Contents
1. Shopping Center Branding II
2. NTCAR offers RE/Locate and More...
PikeNet 99 ... Register Online!

1. Shopping Center Branding II... In the April 6 Dispatch, I raised the question: Are there any shopping centers in your cities connecting with consumers effectively over the web? Well, I received many suggestions, but only one that really hit the mark... Sandra Gillians pointed me toward the web site for Oakville Place, a regional shopping center located just outside Toronto, Canada. Wow, this is the best consumer-centric shopping center site that I've seen. Check it out. Here's the way Sandra describes it:

"To our knowledge, we are the first shopping centre anywhere to offer on-line shopping from our stores, using one 'shopping bag' and one credit card transaction. Our customers can browse for products by store or by category. Our retailers are increasingly embracing this opportunity to do e-commerce and to have an Internet presence, and we are adding more stores and products all the time. ... We have interactive maps, floor directories, information on in-mall sales and promotions, a listing of all job openings in the stores (applications may be submitted on-line), news & events ('Mall Talk' and 'Centre Court')."

2. NTCAR offers RE/Locate and More... The North Texas Association of Realtors (NTCAR) provides value to its members by offering preferential access to a number of Premium Data Services. For example, members get 15% off E-COMPS and 10% off CACI/IDS web orders. And recently NTCAR launched a new web-based listing service in alliance with RE/Locate. This comprehensive database of properties for lease and for sale is available to NTCAR members for $40-85 per month depending upon the number of property types accessed... While not exactly one-stop shopping, this innovative approach centralizes the purchasing power of an otherwise unaffiliated group of professionals.

--Peter Pike