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StepsAway Launches New In-Mall Mobile Retail Solution

October 10, 2014         By: Daniel Easley

Retailers have a new tool on their side to drive brick-and-mortar transactions.

Dubbed StepsAway, the in-mall retail solution offers shoppers in-store deals as they walk the malls. Shoppers will first need to log-in to the mall’s Wi-Fi network, and then use the StepsAway browser based app to see time-sensitive deals when they are “steps away” from the storefront.

StepsAway says that their service will help physical stores increase sales per square foot at a time when many of these retailers are worried about losing sales to the internet.

Among the retailers already signed up to use the StepsAway solution are Sephora, Art of Shaving, and Things Remembered. These shops will be able to use a single platform to deliver promotions that span several different mall properties. The offers can be tailored in real time, meaning retailers will be able to quickly respond to changing sales trends and inventory levels.

The CEO of StepsAway, Allan Haims, noted that 91 percent of adults are using their smartphones all day, and that this use influences nearly $600 billion in sales. StepsAway plans to capitalize on the majority of mobile users by supporting access from Apple, Android, and Windows mobiles devices. Several Taubman malls have already implemented StepsAway for their retailers.

Although StepsAway advertises itself as a first of its kind solution, it will compete with similar offerings from other companies.

Earlier this year Rouse Properties Inc. announced it was outfitting its 34 malls with Sonic Noftify’s technology that broadcasts signals detectable by mobile apps on nearby smartphones. Other mall owners have even chosen to create their own apps to offer local deals. For now it seems StepsAway’s best value proposition is that it will work seamlessly across different properties.