Largest U.S. shopping mall operator launching location-based retail app

Shopkick, a Silicon Valley-based "mobile meets retail" startup, and Simon Brand Ventures, the business-to-consumer arm of Simon Property Group, Inc., have announced a strategic alliance to deliver the shopkick location-based shopping application to more than 100 Simon mall locations across the country in time for the holiday shopping season.

According to the companies, a whole new world will be delivered to the shopper once the free shopkick mobile application is downloaded to the consumers' smart phone. As the shopper walks through the door of a participating retailer that has installed the "shopkick Signal" technology, they will learn of great deals at the store that can stretch their dollar. In addition, just by entering the store, the customer earns a new shopkick currency called "kickbucks" that can be redeemed for rewards or donated to charity.

Shopkick will launch within the next few weeks, and start rolling out in the first Simon malls. Simon will promote the shopkick app to consumers at its malls, and deploy shopkick's location technology in key areas of its participating locations. Simon will also help to facilitate the installation of shopkick's technology inside the stores of interested retailers in its malls, to help drive foot traffic and new customers to them.

Simon is the nation's largest shopping mall operator and is working with shopkick to further enhance customers' shopping experiences with rewards and offers — delivered simply for walking into a Simon mall, the company said.