A new way to shop

Have you ever braved and confronted the maddening holiday stampede at your local shopping mall -- only to visit a dozen stores that don't have the product you were looking for? Those days may very well be a distant memory of Christmas past thanks to a new service from NearbyNow that lets you check store inventory from the Internet or mobile phone, and even reserve products to pick up. This new service is available in shopping malls in over 130 cities for the first time this year, empowering shoppers to experience stress-free shopping this holiday season.

It's as easy as 1..2..3
Holiday shopping can be a stressful time for frazzled consumers with little or no time to shop as they face the daunting task of finding - and purchasing - the perfect gift. Buying online can often further complicate the matter, with shipping charges, accuracy issues, timeliness, and potentially discovering that the perfect gift is on backorder until 2008.

NearbyNow has created a new approach to holiday shopping this season by combining the convenient use of the Internet with the vibrancy of in-store shopping. By shopping online before heading out the door, consumers have the ability to search inventory of over 800,000 products at their local mall just by going to the mall's Web site. Once the desired gift is found, shoppers can take advantage of the newly enhanced NearbyNow-powered service and "check availability", with the bonus option to 'reserve this product' - putting the item on hold at the retail store of their choice. NearbyNow will confirm the product's availability, usually within ten minutes, and notify shoppers when it will be available for in-store pickup.

"Shoppers call our service 'Google for malls' because they can search every brand, product, and sale at the mall," said Scott Dunlap, chief executive officer of NearbyNow, Inc. "We've taken the concept of shopping online and buying in-store even further than that by allowing shoppers to actually check inventory and reserve products to pick up. It is the most stress-free way to shop your local mall. It's what holiday shopping should be all about - convenience."

Shop Online, Buy In-store
A recent survey by Accenture found that consumers like to use the Internet to do their research when shopping, whether they intend to buy online or purchase in-store. Over 69 percent of those who purchased either online or in-store researched product features online beforehand, and a majority of them (67 percent) preferred to make purchases in-store. Over half of them (58 percent) used the Internet to find items in nearby stores.

"Metropark's fashion-savvy customers regularly shop both the mall and online," states Laura Bojanowski, Director of Marketing for Metropark, a shopping destination for today's trendsetting young adults. "NearbyNow has created a new way for us to access shoppers at the mall that presents Metropark's mix of contemporary and street fashion apparel and accessories that we carry to customers in a unique way, giving them the option to shop either channel at their convenience. We are excited to see how we can work together with NearbyNow to present new products for the holiday shopping season and provide our customers with the most convenient ways to shop."

The mobile phone as a local mall directory
While at the mall, consumers can use their mobile phone to find last-minute gifts, view coupons and sale promotions, and even receive mobile-only offers. It's easy to use, by texting a mall-specific code (such as "VF" for Westfield Valley Fair) to the shortcode NEARBY (632729), shoppers receive simple instructions on how to search hundreds of sale items in the mall by typing such categories as "toys", "sneakers", or any other item they might be searching for. Each shopping center will display signage outlining the appropriate shortcodes and instructions throughout the mall.

"We see shoppers using the Internet and mobile phones more and more each year," said Scott Peterson, Digital Marketing Manager for The Westfield Group, a premier mall owner and operator. "NearbyNow has created a unique way to blend these technologies to make the shopping center experience more convenient. We are excited to provide this to our 60 premier properties for this holiday season."

At a mall near you
NearbyNow has partnered with renowned shopping mall operators such as The Westfield Group, CBL & Associates Properties, and General Growth Properties to deliver their experience to malls in over 130 cities. Shoppers can log on to their local mall's Web site or click here to find the nearest participating mall.