Why Does the Middle Class Go to the Mall But Not Shop? Here's the Survey

According to a survey by the Indonesian Public Opinion Discussion and Study Group (KedaiKOPI), 86.6% of middle-class respondents in Indonesia have visited a mall without making a purchase.

Within this group, the majority, or 60.5%, did not shop because they simply wanted to stroll around or for 'healing' (stress relief/relaxation).

Furthermore, 57.3% did not shop because product prices were too expensive, 50.2% felt there were not enough attractive promotions or discounts, and 35.9% only wanted to see the physical form of items they had viewed in online stores.

"Ultimately, malls have shifted their function from a place for purchasing to a place for trying out goods," said KedaiKOPI senior researcher Ashma Nur Afifah in a press release on Tuesday (October 28, 2025).

Additionally, some visited malls without shopping because products did not meet their needs (34.1%), item prices were cheaper in online stores (30.5%), they considered malls an affordable entertainment venue (24.1%), and they did not have enough money (22.6%).

Other reasons included the absence of desired brands (22.6%) and simply accompanying others (18.7%).

KedaiKOPI conducted this survey on 932 respondents in Indonesia, which was then narrowed down to 663 respondents who had visited malls without making a purchase.

Respondents were aged 17-55 and belonged to the middle class, with income criteria between Rp3.5 million and Rp14.5 million per month, or per capita expenditure of Rp2 million and Rp9.9 million per month.

Data collection was conducted from October 14-19, 2025, using the online-computerized assisted self-interview (CASI) method.