The selfie bug has caught the imagination of the younger generation, and how! You could never ever miss those trigger-happy types at malls, restaurants, historical monuments, picnic spots and even the local zoo, posing before their own cellphone cameras in order to take a perfect snap of themselves.
Mall owners have been quick to recognise the money-spinner this new fad can turn out to be. Quite a few are now aiming to increase footfalls by setting up selfie-friendly zones where individuals can pose, capture and post images on social media. The move is expected to boost social media marketing and online marketing of malls.
According to an Economics Times report, Delhi's Select CityWalk has spent about Rs 1.5-2 crore, or 15-20 per cent of its annual marketing budget, to create temporary selfie booths. The report also quoted Executive Director of CityWalk, Yogeshwar Sharma, as saying that he often notices fitness freaks taking snaps around selfie booths before they hit the gym in the morning. "We will increase our investments on this by 10 per cent next year," Sharma said.
Down South, several malls in Bengaluru are also planning to build selfie zones. Inorbit Mall, Forum Mall and The Collection are renovating to have these structures built. "This (creation of selfie spots) is in fact now a part of our pitch to architects for the design," Suresh Singaravelu, executive director of retail at Prestige Estates Projects, which owns South India Forum malls and UB City's luxury mall said.
The Inorbit Malls in Hyderabad and Mumbai will also create dedicated selfie spots soon. "We did some research and found that this helps in driving footfalls and showcase brands," Rajneesh Mahajan, executive director of Inorbit Malls was quoted as saying.
Even previously, during festive seasons such as Christmas and Diwali, malls appeared embellished with Christmas trees and huge diyas, giving visitors a reason to gleefully click selfies around the decorated spaces in order to capture the eye-catching visuals.
The big question, however, is whether this new gimmick will translate into more sales for the posh shopping zones. Experts feel that while the footfalls may increase, sales may not improve in sync with the investments made in these dedicated zones.
Managing director of Arvind Lifestyle Brands, which owns brands such as Gap and Arrow, concurs. He said selfie booths can "keep the interest levels among consumers high" but he does not think that they will help boost sales.
Mall owners have been quick to recognise the money-spinner this new fad can turn out to be. Quite a few are now aiming to increase footfalls by setting up selfie-friendly zones where individuals can pose, capture and post images on social media. The move is expected to boost social media marketing and online marketing of malls.
According to an Economics Times report, Delhi's Select CityWalk has spent about Rs 1.5-2 crore, or 15-20 per cent of its annual marketing budget, to create temporary selfie booths. The report also quoted Executive Director of CityWalk, Yogeshwar Sharma, as saying that he often notices fitness freaks taking snaps around selfie booths before they hit the gym in the morning. "We will increase our investments on this by 10 per cent next year," Sharma said.
Down South, several malls in Bengaluru are also planning to build selfie zones. Inorbit Mall, Forum Mall and The Collection are renovating to have these structures built. "This (creation of selfie spots) is in fact now a part of our pitch to architects for the design," Suresh Singaravelu, executive director of retail at Prestige Estates Projects, which owns South India Forum malls and UB City's luxury mall said.
The Inorbit Malls in Hyderabad and Mumbai will also create dedicated selfie spots soon. "We did some research and found that this helps in driving footfalls and showcase brands," Rajneesh Mahajan, executive director of Inorbit Malls was quoted as saying.
Even previously, during festive seasons such as Christmas and Diwali, malls appeared embellished with Christmas trees and huge diyas, giving visitors a reason to gleefully click selfies around the decorated spaces in order to capture the eye-catching visuals.
The big question, however, is whether this new gimmick will translate into more sales for the posh shopping zones. Experts feel that while the footfalls may increase, sales may not improve in sync with the investments made in these dedicated zones.
Managing director of Arvind Lifestyle Brands, which owns brands such as Gap and Arrow, concurs. He said selfie booths can "keep the interest levels among consumers high" but he does not think that they will help boost sales.