Research
Objective
The purpose of our study is to map ION Orchard along Orchard Road, thus determining its importance to Singapore’s premier shopping street.
We also wanted to uncover ION’s influence on the shopping scene in Singapore which she was said to be the frontrunner of.
Methodology
We conducted face-to-face interviews, an online survey as well as secondary research, which comprised of searching for information online
on websites, relevant news articles and
credible reviews.
The purpose of obtaining information from a plethora of sources was to ensure that we approached the study in a holistic manner that is free from bias by considering different viewpoints.
This was crucial because most of the information found online about ION is biased and one dimensional. The reason being that they are concentrated in the form of corporate newsletters produced by ION’s management themself.
Other sources of information online included government-related websites which primarily talks about the past of Orchard Road.
The lack of alternate views obtained from secondary research was addressed using interviews and surveys that reached out to more people of different demographics. Our respondents were not obliged to portray ION in a positive light, unlike most of the information we found online.
Face-to-face interviews were conducted with several ION shop staff, patrons of ION (both local and foreign), as well as domestic helpers along
Orchard road.
An online survey was conducted with 250 respondents of varying demographics and socio-economic statuses to find out more about how the masses felt about ION Orchard as a shopping mall and icon. The survey also sought to confirm some of the inferences that we made after studying information obtained from face-to-face interviews and secondary research.
Challenges
Firstly, it was difficult to obtain deeper insights from shoppers and foreign workers as they were just there to shop. Many did not take notice of their surroundings and hence, did not give much thought to how the layout of ION affected their shopping.
Secondly, shop staff were reluctant and unwilling to be interviewed, especially because of the corporate guidelines they have to follow. Gaining their management's approval was needed before they could speak to us, which impeded our interview process.
Thirdly, we were unable to arrange for an interview with the upper management of ION. They redirected us to ION's website instead with their reason being that most of the information they would give is available online.
Fourthly, a prominent issue lies with the understanding of interview questions by the interviewees. The interviewees understood the questions differently from what we had intended for them to be and hence, their answers did not directly address our objectives.
Lastly, we also faced difficulties while creating the survey. Because prior secondary research deepened our understanding of ION, we had to ensure that that our questions were clear, unbiased and not leading.
Additionally, to ensure we only obtained responses from our target sample, we included several screening questions.