Mall of America debuts omnichannel shopping for holidays
Customers can now shop inventory from select retailers within the Mall of America online.
Mall of America, in partnership with Adeptmind, has launched its first omnichannel shopping experience. The online shopping experience allows consumers to shop inventory from more than 70 retailers found within the country’s largest retail and entertainment center through an e-commerce site.
Omnichannel mall shoppers can add items from all participating stores to one online cart, purchasing with a streamlined single-cart checkout process. Customers can then pick up all their purchased items from one location within Mall of America.
The omnichannel experience, Shop MOA, is based on technology from artificial intelligence (AI) and e-commerce solutions provider Adeptmind. Mall of America partnered with Adeptmind in early August 2021 to begin piloting this omnichannel technology to coincide with back-to-school shopping.
Since that time, more than 70 retailers within Mall of America have opted into the program. The goal will be to continue growing the platform by learning and modifying the experience to make it as seamless as possible for customers.
Mall of America is not the only major shopping center to leverage leading-edge technology to attract holiday shoppers. For the 2021 holiday season, shopping center operator Westfield is partnering with buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform Afterpay to provide customers with an AR-activated scavenger hunt experience. The interactive experience leverages Westfield's existing digital network, and will feature QR codes throughout participating Westfield centers in the U.S.
When activated, the codes will prompt shoppers to scan and help find Afterpay's “Hidden Helpers” in an AR environment. Upon scanning, shoppers will be taken on an AR-based “holiday adventure” to uncover five Hidden Helpers throughout the center, which will unlock special deals and promotions at retailers that utilize Afterpay’s flex payment solution.
“Convenience remains at the forefront of all our innovation conversations at Mall of America,” said Grant Buntje, VP of marketing for Mall of America. “Our goal through Shop MOA is to provide yet another way for guests to experience and shop Mall of America retailers with efficiency in mind – especially now during the busy holiday season. We are thrilled to collaborate with Adeptmind to bring this new omnichannel shopping opportunity to life that brings a whole new level of accessibility to the consumer.”
“The pandemic has changed the way people shop, putting an accelerated focus on retail technology,” said Jesse Michael, managing director, Adeptmind. “Adeptmind’s digital solutions give consumers new ways to browse, discover and shop one of the country’s most iconic malls. We’re proud to partner with Mall of America to bring the inventory of the center’s wide-range of retailers to the fingertips of local shoppers.”
At 5.6 million sq. ft. and located in Bloomington, Minn., Mall of America is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America with more than 520 retail stores and restaurants. Top attractions include Nickelodeon Universe, a 7-acre indoor theme park; SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium, and FlyOver America.