the difficulty and cumbersome nature of returns and exchanges, and 11% noted the long shipping times (sometimes more than a month).

11% complain about shipping costs and taxes (despite the VAT exemption on these purchases); 10% explained that sizes, usually of clothing from Eastern countries, are smaller than sizes in Israel; 8% claimed that the images appearing on the websites do not match the products in reality, and 7% expressed concern over credit card fraud. Despite all this – only 13% shop on Israeli websites.

It also turns out that the average monthly expenditure in the mall is NIS 544 per month. 64% spend up to NIS 500 a month, 25% up to NIS 1,000, and 8.5% up to NIS 2,000 a month. The number of women in this category is twice the number of men.