Shopping centre owner intu is delivering on its promise to attract new shoppers using digital with the roll out of a new app. The move also builds on the company’s ,move to make sure there was more 4G across its portfolio to aid mobile shopping in 10 of its malls.
Intu’s new service combines centre information, in-centre way finding, and opt-in personalised location based offers providing an easier, more engaging, and stress-free shopping experience.
Visitors can receive location based offers from retailers, motivating them to change routes and develop new purchasing habits. These targeted offers not only add value to the customer visit, but also enable retailers to drive sales volumes on a store-by-store basis across the portfolio of intu centres.
Trevor Pereira, digital and commercial director, intu explains: “The customer experience is driving the digital agenda in retail. A one size fits all approach no longer works. Personalised and adaptable approaches to customer experience are needed – and that’s exactly what this app delivers. By using analytics to better understand shopper behaviour, we’ll be able to continually evolve the offers and services we provide our customers. We believe that this approach has the potential to significantly impact multichannel retailing.”
The app will launch in late September for intu’s nationwide ‘Student Nights’ shopping event.
This app is yet another development from intu’s in-house digital innovation team who have already spearheaded the development of a highly successful affiliate content site, intu.co.uk. With nearly 300 retailers already signed up, the site has grown 40% year on year and received over 22 million visitors in its first year, placing it in the top 10 affiliate content sites in the UK according to Affiliate Window, a global performance marketing network.
“We’re determined to be at the forefront of innovation in the retail property sector, and intu.co.uk is a great example, delivering ecommerce alongside inspirational, unbiased content. The site is growing rapidly and plays an important role in the UK affiliate market worth £6 billion,” says Karen Harris, managing director intu Digital. “ For our retailers, this means that we can help their business to flourish by supporting their omni-channel strategy and reach a far wider audience than through a bricks and mortar only approach. Not only are we ensuring our centres are the most digitally connected in the industry, we’re also joining the dots between the physical and digital shopping experience.”
