Des Register, IA
07-06-07
New online tool benefits shoppers
Jordan Creek mall prepares to launch NearbyNow service
By PATT JOHNSON
REGISTER BUSINESS WRITER
A new service to be launched at Jordan Creek Town Center in mid-August will
offer tech-savvy shoppers a new option to locate merchandise.
The online service, called NearbyNow, will allow consumers to hop online at
home, immediately locate products at a store in the shopping center and be able
to reserve them until they get there.
"This service will give people the ability to streamline their shopping experience,"
said Randy Tennison, mall manager.
So far, about 70 malls nationally are connected to the service, and another 80
plan to join by November, said Scott Dunlap, NearbyNow co-founder and chief
executive officer of the Los Altos, Calif., company.
Westroads Mall in Omaha has been offering the service since March, and Coral
Ridge Mall just began offering it last week. Both of those malls, along with Jordan
Creek Town Center, are owned by General Growth Properties Inc. of Chicago.
The technology allows shoppers to search the inventory in the mall either before
going to the mall or while at the mall using their cell phones, Dunlap said.
For instance, consumers can access a mall Web page that is linked to the
NearbyNow database. After typing in a general category, such as "shoes," or a
specific one such as "Nike shoes," shoppers can find which stores have the
product they want. While the service is free to shoppers, stores can pay to
include a picture of the product - generally ranging from $25 to show a few items
to $600 for several hundred.
Shoppers can reserve an item by giving an e-mail address or telephone number,
along with the size and color they want. NearbyNow workers then contact the
store to make sure the item is available, and the store puts it on hold for the
customer.
NearbyNow works with retailers to update daily product listings by either tapping
into a store's inventory database or getting the latest merchandise reports from
the store.
Shoppers already at the mall can check which merchants have the items they
want and where sales are, Dunlap said. By sending a text message, shoppers
can find the nearest store in the mall that sells a specific product or advertises a
sale. People texting the mall service will get a return message saying where it is
available and where it is on sale. People will also get up to two messages an
hour containing advertisements from stores in the mall. Messages cease if the
service is not used for 90 minutes, Dunlap said.
Jim Sadler, manager of Westroads Mall, said most of the people using
NearbyNow have been on home-based computers.
"It's another tool to help shoppers locate merchandise," he said.
The service is attractive to consumers because it allows them to browse
merchandise racks from home and do some price comparisons, said Anthony
Townsend, an associate professor of business at Iowa State University.
And it provides retailers with another way to advertise products, he said.
"Their store might not be the first place a consumer might go to buy something,"
so being listed on the Web site would be beneficial, he said.
He warned however, that the service could discourage shoppers from
considering alternatives that in-store shopping would provide.
NearbyNow research shows that 85 percent of the people reserving items
through the service buy something from the store, Dunlap said. And two-thirds of
those folks end up buying more than one thing, he said.
Women like the service because the Web site lists what is new and what has
recently been put on sale. Men like it because they can target one store they
need to go to and also view a map showing the parking near a store, he said.
Dunlap said he has no competition in the market for now.
There are other services that help shoppers find merchandise, although they
operate differently from NearbyNow. Slifter, for instance, is a Web and mobile
phone service that lets shoppers search online and at local shops.
Whatever the method, consumers are looking for easier ways to shop, mall
officials said.
"And for people who are into Internet shopping, this is a way they can browse
ahead of time before going to the mall," said Linsdsey Litton, senior marketing
manager at Coral Ridge Mall.
Reporter Patt Johnson can be reached at (515) 284-8367 or
pjohnson@dmreg.com