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View all search resultsMalls are full, but shopping bags are empty
According to QRIS transaction data from Bank Mandiri, the Rojali-Rohana phenomenon is evident and reflects changing spending patterns within mall ecosystems.
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Visitors view creative industry products on July 17 at the Sunda Karsa Fest event at Trans Studio Mall in Bandung, West Java. (Antara Foto/Novrian Arbi)
P
ublic discourse has recently picked up on two popular acronyms that reflect a growing mismatch between high mall foot traffic and sluggish sales. Rohana (rombongan hanya nanya), or "groups that only ask," and Rojali (rombongan jarang beli), or "groups that rarely buy."
These phrases are now used to describe a familiar scene: crowds roaming shopping centers, engaging with displays, asking questions but leaving without making a purchase.
Although this may appear to be a minor change in behavior, mall owners and shops are already feeling the effects. The gap between foot traffic and actual spending might be an indication of a change in the way middle-class urban consumers approach malls and shopping centers.
Indonesia’s middle-income class plays an outsized role in domestic consumption. According to the World Bank, this group includes those with monthly per capita expenditures ranging from 3.5 to 17 times the poverty line, approximately Rp 2.1 million (US$127.90) to Rp 10.3 million in 2025.
Based on the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) 2024 National Socioeconomic Survey (Susenas), 48.2 million Indonesians fall into this category, accounting for 17.1 percent of the population. They contribute 38.3 percent of all household consumption, a signal of how much domestic demand hinges on this group.
But this engine of consumption seems to be easing off. Middle-class households are showing more restraint in how they spend. One contributing factor is the rise in layoffs.
Between January and June 2025, the Manpower Ministry recorded 42,385 job losses, a 32 percent rise year-on-year (yoy). Formal job growth also remains sluggish. The share of formal workers edged down from 40.8 percent in February 2024 to 40.6 percent in February 2025.
