Nedap has been selected by athletic performance brand, Under Armour, Inc. to roll out Nedap’s iD Cloud inventory visibility platform. The platform will be deployed throughout 400 of Under Armour’s owned and operated stores across the globe. The objective of this first phase was to lay a scalable foundation, both operationally and technologically, for the program and to achieve accurate stock visibility in Under Armour’s retail stores, leading to optimized item availability and efficiency gains in key day-to-day processes. The objectives for future phases of RFID are to enhance Under Armour’s real-time view of inventory in stores to further drive operational efficiencies, leverage RFID to drive innovation in consumer experiences, and identify opportunities to leverage RFID across the Under Armour supply chain.
This week, Headspace, one of the global leaders in mindfulness and meditation, launches their new festive campaign throughout London. Taking over OOH placements across major transport hubs including zone 1 & 2 tube stations and across buses, the campaign aims to acknowledge the various feelings that many will feel this Christmas, whether that’s stress, or joy, or something completely different; and help people to embrace the rollercoaster of emotions. Headspace’s campaign acknowledges the range of emotions that people may feel this festive season, and ensures that the brand continues on its mission to improve the health and happiness of the world. The app has a wealth of content to combat stress, anxiety, and any other feelings that may arise this season, be it money troubles or family anxieties. While no single product can guarantee mental health, Headspace’s goal is to make mindfulness accessible to everyone, everywhere. Headspace recently launched new in-app content entitled ‘Happier Holidays’, a series made up of meditations, music, and exercises for finding some headspace through all the emotions that the festive season brings. In order to support people and encourage them to access this new content, the London OOH placements across the transport network will drive to a bespoke landing page (headspace.com/hohoho) where consumers can access a free meditation and collection from the sleepcast.
PROS®, a provider of SaaS solutions optimizing shopping and selling experiences, has announced the acquisition of EveryMundo, LLC (“EveryMundo”), a privately held company based in Miami, Florida. Under the terms of the transaction, PROS will pay $80 million in cash at closing, subject to certain customary adjustments, and deliver approximately $10 million in stock in the future, subject to certain conditions. EveryMundo is a digital offer marketing pioneer that enables brands to broaden their digital reach and deepen customer engagement, pulling them in to direct selling motions to create superior brand experiences and foster loyalty over time.
Seedtag has released the report “The Power of Contextual in the Attention Economy”, a study conducted by Seedtag along with attention-measurement firm Lumen Research. The analysis proves that Seedtag’s ads double the attention of other Outstream Video and similar Rich Media platforms and drive 3.3x more attention than IAB standard ads by combining the power of Contextual Intelligence with high-impact formats.
Optimizely has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Welcome, a four-time Gartner Leader that brings the best capabilities of content marketing platforms (CMP), marketing resource management (MRM), and digital asset management (DAM) together in a single solution. The combined company will empower marketing teams at brands across the globe to drive real business value through better customer experiences.Welcome’s capabilities combined with Optimizely’s solutions for commerce and content management – as well as its powerful tools for experimentation, personalisation and recommendations – means marketers can now: accelerate the end-to-end marketing lifecycle from concept to execution, gain unprecedented control and transparency to manage content and grow revenue by scaling adoption of best-in-class optimisation.
Google shopping specialist Bidnamic has been awarded the Google Shopping accounts of on-demand apparel printer Clever Baggers, and British designer Jessica Russell Flint. Both accounts were won by Bidnamic through non-competitive pitches. Clever Baggers previously used Google’s free bidding automation tool, Google Smart Shopping, to manage their campaigns. Whilst Smart Shopping can help retailers manage campaigns on Google Shopping, it’s limited in driving long term growth as brands can’t access customer data and decide where marketing budgets are spent. Bidnamic, on the other hand, uses their unique combination of AI machine learning and client servicing to drive long term results. Prior to signing with Bidnamic, Jessica Russell Flint did not use Google Shopping and instead focussed on selling their products via wholesalers, which had a detrimental effect on their profit margins. With Clever Baggers and Jessica Russell Flint having 1,500 and 800 SKUs on Google Shopping respectively, Bidnamic’s services will help manage bids and improve their positioning on the platform’s carousel. Bidnamic will work to help Clever Baggers and Jessica Russell Flint create growth by providing performance data and search terms to help drive sales generated on the platform. Bidnamic will be managing Clever Baggers’ Google Shopping campaigns in the UK and Jessica Russell Flint’s internationally.
