Arricano's top management has secretly made purchases at Prospekt shopping mall's stores.

You were choosing something for a long time and bought something else, tried on hundred times, and left with nothing, went for pajamas and bought a swimsuit, five dresses and two coats. Sounds familiar? There are hundreds of purchase scenarios and only professionals have the answer to the question "how to give pleasure from shopping".

"I'm preparing a stress test for the sellers. I'll ask them about the jeans fabric's molecular structure", jokes Oleksandr Nemer, the IT-Director of Arricano. He will have to buy jeans in one of Prospekt shopping mall's stores. Eleven top managers are ready to go shopping. They will have to make different purchases, and they have equal task - to understand how pleasant is it to be a buyer in a shopping mall, operated by the Arricano team.

The findings of the study will help to create successful scenarios for Arricano tenants-partners' development. "We go shopping like ordinary buyers, and now we have also prepared ourselves - we learned professional nuances to draw attention to really important aspects of the work of the seller and the store as a whole. The main task for us is to explore the possibilities of "buyer-seller" interaction positive experience. Because a person returns only to the store with which he has positive emotions. And, of course, it would be better, if it was a store in our shopping mall", says Nataliia Dmytrenko, the company's Marketing Director.

"A year ago, the shopping mall sellers' competence was not on a very high level" - with such words Inna Sotnikova, Director of Prospekt shopping mall, anticipates her shopping trip. "I've almost bought the handbag", she said about her shopping experience, where she was recognized. In another shop, nobody paid attention to her. "The sellers’ professionalism is the main thing that catches the buyer. If they paid attention to me, I would undoubtedly become their customer", - emphasizes Inna.

The same situation is in the children's toys stores. A huge number of buyers - and sellers are lost, a few buyers - there are no sellers at all in the salesroom. Janus Saarlaid, the COO, hasn't bought toys for his children, but has bought a coat for himself in the shopping mall. "I found what I wanted for my children, but, frankly, I met a cold attitude in the shops. I'll be back for the toys next time, probably", reflects Saarlayd.

A "home" service was expected from the jewelry boutiques, but only Pandora didn't upset and showed the service at an acceptable level. "The single drawback for all - they do not present the goods on velvet ribbons, do not present them in gloves. As a result, the product looks dejected, unpresentable, boring", - surprised Tetiana Burkatska, Business Development Director.

The choice of underwear is an even more delicate process than the choice of jewelry. The offer of such goods at Prospekt shopping mall was at a high level: here you can find exquisite underwear, and everyday practical options. "I bought everything I wanted, and the best service was in Womеn Secret and Intimissimi", Dmytrenko says. 

"I’m delighted! I've bought two coats, although I was going for a business suit, but I couldn't tear off my sight from them, so I took them - two at once! And you can buy costumes in any store", - Viktoria Baliuk, the Head of the Legal Department for Work with Non-Residents, purposefully was going to NAMES'UA. Maya Antonova, the Head of the Administrative Department, was accompanying her, who explained the choice of the store by the fact that it is necessary to go for new items for the wardrobe, where the pleasant impressions from the purchasing have already been received. Maya was looking for new clothes for her son. During her trip on the shopping mall's second floor, where the shops with goods for children are located, she had to compete for the sellers' attention to herself. As a result, Maya bought books and educational toys.

Stanislav Shulga, Deputy Director of the Retail Space Department, was strictly following the task and explored the men's fashion stores, while searching for a better suit for him. "I've visited three stores - Arber, Paco Lorente, Vaismann. I've got attention in all of them, In fact, I liked the service, I was pleased with their work. Way to go and keep improving", - Stanislav impressed.

Olena Obukhivska, Arricano's PR-manager, can be called a professional buyer. She often goes shopping and likes to communicate with sellers:

"Due to spring season I want to explore all the nuances of shoe fashion now. How can you stay without a new pair of beautiful and comfortable shoes?" As a result, she has visited Munchen and Intertop stores, where she learned that this season's trend is a stylish white sole and blue shades. "The main thing is to choose comfortable and high-quality shoes, with a comfortable last, soft insole and strong back", - Olena was pleased with everything.

Anna Chubotina, Director of the Retail Space Department, went to explore the spring dresses proposal. She wanted to feel how the service level at the shopping mall corresponds to her own ideas about the standards. And she remained disappointed - all the shops, which she has visited, and those were Must Have, Mohito, Reserved and Marsee's, could not offer her a worthy service. "Of course, they showed some interest to me, but the seller was clearly not interested in my getting away from his shop with the purchase - they did not pay any attention to me until I asked them, although I was diligently choosing my dress", - Anna is distressed. And as a consolation prize, she chose sneakers in New Balance.

The most thoughtful scenario for purchases had Mikhail Merkulov, CEO of Arricano Real Estate Plc. He has started his route from the information desk (he specified the location of the bags' stores), and he has ended it with a firm conviction that he needed to buy a suitcase in Paris, where he had recently flown on working issues. Prices in Ukrainian stores were higher than in French ones. "Getting in despair, I went to the Xiaomi store. They did not have the right size of the suitcase, all the suitcases were small, but there was the coolest price - it was possible to buy a very good suitcase for UAH 2500. Therefore, today I am without buying a suitcase, but in Xiaomi I've found something I want: I want an air freshener, I want a bicycle, I want their new gadget", - Merkulov shares his impressions.

The company hopes that the honesty, with which they came to research, and the results, will prompt stores for changes. "There is a slight concern that the feedback directness can upset our partners, but we consider openness to be an important quality in partners relations", says the Marketing Director.

Arricano will pay attention, first of all, not to the quantity, but to the quality of the efforts made, although it is already clear that there is much work to be done. "Ukrainian business is so interesting that it is open for innovation, for qualitative changes, and we will work together on this, together with our tenants", Merkulov summarizes.

Confidence-based relations, current data analysts, researchers’ professionalism will in complex give the effect, which is sought in all purchase scenarios, when the smiling sellers easily turn a visitor into a buyer, anticipating all his questions and wishes.