Creating Connected Retail: Bringing the Online Experience In-Building

A CASE STUDY WITH STARWOOD RETAIL PARTNERS

The Situation

Starwood Retail Partners is reinventing the way consumers experience retail – evolving brick and mortar retail centers for a new generation of shoppers. When it was time for updated directories, Starwood Retail saw an opportunity to expand the idea of “connected retail” and deliver a best-in-class customer experience. They needed an affordable, digital wayfinding experience that enabled them to quickly adapt to changes at their centers.

The Solution

Starwood Retail partnered with Placewise, the leading provider of digital shopper engagement services to the shopping center industry, and TouchSource, the industry leader in interactive digital kiosks and displays.

TouchSource developed digital kiosks and signage at the Starwood Retail properties. TouchSource’s software platform and kiosks were then integrated into Placewise’s back-end infrastructure that powers Starwood Retail’s web, mobile, social, email, and SMS programs to create a seamless consumer experience online and offline.

The combined solution was much more than a new directory, it was an elegant and simple-to-use system that presented the same content across web, mobile, social and in-mall digital displays. TouchSource enables a 360° experience with integrated turn-by-turn directions, downloadable to a mobile phone, giving shoppers access to retail, dining, and entertainment information all while guiding them directly to their destination.

Now, with a single entry into Placewise’s platform, Starwood Retail can update all their directories with one simple action.

Results

Starwood Retail gained much more than a new directory. Additional benefits include:

• Ability to leverage the same high-value retail content featured on all of Starwood Retail’s digital properties including web, mobile, social, and digital in-mall directories
• Simple, automated retail content integration from website to directory through the Placewise API
• Dynamic, single-entry content updating for both website and directory through RetailHub, Placewise’s proprietary, fully-integrated marketing platform
• Store promotional offers, sales and discounts downloadable from the directory to shoppers’ phones through near field communication (NFC), QR codes, and SMS
• Customized advertising based on directory user, with support to source revenue through third-party advertising
• 3D animated mapping and wayfinding
• Data about store searches, deals accessed, and touch recorded on the directory

Ultimately, the value of the integration was much more than a superior experience for tenants and shoppers. The engagements also generated additional data for Starwood Retail regarding shopper preferences, intent, and behaviors which enhanced Starwood Retail’s ability to deliver personalized messages to its shoppers. Smart marketing and automated one-to-one messages powered by RetailHub also created operational efficiencies while strengthening brand loyalty between the shopper, shopping center, and tenant.

Contact our VP of Business Development, Jeff Fraser, or visit touchsource.com to learn more about the rise of smarter experiences for shopping centers.

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