Fintech Miconex has launched a ‘What’s Your Perfect Gift’ quiz as its 2021 Christmas campaign as part of ongoing efforts to encourage people to shop local. The Christmas quiz offers players the chance to win a £100 Town & City Gift Card for their choice of over 70 local gift card programmes in the UK and Ireland. The ‘What’s Your Perfect Gift’ quiz helps users to figure out which present they would most like to receive for Christmas by answering five festive questions, including their favourite Christmas movie, favourite holiday food, and the present they asked Santa for as a child. Answers to the quiz questions reveals the ideal present to suit the player’s personality in one of six possible categories; food and drink, shopping, leisure and attractions, health and beauty, services and accommodation. Each category represents a type of business where consumers can spend their local Town & City Gift Card. Players can then share their ideal present with friends and family. Miconex is also running a ‘Golden Gift Card’ competition with over £1000 in Town & City Gift Cards given away as prizes. Every customer ordering a gift card through the Town & City Gift Cards website until the 31st of December will be entered into the Golden Gift Card prize draws. The tenth and final draw will take place on Friday 31st December, for a £500 Town & City Gift Card.
Leading augmented reality (AR) and 3D creative platform, Poplar Studio, has partnered with Moonpig to create their first AR experience featuring a mini-game, to run in parallel to their Christmas TV ads, bringing the campaign to life. For the campaign, Moonpig have several ‘Joys of Christmas’ digital experiences and exclusive offers planned, including the mini-game created by Poplar Studio, to raise awareness of their full gift offering for the festive season. The AR experience, launched on WebAR using 8th Wall, asks users to collect gifts that are falling from the ceiling using a Christmas sack. On the welcome screen, the Christmas moonpig from the TV ad is animated. Then, the user places the Christmas sack virtually in their environment and uses their finger to move it around in order to catch the different falling gifts. The effect will also ask users to take a photo/selfie at the end of the game and share it on social media. Augmented reality tech has been transforming the ecommerce space as shopping habits changed throughout the pandemic, and with users 70% more likely to retain information when delivered through AR compared to traditional advertising, it’s become increasingly essential to brands.
While the large majority (98%) of CIOs report that the pandemic accelerated their organisation’s digital transformation plans, many (75%) are unable to unlock their data to drive a successful digital transformation. These findings come from the 2021 Global CIO Survey commissioned by Logicalis, a global provider of digital transformation and cloud managed services. The survey, covering 1,000 CIOs from around the world, finds that although organisations are pushing to accelerate their digital transformation plans, three quarters (75%) of respondents admit their organisation is struggling to unlock data to drive a successful digital transformation strategy. Building on this, the survey results reveal that less than half of respondents (48%) use data to increase speed and agility in their operations, and only a quarter of respondents use data to drive overall business strategy.
Perwyn, the family-backed private equity and growth capital investor, is delighted to announce the acquisition of, and growth investment in, the Krakow-headquartered high growth business SALESmanago, together with its co-investor SilverTree Equity. Perwyn and SilverTree have committed to significant growth equity to fuel SALESmanago’s expansion. This transaction provides the business with further capital and resources to become a global leader in the strategic and high-growth mid-market CDP & marketing automation market. The investment will also allow SALESmanago to continue to win business from blue chip companies and to deliver a feature-rich, cloud native product with a short time to market and proven customer value.
European PR agency Tyto has published its fifth annual Tyto Tech 500 Power List, revealing the most influential individuals in the tech sectors of the UK, Germany and France. The Tyto Tech 500 Power List shows the increasing influence of GreenTech and government officials on the sector. With the COP26 climate change conference having recently come to a close, Tyto can reveal that the presence of GreenTech influencers has increased for the second year in a row, reflecting growing public concern about the environment. The number of GreenTech influencers in this year’s ranking grew by 160% in the UK: just 15 GreenTech influencers made it onto the list in 2020; this year, there are 39 in the UK Top 500 ranking.
