The state of shopping malls in Jeddah: a consumer-level structural equation modelling approach to behavioural mall resilience in the context of the “death of the mall” debate

This study examines the consumer-level resilience of shopping malls in Jeddah within the context of the “death of the mall” debate by analysing the consumer-level mechanisms that sustain mall patronage and loyalty. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework, the study investigates how mall environment, image, tenant mix, customer support, and perceived value dimensions influence shoppers’ experiences, attitudes, patronage, and loyalty. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed using data collected from 474 mall shoppers in Jeddah through mall-intercept and online surveys. Because recruitment targeted recent visitors, the sample reflects current mall users rather than lapsed or non-users, and no structural indicators of resilience (such as occupancy, rents, sales, tenant turnover, or footfall) were measured. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that customer support, mall image, and environmental atmospherics are the strongest predictors of shopper attitude, experience, patronage, and loyalty. Patronage significantly mediates the relationship between experience, attitude, and loyalty, supporting a behavioural reinforcement pathway to consumer-level mall resilience. While hedonic and emotional values positively influence behavioural outcomes, utilitarian value remains a significant predictor of patronage, indicating that malls continue to function as both experiential and practical consumption spaces. Because these findings capture consumer-level mechanisms among current mall users rather than structural outcomes, they qualify rather than refute the “death of the mall” thesis and suggest that malls in Jeddah are undergoing adaptive restructuring into socio-spatial environments sustained through relational, symbolic, experiential, and behavioural mechanisms.