Does Mindset Matter? The Effects of Mall Brand Gender and Mall Perception on Mall Relationship Quality: The Moderating Mechanism of a Fixed (vs. Growth) Shopper Mindset

ABSTRACT Mall personality and perceptions significantly influence relationship quality in the retail agenda, with consumer mindsets playing a critical role in shaping perception, evaluation, and behavior. However, no effort has been made so far to grasp the moderating mechanism of fixed (vs. growth) shopper mindsets in the interrelationships of mall brand gender (MBG), mall perception, and relationship quality. To address this gap, we conducted three follow‐up studies: two online surveys with shoppers in China ( N = 1087) and a 2 × 2 between‐subjects design experiment in Study 3. The results offer robust empirical proof of the influence of MBG dimensions on mall perceptions and their subsequent impact on mall relationship quality. Importantly, the analysis shows that fixed‐shopper mindsets significantly moderate the link between mall competence (vs. warmth) and mall relationship quality rather than growth‐shopper mindsets. The findings also show that fixed shopper mindsets moderate the effect of mall brand masculinity on mall competence, while their moderating influence on the association between mall brand femininity and mall warmth is non‐significant compared to growth shopper mindsets. Furthermore, the findings indicate that growth‐shopper mindsets significantly moderate the influence of mall brand masculinity on mall warmth and mall brand femininity on mall competence rather than fixed‐shopper mindsets. Finally, the paper evaluates its significant theoretical and practical implications.