The Tech Behind the App: How one data agency are delivering innovative marketing solutions that could revolutionise the way shoppers interact with retailers
Award-winning data marketing agency The Blueberry Wave have revealed the Decision Engine technology behind 2013’s most intuitive consumer app.
The pioneering Kudos app was commissioned by Hammerson, one of the largest owners and developers of UK shopping centres, and is currently being trialled at The Oracle Shopping Centre in Reading and the Highcross Centre in Leicester. www.blueberrywave.co.uk
The app delivers location-based, personalised content and offers to shoppers in real-time, both as they approach and walk around the shopping centres.
As well as providing centre information, social media feeds from the centre and its retailers and a monthly prize draw, Kudos features unique offers and content which is targeted to individual shoppers based on their interests, retailer selections and in-app activity.
Users engaging with the app can select and edit their preferences and interests to get tailored information based on the frequency of their visits and the time they spend in store, from dining suggestions to parking prices and cinema listings.
Data marketing specialists The Blueberry Wave were one of four digital agencies involved in the development and delivery of Kudos, along with original consultants and graphics experts MRM Metorite, Geowave specialists Rippll and Footfall123 who supply promotional offers and incentives.
Single Customer View (SCV) database management
Steve Schneekloth, Technical Director at Blueberry Wave, said: “We’ve been working with Hammerson since 2011 to provide Single Customer View (SCV) database management, which is now used across all 10 Hammerson shopping centres throughout the UK.
“During the development of Kudos we were very heavily involved in the planning and practical implementation of the technology behind the app.
“We provided a number of solutions to support the mobile platform, including API facilitation, development and hosting, backend database design and management, and most crucially a real-time Decision Engine linked to the SCV which drives customer categorisation and recognition to ensure they receive tailored content and offers.
“As well as driving footfall and sales to retailers at Hammerson’s centres, we believe that Kudos has the potential to transform the way shoppers interact with brands. Our Decision Maker engine means we can make retail marketing more targeted than ever before, by developing a unique insight into the user’s personal preferences and automatically creating content that’s personalised to them.
“With more and more brands leveraging the power of personalised mobile ads through social media and app streams, retailers are able to build stronger customer relationships than ever before by building loyalty amongst existing shoppers and stimulating interest from new customers.
“Intuitive apps like Kudos are giving brands real-time insight into the trends, habits, preferences and spending patterns of individual consumers and coupled with targeted mobile marketing, this technology could have a significant impact on stimulating high street and shopping centre sales.”
Karl Boyce, Digital Marketing Controller at Hammerson, commented: “Our business is about creating exceptional retail experiences and Kudos will support this further by combining the digital and physical experience for our shoppers.
“The app has been specifically designed to give us a deeper understanding of our customers and how they shop in our centres, which will help us to harness early trends. Our retailers understand their customers’ habits and Kudos will enhance our knowledge of our shoppers’ behaviour. By combining our insight we can deliver a more compelling in-centre and digital experience to enhance retail sales and shopper loyalty.”
Kudos is available now for free for Android and iOS. Download Kudos now from the App Store and Google Play.
For more information about The Blueberry Wave’s work, visit www.blueberrywave.co.uk
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