Swirl Delivers First End-to-End In-Store Mobile Marketing Platform for Major Retailers

BOSTON, Oct. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Swirl Networks, Inc. today announced the immediate availability of the Swirl In-Store Mobile Marketing Platform™, the first to let large-scale retailers create and deliver personalized content and offers to shoppers based on their specific locations within physical retail stores. The Swirl platform offers an end-to-end solution for retailers to manage effective campaigns that communicate with their customers through their mobile devices anywhere from the neighborhood level, all the way down to a particular area of the store. It unites the appeal of personalized e-commerce with indoor location-based marketing, helping retailers increase foot traffic, customer engagement and store sales.

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The results are already quantifiable. In May, Swirl launched a pilot program with national fashion retailers including Alex and Ani, Kenneth Cole, and Timberland that demonstrated high consumer engagement and sales conversions, with an unprecedented 75 percent in-store app open rate.

"We saw very promising results from the Swirl pilots we ran at our stores over the summer," said Ryan Shadrin, vice president of retail and e-commerce for Timberland. "Customers appreciated receiving personalized mobile offers in-store; this is clearly a good way for us to connect with today's increasingly digital consumer. Based on what we've seen thus far, we're hoping to expand use of the Swirl in-store marketing technology to other Timberland locations in 2014."

The Swirl In-Store Mobile Marketing Platform combines micro-location targeting with any retailer's app to deliver relevant messages, content and offers to consumers – while they shop. Powered by Bluetooth® Low Energy positioning beacons, Swirl can pinpoint a shopper's precise location within a store, such as the baby aisle or electronics department, in real time and deliver highly relevant messages, content and offers. This unique combination creates personalized and contextual shopping experiences that drive sales. 

With the intelligence, targeting and campaign management necessary to handle even the largest retailers' mobile marketing needs, the patent-pending Swirl platform comprises:  

• Swirl SecureCast™ Beacons: Self-contained, battery powered Bluetooth® Low Energy indoor positioning beacons that install in minutes, work across both Apple and Android smartphones, and automatically verify the precise location of a shopper who has opted in to the retailer's app. SecureCast devices can be configured either as fully compatible, open Apple iBeacons or, for retailers concerned with data and consumer privacy, can be protected through Swirl's proprietary encryption and security technologies.
• Swirl Mobile Client Software Development Kit (SDK): Enables retailers to easily embed Swirl's technology in their own branded retail apps, including the ability to engage shoppers with highly targeted and personalized content based on indoor micro-location as determined by the SecureCast beacons. The same in-store mobile experiences can also be added to any third-party publisher's app to expand audience reach and drive additional foot traffic to retail stores.
• Swirl Marketing Console: Full suite of self-service marketing tools for in-store mobile campaign management and analytics, allowing retailers to easily create immersive mobile ad experiences that automatically launch as consumers shop in-store. Marketing teams can efficiently run campaigns across thousands of stores with the built-in role-based security and workflow management features. The cloud-based console also includes sophisticated beacon management capabilities allowing a retailer to manage a network of thousands of SecureCast and Apple iBeacon devices through a single interface.

"There's been steady demand from retailers and publishers to add our powerful micro-location capabilities to their own branded apps," said Hilmi Ozguc, founder and CEO of Swirl. "Given the overwhelmingly positive feedback from consumers and the retailers who piloted Swirl, we are now ready to open our doors to any and all retailers looking to dramatically improve the in-store shopping experience using these groundbreaking capabilities."

About Swirl
Swirl is an in-store mobile marketing platform provider that is helping retailers leverage the power of mobile to attract and influence consumers while they shop in retail stores. Top retailers such as Timberland, Kenneth Cole, and Alex and Ani use Swirl's patent-pending micro-location technology to increase their store traffic, customer engagement and sales conversions. The company is led by an accomplished entrepreneurial team and backed by top-tier investors including Hearst Ventures, SoftBank Capital, Longworth Venture Partners and General Catalyst Partners. Learn more at swirl.com.

PR Contact:
Rob Murphy
Swirl
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 617.694.5323

Lisa Mokaba
InkHouse for Swirl
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 617-750-5939          

SOURCE Swirl Networks, Inc.