Our regular update on client wins, new tech integrations, company launches, M+A activity and platform activations. We love to share good news in these challenging times so please keep sending them through.
Linen brand Piglet has opted for the ecommerce combo of Brightpearl and Shopify, in order to benefit from an integrated all-in-one solution that supports the seamless management of a growing multi-location operation. The brand chose Brightpearl for its suite of integrations, retail specialism and advanced fulfilment features. Piglet will benefit from full visibility, alongside centralized inventory and order management, real-time product and financial reporting, and a robust platform that is built for scalability. In addition, Brightpearl’s platform addresses the firm’s key considerations around warehouse management and demand planning and enables automation of Piglet’s operational processes – eliminating time-consuming manual processes and cumbersome workflows in a single stroke.
Global customer experience and business solutions provider, Webhelp has been recognized by industry analyst, NelsonHall, for its social media capabilities. The firm was recognized across three core areas: customer care and sales capability; online reputation management capability; and content moderation, trust and safety capability. NelsonHall’s Evaluation & Assessment Tool (NEAT) evaluates the quality of players’ abilities in several categories, such as technology and tools, service innovation, geographic footprint, and scalability, amongst others.
Knowledge Hacking app, Uptime, has successfully secured $16m in funding from global investors including former CEO of Tesco, Sir Terry Leahey, entrepreneur and chairman of N Brown, Lord Alliance and members of Federal Street SPV. The Uptime team has been on the hunt for the right Media partner to lead their launch, growth, and brand awareness strategy through mobile acquisition channels. After a highly competitive pitch Uptime have selected TIPi Group’s Media Planning and Buying arm, The Market. The Market will help Uptime establish and raise awareness of the knowledge hacking sector to help promote the Uptime brand and its goals of fusing great technology with human curation to create micro-learning experiences.
Wefunder, a Public Benefit Corp, has selected strategic communications consultancy Gallium Ventures as its agency of record. Gallium Ventures has been brought on to help promote and raise visibility for the investment company whose founders were behind the JOBS Act, which legalised Regulation Crowdfunding in the United States. Gallium Ventures will support the development and management of Wefunder’s marketing and communications strategy, increasing awareness of the organisation as they strive to address the pitfalls of capitalism, and let customers and fans invest in the Founders they truly believe in. Most notably, this will include important educational efforts aimed at making angel investment more accessible to the masses.
Globalization Partners has announced a new offering with ADP TotalSource. Through this joint offering, businesses that use ADP TotalSource gain access to Globalization Partners’ global Employer of Record (EOR) solution. Combining the expertise of their in-country teams with technology removes the complexities associated with payroll, human resource matters, employment law, and expense reporting. This PEO offering allows businesses to quickly expand and seamlessly set up one employee or an entirely new team. ADP TotalSource supports more than half a million employees with payroll, access to Fortune 500®-caliber employee benefits, workers’ compensation, compliance, HR technology and expertise.
Ebiquity plc has announced the launch of the Digital Innovation Centre, the central hub in charge of the new digital solutions portfolio. Effective immediately, the central dedicated mission control unit will develop, maintain, and deliver digital solutions for the consultancy’s global blue-chip clients, including Huawei, and Mars. This launch marks the completion of Ebiquity Group’s integration with Digital Decisions, transforming digital capabilities and capacity across its global network. Moving forward, Digital Decisions will operate as Ebiquity’s Digital Innovation Centre. The Digital Innovation Centre extracts trillions of digital ad impressions worth billions of spend directly from the source on behalf of its clients, operating the proprietary Media Data Vault for secure and scalable management and monitoring of the data.
Global provider of real-time digital payment software and solutions ACI Worldwide has announced a partnership with omnichannel banking and payment systems company Auriga. The companies will launch a next-generation ATM and self-service banking platform aimed at improving the omnichannel banking experience for consumers globally. Under this partnership, ACI’s Enterprise Payments Platform—a platform that helps banks manage new payment types, standards and regulations to enable digital transformation—will integrate with Auriga’s omni-channel banking solution, WinWebServer (WWS). This will provide banks with the next-generation self-service banking that merges physical and digital channels in a highly secure, modernized technology platform. The joint solution, available alongside ACI’s continued support for traditional ATM technologies, will provide improved customer service through the integration of ATM with mobile and internet self-service banking capabilities. It will enable banks to define an integrated channel strategy, optimizing and transforming their branch and ATM estates.
Chinese e-commerce service firm Baozun Inc. has announced the acquisition of Full Jet Limited (“Full Jet”), as part of its move to strengthen its leadership in China’s flourishing luxury e-commerce industry. The Full Jet team will become a part of Baozun’s premium brand and luxury business unit. This acquisition will further enhance Baozun’s expertise in business development, strategic consulting, brand management, and further increase its attractiveness to more premium and luxury brands worldwide.
Retail Marketing Group, the UK-based marketing agency, has revealed its support of LG.COM to provide customers with a live, virtual demo tool, allowing the brand to meaningfully engage with customers who visit the website. Following the announcement of national lockdowns in March 2020, LG looked to Retail Marketing Group (RMG) as a long-time partner to help bring product demonstrations online. RMG used its expertise and enthusiasm for innovative digital solutions to support the implementation of a service that offered consumers the chance to receive advice and live demonstrations. With broad experience in creating engaging human connections in retail environments, RMG were able to support the technology with highly skilled demonstrators, adept at bringing to life products and their stories. This service began in an existing room at LG’s European HQ.
As the solution grew in popularity, LG and RMG saw the opportunity to elevate the consumer experience further. Working in partnership they developed a new live, virtual demo environment: the LG Broadcast Room. This newly created studio space, with professional lighting and camera equipment, has at its centerpiece a revolving carousel to display hero items from across LG’s product ranges. At the touch of a button, demonstrators are able to switch between showcasing the benefits of TVs, audio equipment, fridges, and washing machines within one clearly-defined, premium brand space.
Post Office is expanding its presence in the identity services market with the roll-out of a suite of online and in-branch products in a new partnership with digital identity company Yoti. The rollout includes a free-to-use app that will combine customers’ personal data and biometrics to create a secure, reusable ID on their phone and in-branch services for those customers who do not have access to a smartphone or who prefer face-to-face contact when asked to confirm their identity. The partnership will also connect Post Office customers with online businesses, by enabling companies to use Post Office and Yoti identity verification services for fraud detection, E-signatures and customer authentication services, using secure biometric face matching and liveness detection. The partnership combines Post Office’s existing experience in identity services and its extensive branch network with Yoti’s leading identity technology to help drive the UK’s digital transformation. Post Office continues to embrace new technology and this further expansion into the identity services market is part of its efforts to adapt and remain relevant in the digital age, whilst ensuring it continues to offer customers a choice as to how they transact.
