Dropit expands in Las Vegas, lets shoppers travel bag-free

Las Vegas Premium Outlets North near downtown is sinking its teeth into the concept of hands-free shopping.

The center’s owner, Simon Property Group Inc., is offering guests the opportunity to ship their goodies anywhere in the U.S. through an expanded partnership with London-based company Dropit.

The delivery option, introduced on Black Friday, makes the Premium Outlets North the first and only center in the U.S. to offer Dropit’s store-to-door shipping service. It has been available in the United Kingdom for the past two years, according to the company.

Cathy Enderwood of CBRE said Las Vegas’ high foot traffic from tourists and natives makes it an excellent location for testing out new digital services and technologies, particularly a service like Dropit.

“Lugging around bags after a long day of shopping can be tiresome,” Enderwood said. “Delivering them right to one’s doorstep without hassle is a nice solution. In terms of the shared, gig economy, physical retail has often been ignored, so seeing a startup like Dropit attempting to solve a challenge in that space is unique.”

$15 fee

Customers are able to leave their purchases at a store. Then, using the Dropit mobile app or an in-store device at a participating retailer, shoppers can schedule the bags to be delivered to their hotel or, for locals, to their home at a time they choose. A shopper can leave an unlimited number of shopping bags at multiple stores throughout the day for a $15 fee.

With the new store-to-door delivery option, guests of Premium Outlets North can send up to three packages with a combined value of up to $2,000 for nationwide shipping. For now, Dropit will maintain the standard $15 fee for deliveries as part of a promotion ending Jan. 15. Any changes to the store-to-door delivery fee will be announced mid-January, according to the outlet mall.

Shipping times will vary depending on the package’s destination, but guests can expect their items to arrive between five to seven business days.

Test going well

Vicki Rousseau, area director of marketing and business development at Las Vegas Premium Outlets North and South, said Dropit has fulfilled hundreds of local deliveries a month to hotels and homes in the Las Vegas Valley with a “big uptick” in the amount of shoppers opting to ship items nationwide.

“So far, this test is going very well. They are loving the service,” Rousseau said. “We anticipate that it will roll out to all (of Simon’s) Las Vegas centers in 2020.”

Retail consultant Erin Sykes said she can see this service expanding to other metropolitan areas.

“Dropit is a terrific option for shoppers to extend their outlet trip without having to schlep bags with them,” Sykes said. “This can add incremental revenue to stores and restaurants as shoppers may revisit a store or add a lunch, dinner as they are more comfortable throughout the day. Combined with low taxes, this service proves that Vegas is a growing outlet destination.”

The Dropit mobile app first launched in the U.S. at the outlet in October 2018. Simon Property then expanded the service in September to all of its Las Vegas properties, including Las Vegas Premium Outlets South, Crystals and the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

Last month, Brookfield Properties joined in and launched Dropit at Fashion Show.

Contact Subrina Hudson at shudson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @SubrinaH on Twitter.