Want to save gas? SouthPark mall debuts tool to check store inventory before you leave

There’s a new way to check what’s in stock at stores in a prominent Charlotte mall without having to use expensive gas and drive there first.

The new platform, called Simon Search, is being tested at 29 Simon-owned retail centers across the U.S., including SouthPark in Charlotte. Simon Search also is available at Haywood Mall in Greenville, S.C.

The aim is to increase traffic to stores by giving customers an easy way to search in-stock inventory, Simon said in a news release Tuesday.

“Consumer research has shown that almost 90% of shoppers are interested in the enhanced search capabilities provided by Simon Search,” Simon Chief Marketing Officer Mikael Thygesen said in a statement of the new inventory tool.

Shoppers wanted the ability to search malls like they do online, Enna Allen, Simon vice president of brand management, told The Charlotte Observer. The shopping tool also arrives amid record-high gas prices across Charlotte and the country.

Shoppers with limited time looking for a certain item can identify if a store has the item in stock for immediate gratification, Allen said. And, 75% of shoppers said they’d use the new tool regularly, according to Simon’s research.

“This is a tool that was designed with the shopping center customer in mind as a result of consumer insight,” Allen said.

Simon Search in Charlotte

Simon Search — available on mall apps and mall websites — lets customers check in-stock inventory at participating retailers, searching by merchandise category or retailer. The search includes prices, sizes and other information about products in stock.

So far, there are nine stores participating at SouthPark, according to the mall’s website: American Eagle, Anthropologie, Athleta, Gap, J.Crew, Lilly Pulitzer, Lucky Brand, Old Navy and Untuckit. Levi’s, which is expected to open Sept. 1, also is listed, according to SouthPark.

Other stores expected to participate, according to the mall’s website, are Belk, Coach, Gap Kids, Kate Spade, Macy’s and Nordstrom.

SouthPark at 4400 Sharon Road has 166 stores and restaurants.

Simon Search will roll out in phases at Simon’s more than 200 U.S. shopping centers through the end of the year.

Based in Indianapolis, Simon also is the property owner of Concord Mills and Charlotte Premium Outlets in Charlotte’s Steele Creek area, Carolina Premium Outlets in Smithfield, about 30 miles southeast of Raleigh, and Gaffney Outlet Marketplace in South Carolina.

Other additions at SouthPark

SouthPark mall also is undergoing a “transformational” multimillion-dollar plaza project that includes Charlotte brewer Suffolk Punch Brewing’s expansion, greenspace and an inclusive children’s play area.

Construction is expected to finish by late summer with a new play area and brewery expected to open simultaneously, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

Along with Levi’s opening, other stores planned or recently opened, according to the mall’s website, are:

▪ UNOde50, a handcrafted jewelry store

▪ Hive & Colony, a menswear store

▪ Inglot cosmetics

▪ Tag Heuer, a luxury Swiss watchmaker, expected to open this month

▪ Blue Nile, jewelry store opening next month

▪ CycleBar, indoor cycling classes

This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 6:00 AM.