Treasure Island mall, Indore has introduced a unique "Teens Ka Adda" corner for teenagers where youngsters falling in the age bracket of 13 to 19 years can have fun with friends in their very own hangout space with no elders around. The exclusive zone offers several facilities and services for teenagers which can be availed for free. Hemraj Dabur, AGM and Head Mall Operations, talks to IndiaRetailing and shares interesting insights about the unique concept.
Dabur says: “Teenagers are the future of our economy, yet no mall offers exclusive offerings for this segment. So to give freedom and a separate hangout zone to youngsters led to the idea of opening a ‘Teens Ka Adda’ section. We intend to create an activity around teenagers as most of them come to the mall simply to hangout with friends or spend time in the entertainment zone. Marking out a place meant exclusively for them will mean they are completely at ease in the absence of elders and that would give them a reason to keep coming back for spending some quality time with the same age group.”
Located on the fifth floor of the mall, “Teens Ka Adda” does not charge any entry fee; the teenagers just need to show their school ID card as age proof.
“The mall has consistently launched activities for every age group. It recently conducted a ladies-special activity. ‘Grahak Seva’ for elders and reserved mall periphery for senior citizens and women for their morning walk are some more examples," he added.
The corner offers a range of services such as wi-fi, music on demand, coffee shop, library, games like table tennis, air hockey, chess and social networking opportunities for teenagers. Loyalty membership cards for the zone are also available.
Speaking about the response received so far, Dabur said: “The response we have got is self-explanatory by the excitement teens have shown on the spot. Besides, on an average, we are getting 100 new members joining Teens Ka Adda everyday.”
“This is not just a platform for entertainment, interaction amongst the youth also leads to knowledge-sharing along with fun. We also host career counseling and grooming sessions for the teenagers at our mall," he added.
Treasure Island mall is flocked by a lot many teenagers and taking this as an opportunity to create a separate corner for them, the mall came up with this concept.
“However, this concept is not prevalent in the US as malls there have a restriction on teenager’s entry. Parents in US are asked not to allow their children visit a mall without adult supervision. Not only this, the teenagers there are permitted mall entry alone or with friends only during specific hours," Dabur informed when asked about the trend’s overseas prevalence.
Dabur believes that teens are the future buyers and the more time they spend in "Teens Ka Adda", the more familiar they become with the brands present in the mall which would eventually act as a leverage for the mall and retailers in the future.