The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the professional lacrosse property, took another big step in delivering its first-rate video production to fans by renewing its partnership with Grabyo, the cloud video production platform. In a multi-year extension, the agreement expands the NLL’s use of Grabyo’s services for an enhanced fan experience that includes the ability to develop and distribute live second screen productions, including betcasts, secondary talent feeds, as well as pre-game and post-game content using Grabyo Producer. Since the partnership began in 2019, Grabyo Studio and Editor have been central to production efforts. As the pandemic disrupted, and ultimately cancelled the remainder of the 2019-20 season and all of the 2020-21 season for the NLL, these cloud-based tools became a lifeline for the global fan base. Without live games to attend, the vast 35-year archive provided plenty of big matchups, championships and goal highlights to serve up to the lacrosse community. Grabyo’s cloud-native platform allowed the NLL’s team to continue this production and content strategy from the safety of their home, using just a laptop and a stable internet connection. The NLL team will be able to continue collaborating remotely from anywhere in the world using Grabyo as the partnership continues over the coming years.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has unveiled a unique photography series titled Wondershots, which celebrates the bold, diverse, and eclectic side of small businesses in the UK. From an indoor climbing wall sprawling through a Bristolian church, to the sprawling hills of the Yorkshire Moors showcasing a local llama trekking business, Wondershots celebrates the raw essence of modern British business through the power of photography. Commissioned on behalf of Samsung for Business, the documentary-style series has been captured by British extreme photographer Lucinda Grange, who travelled across the UK with her team to put her daredevil camera techniques to work. The Series is a celebration of the dynamism of small British businesses who are able to work wonders from anywhere, powered by technology.
NextPlay Technologies, Inc., a digital business ecosystem for digital advertisers, consumers, video gamers and travelers, has announced that its NextFin Division has received conditional approval of its general insurance and re-insurance license application from the Labuan Financial Services Authority (Labuan FSA), a growing jurisdiction of choice by insurers and insurance intermediaries around the world. The licensing enables NextPlay’s fintech division to establish primary insurance operations, NextShield LTD, that looks to initially offer products in the form of block-chained parametric comprehensive travel insurance and bank deposit insurance. These products can be offered directly to businesses globally, as well as further enhance the offerings of NextPlay’s other operating units, such as NextBank International, where it could help attract more sizeable deposits due to the licensed insurance coverage.
Despite lingering anxieties about the pandemic and a variety of economic and commercial issues, the majority of SMEs believe it is now imperative to begin building back from the crisis. They are ready to step up their business investment, with ambitious plans for recruitment, renewal of equipment and machinery, and both domestic and international expansion. Fintech business lender MarketFinance asked 2,000 SME owners across the UK about their outlook for 2022 and beyond, gauging their short and long-term plans for business investment and growth. MarketFinance has released a comprehensive research report of its findings.
ClickUp, the productivity platform, has announced its European HQ will open early next year in Dublin, and will create 200 jobs over the next two years. The company’s expansion into Dublin is already underway with active recruitment for roles across sales, customer success, marketing, support, finance and HR. ClickUp selected Ireland because of its thriving technology community, its depth of talent and the belief it would provide the best springboard for ClickUp’s continued growth in Europe. The company’s new European HQ will provide a localised experience to the more than 275,000 European teams already using ClickUp.
InPost, the out-of-home and eCommerce delivery company, has announced the launch of a new charity campaign — Secret Senda — in partnership with homelessness charity Shelter. The UK-wide initiative, which runs from today until 31st December, ensures that members of the public can use any one of InPost’s 2,500 lockers across the UK, to send charitable donations to Shelter for free. This partnership provides consumers with an easy and convenient way to donate, in a bid to support all those whose lives have been impacted by the loss of their home. InPost lockers are accessible 24/7 and positioned at locations such as train stations, petrol forecourts and supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons and Lidl. To use the service, consumers must ensure their donated items are well packaged and visit the InPost website to download a mobile QR code. This code will unlock their chosen locker, and ensure the package is safely secured ready for collection and delivery to Shelter.
