The new strategic partnership will continue ECE’s efforts to push the expansion of its shopping centres into omnichannel platforms.
The newly launched partnership makes it possible for bricks-and-mortar retailers to display their locally available products in Google search results, making it an integral part of the “connected commerce” strategy that links online and offline channels.
The connecting element is the “Stocksquare” data platform, a joint venture founded by ECE and OTTO for the expansion of their connected commerce activities. It already connects bricks-and-mortar retailers to the otto.de online platform and to the “Digital Mall” in ECE centres, and is now also the basis for the partnership with Google.
“We are making a consistent push to connect our shopping centers with online platforms in order to increase online visibility for the bricks-and-mortar stores at our shopping centers, helping them generate additional revenue,” says Dr. Philipp Sepehr, Chief Digital Officer at ECE, “We see Google and Otto Group platforms such as otto.de as strong partners with which we plan to connect even more strongly in the future.” For ECE, integrating its centers with relevant online platforms is an essential component of its omnichannel strategy, which aims to connect bricks-and-mortar retail and online business better and more closely and enable additional revenue and traffic for stores.
“These days customers are planning their purchases at local stores with much more precision and detail, because they want to know what they can expect before they actually visit the store. As a result, the demand for real-time information like store business hours, product availability, and contact-free product pick-up has risen strongly in recent months. Using Stocksquare, a local feed partner, local retailers can connect with each other online and offline over the long term and boost the visibility of their products in Google searches,” says John Gerosa, Managing Director Retail Markets at Google.
