*blurred image of shoppers on busy retail street*

By Mario Toneguzzi

Cushman & Wakefield Asset Services has partnered with platform GetintheLoop to launch a mobile technology service to enhance retail promotions in 21 retail centres across Canada.

GETINTHELOOP ACTS AS SINGLE SOURCE FOR ACCURATE AND RELEVANT LOCAL RETAIL INFORMATION

More than 1,500 retailers in Cushman & Wakefield properties will receive access to GetintheLoop’s mobile marketing platform to better reach local residents via their smartphones, email, and web. GetintheLoop will act as a single source for accurate and relevant local retail information, integrating data from the app onto each centre’s website, and app users will have the added benefit of receiving push notifications including dynamic offers such as gift card programs, delivery or curbside pick-up options, incentives and offers to support retail businesses now, when they need it most.

GETINTHELOOP LOGO

“When our guests install the GetintheLoop app on their devices, they will essentially have their local mall in their pockets,” said Molly Westbrook, Cushman & Wakefield’s Executive Managing Director for Canada. “Retail operations and consumer habits are rapidly evolving, and we want to support our retailer partners in this evolution, extending beyond the physical space of our centres. Partnering with GetintheLoop allows us to enhance the guest experience, giving them a direct line on new arrivals, local promotions and sales, and much more.

“We want to offer our shoppers an omni-channel guest experience. I think we’re missing a mobile app solution to help the tenants in the malls reach out today — because everything’s online. It’s said that more than 70 percent of shoppers research purchases online before they head into the store. So if we’re helping provide the information they want that’s accessible through GetintheLoop it’s going to help our customers make their purchases and their decisions and be informed.”

Westbrook said the app will be in 21 of the company’s largest enclosed malls from British Columbia to Halifax. September 1 is the official day that GetintheLoop launches in those centres.

“We were looking into this partnership before COVID. It wasn’t a response to COVID. We’ve been planning and researching for a while to provide a mobile platform to our tenants. We were testing the concept prior to the pandemic,” said Westbrook. “We saw strong results, so we knew there was a demand for this. We thought it was really essential to implement throughout our centres. We’re really excited to launch this and move forward.

“This is really important to us and we feel like it’s really going to help our tenants and customers throughout Canada, especially in the retail space.”

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What does good customer service look like? Typically a good experience is when the customer is provided with timely, attentive, upbeat service and made to feel their needs have been met in a manner that reflects positively on the business. Once someone has stepped foot through your front door or clicked on your website, it’s make or break – will the experience create a loyal customer, and an advocate of your business, or will they leave so disappointed never to return again? Link in bio to read our full tips on how to create an exceptional customer experience. . . . . . #customerservice #shoplocal #supportlocal #entrepreneur #businessowner #entrepreneurship #getintheloop #lovethegrind #entrepreneurship #community #canada #tipsandtricks #rateandreview #northamerica #positivity #smallbusinessowner #tips #blog #app #technology #experience #fivestarrating #customers #thinklocal #locallove

A post shared by GetintheLoop HQ (@getintheloopca) on Aug 14, 2020 at 5:06pm PDT

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While it’s true one of the reasons our members love GetintheLoop so much is the chance to save a few dollars, there are many different ways to create offers to generate interest and sales on GetintheLoop, without cutting prices. In our latest blog, we discuss different ways offers can work for you - link in bio! . . . . #getintheloop #entrepreneur #tech #monday #entrepreneurship #technology #blog #newpost #instagood #offers #deals #canada #mobilemarketing #app #shoplocal #community #supportlocalbusiness #discounts #citywide #acrosscanada #supportlocal #businessowner #locallove #savemoney #download #entrepreneurlife #local #mondaymotivation

A post shared by GetintheLoop HQ (@getintheloopca) on Jun 15, 2020 at 11:50am PDT

GETINTHELOOP APP AVAILABLE ON APP STORE AND GOOGLE PLAY

Consumers can download GetintheLoop for free in the App Store and Google Play store and opt-in to receive curated, local offers. Push notifications can be enabled or modified so consumers can receive timely updates from their local Cushman & Wakefield-managed shopping centre.

"We're thrilled to partner with an innovative, community-minded organization like Cushman & Wakefield,” said GetintheLoop's Founder and CEO Matt Crowell. “We want our technology to help communities stay connected and support local retail during this critical time.

“We’re a lot of things to a lot of different stakeholders but really GetintheLoop is a shop local community. We enable members to support local businesses by connecting them with rewards and offers and events. It’s really a great way to find out what’s going on and the best place to spend money in your local community. GetintheLoop for business is really a tool that helps the retailer and a local business connect to a local audience in an authentic way to help them attract new customers, offer incentives and to be able to measure that result.

“Lastly, I think a really unique value proposition is that it’s powered by entrepreneurs of local communities. We’re the fastest growing franchise in Canada and we’ve got over 150 entrepreneurs in local markets that work with local businesses and those retailers on the ground in that Cushman & Wakefield scenario.”

The Kelowna-based company, which started in 2012, has more than 40 employees. It has more than 75 franchises across the country.

“We have a unique story. We started by actually just working in the golf industry and had success there. But we really expanded that we could help a lot of small business by using mobile technology to attract customers. We became partners of media companies over time and then realized to really make an impact in each neighbourhood and community you need entrepreneurs on the ground that had skin in the game,” said Crowell.

“So we created GetintheLoop Local — the digital franchise. It’s still under two years now that we did that and it’s been gangbusters from there. We exploded across Canada and now we’re looking at international opportunities.

“What people view as customer experience is changing. Now for a shopping centre, part of that customer experience is creating the ability for a consumer to learn about a retailer and their offers first when they come into the centre. The reality is that so many people are on their phones, you need to create an experience where they could still be using their phones while in the centre to find offers and promotions and allow the retailer to create a unique experience or incentive to drive that customer. And that might be driving them to the shopping centre but it might be helping facilitate a pick up offer outside of the mall and different things.

“We’ve seen a huge change. Cushman & Wakefield is very innovative and they’re a leader in saying ‘hey we need to be a partner with our retailers, not just a landlord’. So, they're using technology as part an endeavour to achieve those goals'.

Mario Toneguzzi, based in Calgary has 37 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist and editor. He worked for 35 years at the Calgary Herald covering sports, crime, politics, health, city and breaking news, and business. For 12 years as a business writer, his main beats were commercial and residential real estate, retail, small business and general economic news. He nows works on his own as a freelance writer and consultant in communications and media relations/training. Email: mdtoneguzzi@gmail.com.

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