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Not ready for prime time

By Mark Albright, On Retail
Published June 2, 2007

Experts say don't eat at a new restaurant the first few months until the owners work out the kinks. After noodling awhile with "product search" at westfield.com/citruspark/, I've decided the same can be said for local mall Web sites armed with NearbyNow product-search technology.

Yet even though the site may not be ready for prime time, the new features rate a test spin.

For starters, the features are a quantum leap from other crude mall sites, provide tools to plan a mall shopping expedition and promise to get better quickly as mall retailers figure how to exploit the potential.

For instance, NearbyNow lists every product category and brand name of 600, 000 products sold at Westfield Citrus Park and a quick way to find each store that carries them.

One click found five stores selling Movado watches. A second click offered a map locating each. The trouble was Helzberg Diamonds was the only one with photos of the 24 Movados it carries. Nobody mentioned prices. And Things Remembered had prices and photos for 13 Movado timepieces. But they were embedded in stationery items, not wristwatches.

I printed coupons good for $20 off a prom tux at AfterHours Formalwear, 25 percent off a Father's Day package at Picture People and a $10 haircut discount at MasterCuts.

Dillard's and Sears are, by far, the most advanced department stores adapted to the new features. Both list a huge selection of photos and prices, including sale prices. They are among many willing to "reserve" for later pickup..

I reserved a $29.99 Jansport bag at Dick's Sporting Goods, a $34 pair of sunglasses at Nine West and a pair of $39.99 Chuck Taylor All-Stars at Dillard's. Unfortunately, all but Nine West reported back within 20 minutes that the store had none.

Fortunately, I don't have a wireless gadget good for text messaging. So it didn't matter I couldn't figure out how to sign up for automatic (and no doubt annoying) sale-price alerts while shopping. (The instructions say text in CU for Citrus Park, BR for Westfield Brandon, to NEARBY or 632729).

Many mall stores never will take much advantage of the enhancements. That's because they are in the impulse-item business or live off the allure of unique products or services. Others pay premium mall rent so they don't need to promote much beyond the crowds who pass their doors.

Even in a digital age, that makes sense. After all, merchants for centuries have thrived on shoppers drawn to a huge collection of stores located in one place.

[Last modified June 1, 2007, 22:44:43]