LOS ALTOS, Calif., March 26, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- NearbyNow, Inc., an online service that allows consumers to search all products and sales available at local shopping centers using the Internet or mobile phones, today announced that Gartner, a technology research and analyst firm, has named NearbyNow to its "Cool Vendors in Retail Technologies 2007" report, authored by analysts Gale Daikoku, Mim Burt and Hung LeHong of Gartner, Inc.
The Gartner report states "NearbyNow's technology allows consumers to search all products, brands and sales in a shopping mall. NearbyNow gets inventory data from every store so consumers can search for any item, along with its price, in-stock availability and promotional pricing. Some items have the option of being reserved for pickup in the store. Consumers can access this information from the shopping mall Web site and their mobile phone via Short Message Service (SMS)."
This year's Cool Vendors report for retail technologies focused on emerging companies such as NearbyNow, who look to improve retail processes and enhance customer experience, which Gartner stated can make the difference between business success and failure. Only three technology vendors were selected for the Cool Vendors report for 2007.
"We are excited to have been named to Gartner's 'Cool Vendor' report, a prestigious honor by one of the country's leading technology analyst firms," said Scott Dunlap, chief executive officer of NearbyNow, Inc. "NearbyNow's local search service is focused on making shopping as convenient as possible for consumers while simultaneously providing shopping centers and their retailers an opportunity to drive more in-store purchases. We believe this Gartner report further validates the significance of NearbyNow's unique approach to localized Internet and mobile search."
About Gartner's Cool Vendors Selection Process
Gartner's listing does not constitute an exhaustive list of vendors in any given technology area, but rather is designed to highlight interesting, new and innovative vendors, products and services. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness of a particular purpose.
Gartner defines a cool vendor as a company that offers technologies or solutions that are: Innovative, enable users to do things they couldn't do before; Impactful, have, or will have, business impact (not just technology for the sake of technology); Intriguing, have caught Gartner's interest or curiosity in approximately the past six months.
About Nearby Now
NearbyNow, Inc. provides a unique online service that allows consumers to search all products, brands, and sales available at local shopping centers using the Internet or mobile phones. Working with shopping centers and retailers across the United States, NearbyNow enables consumers to easily access local information both before and during their shopping trips. The company also creates an efficient marketing tool for retailers to target nearby consumers, helping to drive sales by turning online shoppers into in-store buyers. NearbyNow is headquartered in Los Altos, CA. Additional information can be obtained by phone at (650) 947-1300 or via the Web at www.nearbynow.com.