Simon Property Brings Digital Search to the Mall
The search is on at Simon Property Group.
The mall operator has launched Simon Search, a digital platform that provides live inventory data from retailers at its properties, helping consumers plan out their shopping trips.
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About 25 retailers are participating in the service at launch, including Anthropologie, Athleta, J. Crew, J.C. Penney and Old Navy. Information on what is in stores at a given center will be available through digital directories at the malls, in Simon’s app and on the properties’ websites.
The service is launching at 29 Simon centers, but Mikael Thygesen, chief marketing officer, said a much broader rollout was planned for later this year.
“This is the beginning, not the end state product,” Thygesen said. “The idea is to get out there, start testing with the shoppers. By the end of the year, we fully expect to have 50-plus brands on board and have this rolled out to 100-plus centers.”
Simon Search brings a little bit of omnichannel to the mall, adding some of the functionality consumers like online to the physical experience.
Enna Allen, vice president of brand management, said the service works well for “that customer who walks into a center looking for something pretty specific.”
So a shopper who wants to try on size 4 white dresses will be able to use Simon Search to see which stores in the mall have options right now.
“We’re getting the data directly from the retailers,” Allen said. “We’re not out there finding it in some obscure place on the internet. It’s updated every single day.”
The service is free to retailers in Simon properties and appealing to shoppers, according to the company’s research.
Thygesen said: “Eighty-seven percent of the shoppers that we queried expressed an interest in this type of capability. And 75 percent of them said they would use it on a regular or frequent basis.”
In addition to laser-targeting try-on sessions, Thygesen said shoppers could also use Simon Search to just see what’s new and different at the mall.
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“What’s new in our centers is the most-searched content on our website,” he said. “This is another tool that will allow shoppers to explore the centers.”
And if shoppers are able to find what they want, retailers will follow.
“This is an initiative that has been really well received by the brands,” Thygesen said. “They’re excited about leveraging the connectivity that Simon has with shoppers to drive incremental traffic and sales.”
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