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Malls' inventory here is searchable by phone or from home

Lynn Welch  —  12/21/2007 10:02 am

This weekend, malls will become a procrastinator's paradise.

A Consumer Reports survey this week reported that 35 percent of Americans have not started their holiday shopping. Another from the National Retail Federation found one in five men has not yet begun to shop.

The last-minute dash is expected to be busier than ever, according to Tracy Mullin, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation.

But those here who know what they want may have more luck this year.

Madison's East and West Towne malls have a new online product search service that lets you check what's available before you hit the stores and, in some cases, reserve items for pickup later.

CBL & Associates Properties Inc., which owns both malls, this fall signed on with NearbyNow Inc., which makes mall retailers searchable.

"With busy schedules, the service is a great timesaver and, in the long run, with the rising price of gas, saves money," said Tiffany Bernhardt, West Towne Mall marketing director.

Sucharita Mulpuru, Forrester Research principal retail analyst, said the impact of an online service like this for mall retailers can be "potentially very meaningful," helping a mall leapfrog over its competitors.

Here's how it works: Log on to either www.shopeasttowne-mall.com or www.shopwesttowne-mall.com to check inventory of most retailers at either mall. Use the search field in the upper right corner of each site's home page to type in the item you seek. A page with search results returns.

You can search from your wireless, Web-enabled phone, too, as well as receive text messages on availability, product reservation status and find out what's on sale.

As with any search function, more detail produces better results, according to Julie Cubbage, East Towne Mall marketing director.

"The more you use the site, the better it works," Cubbage explained. "As with any search engine, you have to be very specific."

NearbyNow

Most mall retailers enable the Los Altos, Calif.-based NearbyNow to plug into their inventory. The product database, updated daily, contains upwards of 180 million items. The company works with each store to access information and offer enhanced search results, which include images and reservation capability, costing retailers $30 to $50 monthly.

NearbyNow has a call center with customer service representatives to handle product availability queries. A rep in California will call stores to find out if the item you request is available in the size and color you want. They'll then send you an e-mail or text message to confirm.

Jim Nielsen, who owns Condon Jewelers at East Towne Mall, said he thinks the online search service will help promote the unique items his store sells, including Packer and Badger jewelry and watches. But Condon was not included in the initial rollout this August.

"We carry a lot of products people don't know about until they enter the store," Nielsen said. "And where I'm located right now, people can't really find us."

NearbyNow capitalizes on the trend to location-based services, which provides location-specific information via wireless mobile devices. The company now serves 196 malls, including all 70 CBL properties across the country. Last Christmas, the service piloted at a San Francisco mall.

Men use it more

NearbyNow CEO Scott Dunlap said the company grew quickly by developing clients like CBL and retailers which have stores in many regional malls.

"We realized that malls were a great starting point for location-based services," Dunlap said. "It's hard to get inventory information from everyone in a city. But if you start at a place like a shopping mall, it makes sense."

In addition to requested product information, those using NearbyNow from their phone will receive up to two targeted ads each hour, which retailers can buy from the service provider.

"If you've searched for a camera or Ugg boots, ads might pop up to say where you can find more styles," Dunlap said.

Dunlap said statistics show that 30,000 people use the service at each of Madison's CBL malls. About 90 percent of usage is by computer. But 35 percent of those who request product availability opt to have the message sent to their phone.

More men use the service, 60 percent of searches are conducted by men and 40 percent by women. But during the holiday period even more men -- 75 percent -- use the service.

Having the search available on average increases traffic to malls 5 percent to 6 percent, Dunlap said.

"Most people that use our service are hunting. They know what they want and just want to know where to go pick it up," Dunlap said. "The hunters are mostly men, and largely, folks not coming to malls."

Lynn Welch  —  12/21/2007 10:02 am