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Why Do Malls Feel Like Mazes?
- Ffion Collins
- Dec 16
- 2 min read
Early examples of malls have included Trajan's Market in ancient Rome, considered the first shopping mall, and the 19th-century Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. They date back for thousands of years. But in the last hundred years, mall designs have become more and more complex. But why?
The ‘Gruen effect’
Mall designs are intentionally built to create disorientation within shoppers and keep them in the space longer, encouraging impulse buys. The way these malls are designed is known as the ‘Gruen Effect’. It was named after designer Victor Gruen, who designed early shopping malls, and describes how intentional design can shift a shopper's mindset from a specific goal to an overwhelming experience. By exposing shoppers to the stores in a disoriented state, they become more susceptible to advertising and persuasive strategies, which allows for unplanned purchases.
A key example of the Gruen Effect is the store format of IKEA. From the moment customers enter IKEA, there is a very specific path through the store, which is the least direct way to the register. By guiding shoppers down this path, IKEA uses the Gruen effect to persuade shoppers to consider the possibilities of purchasing many of the items on display. A more direct path would expose the customers to less possible products, and therefore be less likely to persuade them to buy.
Psychological pacing
Malls' maze-like layout is also due to psychological pacing. Wide, straight hallways promote swift, deliberate movement, enabling customers to go straight to their goal and depart without delay. Curved paths, divided levels, sharp curves, and well-placed escalators, on the other hand, discreetly slow people down. Malls promote a slower pace by dividing sightlines and establishing times where customers must readjust themselves. The likelihood of window shopping, observing displays, and making impulsive purchases is increased by this slower movement. In essence, the layout changes the rate at which individuals move through the area, transforming a brief errand into a longer, more lucrative stay.
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