Net browsing: Foothills Mall now 'searchable'

By Rick Laney
of The Daily Times Staff

Foothills Mall in Maryville has announced the launch of a new service which allows consumers to find any product, brand or sale available in the mall using the Internet or their mobile phone. Blount shoppers can now search the mall before they visit and have all coupons, sales, and product information before they park their car.

The new service — unique to this area — is powered by NearbyNow Inc., the first company of its kind to provide Internet and mobile search technology for shopping centers, malls and retailers.

“It is up and running — it’s all live,” said JoAnn King, general manager for Foothills Mall. “Our corporate office worked on it for several months. Each of the retailers in the mall have its own area of the site.

“It’s cool and exciting, but it hasn’t been up long enough yet to see its overall impact.”

Consumers are using the Internet and mobile devices more than ever to research purchases before buying in-store. According to Forrester Research, almost $400 billion of store sales — or 16 percent of total retail sales — are directly influenced by the Web, as consumers research products online and purchase them offline.

Forrester Research says the number will grow at a 17 percent compound annual growth rate over the next five years, resulting in more than $1 trillion of store sales by 2012.

“We are committed to bringing Foothills Mall customers the ultimate shopping experience,” said King.

“NearbyNow’s local search service allows us to leverage the Internet and mobile phones to provide a more timely and convenient shopping experience. We are thrilled to be the first mall in the area to offer this distinctive service.”

To search the mall from home, consumers can go to Foothills Mall’s Web site (www.foothillsmall.com) and use the search box to look at over 600,000 products and hundreds of sale items at the mall. When shoppers find products they want, they can check inventory availability and receive a response within 10 minutes letting the shopper know if the item is available.

Shoppers can also select “reserve this product” to put an item on hold at the store, and NearbyNow will confirm when the item is available for pickup in the store. The Web site also lists all sales and coupons available at the mall so shoppers don’t miss out on savings. The service is free to shoppers.

Shoppers already in the mall can use the mobile search service to locate products and sales by texting the letters ‘FL’ for Foothills Mall to NEARBY (632729). They will receive instructions on how to search hundreds of sale items in the mall by typing “jeans,” “shoes,” or any other item they text. Shoppers can also find mobile-only sales and special offers available at the mall that are only promoted through the texting service.

“NearbyNow’s local search service is focused on making shopping as convenient as possible,” said Scott Dunlap, CEO of NearbyNow.

“It’s an innovative way to help shoppers know which retailers have the products they want, then ensure their desired product is waiting for them when they get there.”

Foothills Mall is owned and managed by CBL & Associates Properties Inc. CBL is one of the largest and most active owners and developers of malls and shopping centers in the country. CBL owns, holds interests in or manages 131 properties, including 79 regional malls/open-air centers. The properties are located in 27 states and total 74.3 million square feet including 2.2 million square feet of nonowned shopping centers managed for third parties.

Headquartered in Chattanooga, CBL has regional offices in Boston and Dallas.