Simon Rolls Out Innovative Interactive Mapping To Its Digital Channels

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon, a global leader in retail real estate, has rolled out new, digitally interactive mall maps on all Simon center websites. The state-of-the-art map technology allows shoppers to easily navigate Simon centers before and during their visits, includes point-to-point navigation between stores, and provides a directory of available services and amenities that further enhance the shopping experience.

"Simon is continually looking for opportunities to enhance the shopping experience and we quickly recognized the potential of this new technology to do just that," said Mikael Thygesen, Chief Marketing Officer for Simon. "Consumer response and feedback to our new interactive maps since our pre-Holiday launch last year has exceeded expectations, with usage levels well above the targets we set."

The 3D digital maps, leveraging technology provided by Mappedin, an indoor mapping developer, contain the following features:

• Enhanced Interactive Capabilities: 3D maps allow shoppers to manipulate a center's map by panning, zooming and rotating the map. Shoppers can hover over and click on a store for store-related information;

• Enhanced Wayfinding: Shoppers are able to pick a destination and a starting point to receive point-to-point navigation guidance via a wayfinding path visual;

• Increased Discoverability: A 'Smart Search' bar automatically suggests applicable results and learns over time how to best rank search suggestions;

• Increased Actionability: Across Simon's websites, links at a store or restaurant level lead directly into relevant map views making it as easy as possible for shoppers to research and pre-plan their upcoming shopping visits;

• Deeper Insights: Rich, supporting analytics enhance our understanding of our shopper's behavior and usage of the interactive maps.

"Simon is at the forefront of exploring, testing and adopting what is possible with today's technology," said Hongwei Liu, Co-Founder and CEO, Mappedin. "By integrating new technologies and continuously investing in improvements Simon is ensuring the shopper has an enjoyable, productive and fun experience in their centers."

About Simon
Simon is a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development and an S&P100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE:SPG). Our industry-leading retail properties and investments across North America, Europe and Asia provide shopping experiences for millions of consumers every day and generate billions in annual retail sales. For more information, visit www.simon.com.

About Mappedin
Mappedin powers search and discovery indoors. The software platform provides industry leading tools for REITs and retailers to manage their dynamic indoor information and build digital wayfinding experiences into their customer-facing applications. Founded by UW Engineering alums in 2011, Mappedin is headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario. Mappedin is backed by a prodigious group of Canadian investors, most notably Esri Canada, the industry standard for GIS technologies, and is currently being utilized by clients across North America and around the world. For more information, please visit www.mappedin.com.

SOURCE Simon

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http://www.simon.com