I'm not so sure that owners would extend much to tenants in terms of incentives, in today's environment, unless you are a very solid and well known chain operation who would enhance the mall by your presence. Even so, you won't get free rent or anything near it.
I do remember, in the very weak leasing environment of the early 1990s, there were persistent (never confirmed) rumours that a few tenants got free rent, but still had to pay operating expenses. I have not heard of anything like that for many years now. Realistically, the best to expect is 30 days or so of free rent at the beginning of the term for initial "fixturing" (installation of the tenant's improvements), with rent to start on the earlier of 30 days or the date of actual opening for business.
It's certainly true as well, as already mentioned, that smaller businesses have little or no negotiating room. You will possibly find a "take it or leave it" attitude, or you may find that owners aren't interested in leasing to you at all if they feel that you won't enhance the mall significantly.
Remember that commercial leases are almost always on a "net" basis. You pay rent, and you pay operating expenses which are usually referred to in the lease as "additional rent". The operating expenses can be substantial, and you should get, from the owner, in advance, a realistic estimate of what they will be. They should be able to quote you a fairly accurate estimate, on a "per square foot" basis, based on last year's experience.