Major Retailers like GNC and Things Remembered Extend StepsAway Engagement to Drive More Brick and Mortar Transactions
LOS ANGELES, March 4, 2015 – As mall developers increasingly leverage retail technologies to influence consumer decisions and retailers embrace omnichannel marketing strategies, StepsAway today announced an agreement with Starwood Retail Partners. The agreement will expand StepsAway’s strong multi-state footprint in major metropolitan areas—bringing its mobile retail solution to 10 Starwood properties across the US.
“The recent holiday shopping season undoubtedly proved that mobile was a powerful force in connecting shoppers with real, in-store experiences and influencing mall purchases while consumers are ‘stepsaway’ from retailers,” said Allan Haims, CEO of StepsAway. “We are thrilled to partner with an innovative, fast-growth developer like Starwood Retail Partners that is staying ahead of the digital curve in bridging shoppers with time-sensitive, in-malls deals directly on their mobile devices.”
As deployment was completed in February, the StepsAway mobile solution will provide shoppers smartphone access to hyperlocal in-store deals—driving more brick-and-mortar transactions. Accessible via malls’ Wi-Fi networks, the browser-based StepsAway app empowers mall owners to increase sales per square foot and gives mall retailers a time-sensitive opportunity to influence consumer purchase decisions at their closest point of sale—when they are steps away from the retailer’s lease line. Nationally and regionally-recognized retailers such as GNC and Things Remembered also will be expanding their usage of StepsAway with the addition of Starwood’s mall properties.
The Starwood Retail Partners participating shopping centers will include:
- Parkway Plaza (El Cajon, CA)
- Northlake Mall (Charlotte, NC)
- The Shops at Willow Bend (Plano, TX)
- The Mall at Wellington Green (Wellington, FL)
- Gateway Mall (Lincoln, NE)
- Belden Village Mall (Canton, OH)
- Franklin Park (Toledo, OH)
- Great Northern Mall (North Olmsted, OH)
- SouthPark Mall (Strongsville, OH)
- MacArthur Center (Norfolk, VA)
“As one of the fastest growing mall development companies in the US, Starwood is continually adopting new technology solutions that yield greater insight into global purchase patterns and behaviors that ultimately directly benefit our retailers,” said Scott Wolstein, CEO Starwood Retail Partners. “The StepsAway partnership brings a single-source retail, in-mall platform directly into the hands of our consumers.”
Built on a patent-pending, cloud-based platform, StepsAway’s retailer publisher tool SAConnect™ allows retailers to create and deliver promotions across multiple mall properties from their corporate headquarters via a single platform. The tool also supports dynamic promotions, allowing retailers to make real-time adjustments based on fluctuating store inventory levels or sales trends. From the consumer side, shoppers simply sign onto the mall’s free Wi-Fi network and then peruse deals via StepsAway’s SAMobile™ app by product category or store name.
The browser-based app is compatible on any Wi-Fi enabled device including all Apple, Android and Windows mobile devices.
About StepsAway
StepsAway is a market-first, in-mall mobile retail solution offering shoppers smartphone access to hyperlocal in-store deals—driving more brick-and-mortar transactions. StepsAway empowers mall owners to increase sales per square foot and gives retailers an innovative way to reach and influence on-property consumer purchase decisions. Consumers access StepsAway – SAMobile™ – via a web-based mobile app upon signing onto a mall’s Wi-Fi network and then peruse deals offered on premises. Officially debuted in August 2014, StepsAway is a privately held company with offices in Los Angeles and Los Gatos, California. For more information, visit www.stepsaway.com. # # #