Mappedin Announces Dynamic Digital Directory Interface To Power In-Venue “Homepages” For Fast-Changing Physical Retail Environments

Waterloo, ON (July 19, 2016) - Mappedin, the leading indoor mapping SaaS platform, today announced its new dynamic digital directory interface designed specifically for fast-changing physical retail environments. The ability for the software to deliver a premium customer experience at the pace of change at retail locations is predicated on an interface that reflects both the users and the environment of the physical directories themselves. The new interface is adaptable, meaning that as the content, context, and time changes, the digital “homepage,” or in-mall directory, changes as well, providing an up-to-date, premium user experience that is contiguous across platforms (directory, app, online).

The interface is able to automatically adapt to variables including: time of day, location within a given venue (for example, proximity to clothing versus hardware stores), events, promotions, seasons, and more while also allowing for custom changes in real-time from mall operators including stores moving within a space, closures, etc. With its dynamic digital directory, Mappedin is dramatically reducing the need for custom design work that’s historically been required to maintain the look, feel, and information held within in-venue directories.

“Physical, in-mall directories are, in essence, a mall’s ‘homepage’ enabling customers to efficiently find what they’re seeking out. There’s no reason why these displays shouldn’t be as responsive and real-time as a typical ecommerce site, but historically keeping them up-to-date has been a thorn in the side of many mall owners. Our software is now the workhorse behind elegant, informative, and up-to-date digital directories within the largest, most premium malls and retailers in North America.

To maintain that level of quality it’s imperative that, with each iteration of our interface, we learn and incorporate more about what users seek and how directories can best serve those needs,” said Hongwei Liu, Co-Founder and CEO, Mappedin. “A dynamic interface was the logical next step as we saw our customers, many of whom manage hundreds of properties, struggling to maintain their directories with rich and fresh media over time. With Mappedin’s new dynamic digital directory approach, our customers can easily maintain their branding and unique promotions across properties saving them time and money, while delivering an in-mall experience that’s in-line with today’s customer expectations.”

Today’s announcement includes the following advancements:

• Smart Templates: Smart Templates format and display content using existing purpose-built designs crafted by Mappedin. Templates are released seasonally or as new functionality becomes available. Templates don’t require a designer to be populated and displayed, in some cases they can be fully automated.
• Cards: Cards offer a popular standard for media dimensions to avoid a design specific to each directory. Cards are much larger than current promotional areas with a standard format for rich media and full image and video support capabilities.
• Tiles: Tiles display a grid of tappable elements, each element can contain an image, video, or content piece that follows a structured template. Tiles can be sorted by popularity (“trending”) or in alphabetical order. They are typically displayed in a 3x3 configuration on the directory.

“Mappedin’s technology enables us to offer our customers the seamless wayfinding experience they expect. They help us simplify the shopping experience across all channels - web, mobile or in-mall digital directories,” said Tracy Smith, VP of Digital Marketing & Solutions at Ivanhoe Cambridge.

Mappedin’s goal is to make the indoors discoverable by providing software solutions to mall owners and retailers that enable them to manage their dynamic spaces, and the platforms on which customers access information about these venues (directories, apps, online, etc.), with speed, ease, and reduced costs. With today’s announcement of dynamic directories, the pace of delivering up-to-date information to customers will now match the pace of change at venues in which Mappedin is deployed.

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 alum 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.