SmartFocus Acquisitions - Big Data Breakthrough in Omni-channel Marketing
LONDON, September 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
- SmartFocus buys Beacon start-up TagPoints and social media analyser Content Savvy
- industry-leading technology offers mobile and location-based digital marketing capability
- customer engagement and analysis now possible across all media channels
- now possible to unveil and analyse unrecognised patterns of consumer behaviour
As part of its strategy to develop the UK's first fully context aware digital and mobile marketing system, SmartFocus has made two key 'big data' acquisitions - Beacon technology specialist TagPoints and social media analyst Content Savvy.
As the first company to install Beacon technology in a UK shopping centre, TagPoints has an established lead in proximity marketing. Its mobile phone loyalty platform secured a podium place at this year's Mobile World Congress 'Barca Starta' competition.
Using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning technology, Content Savvy offers the ability to follow and accurately interpret media channels - including Facebook posts, trending social media topics, blogs and video posts. Its purchase means SmartFocus allows marketers unprecedented capacity to engage with, and gain insight into, customer behaviour both in and outside stores.
For example, using Content Savvy marketers can distinguish whether someone in an online conversation truly has the intent to buy and can subsequently export this information to CRM systems or customer databases.
"These acquisitions represent a tipping point in moving the company from being a key player in email marketing to an innovator in messaging and communication across multiple platforms - which is what all marketers want to today," said SmartFocus CEO Rob Mullen.
"In the age of 'The Internet of Everything', a key challenge for brands is the need to personalise and contextualise consumer behaviour. One aspect of this is location-based information - a problem that TagPoints solves - while Content Savvy offers the ability to accurately monitor, digest and analyse what's being said away from the store."
"Bringing TagPoints and Content Savvy in-house gives us dynamic, on-open optimisation capabilities. Marketers can analyse big data from all these sources to discover previously unrecognised patterns of behaviour and more accurately predict future patterns based on a thorough analysis of the data. We're now at the stage of being able to provide a truly omni-channel marketing solution."
Many large retailers are using SmartFocus' expanding range of digital marketing tools. One high profile fashion retailer is using its Beacon technology which offers consumers visiting its stores dedicated discounts and 'secret' offers via an app. And in a significant move for retail, the system will link consumer in-store behaviour to email by contacting them via email afterwards.
Another large brand using SmartFocus is the global technology giant HP.
"SmartFocus is HP's marketing engine for the Internet of Everything," said Dennison Degregor, Worldwide CRM Executive at HP. "The reality is that many businesses cannot cope with the amount of data they have access to in today's connected world. Therefore it is critical that they have access to tools that not only enable them to capture data, but allow them to analyse that data and act on it instantly.
"The addition of TagPoints and Content Savvy is adding new perspectives to understanding customer behaviour. Coupled with SmartFocus' existing toolset, they have the potential to redefine digital marketing. It will give HP and our clients unrivalled insight and enable us to communicate with our customers in a relevant, timely and targeted way, irrespective of where they are or what device they are using."
Apple's announcements on the 9th of September to include NFC payments in the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus show the mobile commerce trend is one that is continuing globally and retailers will now need strategies and software that are mobile-ready and set for the shopping evolution.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
SmartFocus
SmartFocus is the leader and innovator in contextualised and personalised messages. We have the technology to help you truly know your customer and engage them with the right message, at the perfect moment, wherever they are - in-store and online across all of their preferred channels. SmartFocus is the Internet of Everything solution for brands. It includes beacon technology that knows when your customer visits a physical store; real-time predictive recommendations generated at the precise moment they open your email or visit your site; and powerful insights that use smart analysis of Big Data to effortlessly generate a truly personal experience. Every year, we execute more than five million marketing campaigns, manage more than five billion customer records, and deliver more than 55 billion personalised interactions. Global brands such as French Connection, Speedo and Mercedes-Benz rely on SmartFocus to deliver business-critical, joined-up marketing campaigns that make a difference to their customers and to the growth of their business. http://www.smartfocus.com
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Kevin Maxwell
Maxwell Communications
(e) kevin@maxwellcomms.com
(m) +44(0)7985-351-797
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