Understanding patrons' participation in activities at entertainment malls : A study in “flow”

Purpose – This paper aims to apply concepts from “flow” paradigm to examine factors contributing to participation in entertainment and shopping activities at, and future patronage intent toward, entertainment shopping malls. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 342 consumers via mall intercepts conducted at two major entertainment shopping malls located in major metropolitan areas in the US states of Arizona and California. A self‐administered questionnaire was provided to subjects to complete while shopping at the mall. Data analysis was conducted using standard error of mean. Findings – Supporting flow theory, results suggest that future mall patronage intention is most directly influenced by participation in mall entertainment activities followed by shopping activities. Entertainment and shopping participation are indirectly and positively influenced by patrons' intrinsic motivations, freedom of choice to patronize the mall, and perceptions of challenges and skills in participating in mall activities through their effects on mood states. Research limitations/implications – Results demonstrated that mall patrons do experience “flow‐like” mood states which influence activity levels in pursuing both mall entertainment and shopping. A study limitation included the focus on one mood state which pointed toward a need to investigate other mood states of mall shoppers. Originality/value – This paper examines four antecedents, derived from flow theory, that may influence entertainment mall patrons' flow‐type mood states which, in turn, may drive their participation in mall shopping and entertainment activities.