I think with me is the stuff is just cheaper online and faster to find online. With speed one click and Amazon will have the stuff at my door tommorrow or the next day.I think most people ordering everything online has a lot to do with it. The malls that have no chance of making it aren't attempting to do anything about it. The closest mall to me lost a few stores such as Sears, and in place of that a new movie theater that will serve beer and such. We have nothing like that, so I imagine it will be popular. I think they are also adding some sort of lazer tag or related activity to draw more people in. It also doesn't hurt that it's located across from the beach.
With prices I actually have discovered Aliexpress and some of their low prices are mind-boggling even compared dollar stores, Amazon and Wal-Mart.
It's going to be hard for malls to compete with not only Amazon, but the China market as well now.
This is a far cry from when in the late 1980s when as a teen I was a mallrat who worked at malls and hung out all day there with my friends at food court. lol.