Consider this - when was the last time you went and shopped at an online mall. IMHO - they don't work, unless they really have a lot of genuine traffic which convert to sales.
It is really just going to depend on what kind of traffic is generated to "shop" at the online mall. If you can get enough traffic to anything you can make money.
J&J Ebay is an online auction site, it requires sign-ups, etc. and has a bidding process (granted Buy-It-Now) exists. I really would not classify it as a Mall. Amazon, now there is a website that started as a Bookstore, and slowly and gradually expanded out. Yes, fair to say (nomenclature notwithstanding) that Amazon could be classified as a mall.
Malls are notorious for dragging in Networkers who have some success, in the main from referrals rather than the products they try to flog in their malls, so I am a Mall adjusted marketer, I don't subscribe or use this avenue of selling. Regards Andrew
i actually think they could work if they were set up in a way to actually convert to sales. Also you would need PPC traffic.
You're asking the wrong question. This is kind of like asking, "Do fishing poles work?" The answer is, "if you learn to use it skillfully, yes." Over time, you may decide that you prefer using a net to catch fish. The question you should be asking is: Can YOU make an Online Mall work? Can you drive the right visitors to your online mall? Can you convert those visitors to sales? Can you market your online mall so that it stand out above the competition?
In all my years online I've never seen anyone have to much success with online shopping malls. I tried one myself a few years ago I did 3 sales and 2 of them where from people I knew. Anything though can work on the Internet all you have to do is find the right traffic.
In my opinion it's easier to concentrate on one specific niche rather than try to compete with the likes of amazon