Intelligent audio communication solutions company Audiebant™ Media has announced its partnership with EG Group, the international fuel and convenience retailer, creating a new multi-sensory platform for brands to reach millions of car users at roadside retail locations across the UK. Offering advertising surround sound, Audiebant Media’s innovative technology gives brands the opportunity to connect with consumers in a unique, unskippable format they can hear, see and touch all at once. Incorporating Audio Out Of Home, Digital Out of Home and Pump Toppers, brands can source around 370 EG Group forecourts across the UK to roll out fully immersive advertising and sponsorship campaigns that can be targeted regionally and hyper-locally.
Fruugo, which owns and operates a high growth and profitable global cross-border marketplace using its own proprietary technology and data science, has announced it has partnered with international delivery service Ship2Anywhere to help simplify shipping solutions for merchants who are looking to expand their cross-border business. By partnering with Ship2Anywhere, Fruugo merchants will be able to access a fully integrated technology solution which will allow them to ship across a wide range of multi-carrier delivery options on an international scale, all at a cut down shipping rate. The integration will give Fruugo sellers the capability to seamlessly import all sales orders in real time to the Ship2Anywhere dashboard, which will then allow them to select their shipping service across a range of providers including S2A Express, DHL Express, Seko Logistics, Fedex, Pitney Bowes and various others. Merchants will benefit from an online shipping portal that allows data driven decision making, tailored speeds and modes of shipping, and fully automated technology solutions to fulfil and automate shipments for cross-border compliance. The Ship2Anywhere system, which currently looks after 10,000 customers, will also populate tracking information, and close orders upon completion.
iwoca, one of Europe’s largest small business lenders, has announced the expansion of its merchant cash advance product to all small businesses accepting card payments in the UK. The merchant cash advance will enable small businesses to repay their loan based on their sales and stay in control by choosing what percent of their revenue to pay. This product expansion comes following a successful integration with FundingXchange, launched in September, which offered revenue-based finance loans between £1,000 – £50,000 to online sellers on eBay.
emerchantpay, a payment service provider and acquirer, has formed a strategic partnership with Elsner Technologies, a web and digital marketing agency. Together they will offer greater payment flexibility to their customer base. Many medium and enterprise-level businesses will now get access to Elsner Technologies and Emerchantpay payment gateways’ services. Having a presence around the globe, it will be easier to work on a large scale. This partnership enables Elsner Technologies to give their customers access to emerchantpay’s robust payments API with over 300 ways to pay, an array of integration options, advanced anti-fraud solutions and a global acquiring range.
ttivo Networks have announced the availability of its Endpoint Detection Net (EDN) Suite on SentinelOne’s Singularity XDR Marketplace, a first-of-its-kind application ecosystem that unifies prevention, detection, and response data and actions across attack surfaces with a few simple clicks. The EDN solution provides SentinelOne customers with effective ways to reduce the risk associated with credential theft, attacks against Active Directory, and privilege escalation while reducing the attack surface by removing exposed credentials.
Sky Arts and its channel sponsor Lexus are set to spotlight Britain’s best design talent with a new ad-funded series The Big Design Challenge, airing next year. Hosted by DJ, author and presenter Lauren Laverne, this new skills-based reality format will see eight top creatives battle it out over five episodes to be crowned Britain’s next design superstar and have their work displayed at the prestigious V&A. The Big Design Challenge forms the latest activation in the partnership between Sky Arts and Lexus that reinforces the car brand’s design-led credentials and connection to craftsmanship. The show has been fully funded by Lexus, including an integrated title sequence, and product placement with Lexus RX and RX L hybrid SUVs transporting the show’s design contestants and judges to the challenges across London including the final episode, which will be hosted at the V&A. Brokered by Sky Media and m/SIX (The&Partnership’s media agency) in April this year, Lexus are sponsoring Sky Arts exclusively for 18 months.
