Epicurious and Swirl Networks Partner to Bring Beacon-Powered Mobile Experiences to In-Store Shoppers

BOSTON and NEW YORK, Aug 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Epicurious, a Conde Nast brand, and award-winning lifestyle web and mobile platform, is partnering with Swirl Networks to bring exclusive in-store digital experiences to its broad audience of lifestyle enthusiasts. Swirl is the leading enterprise-class beacon marketing platform provider, powered by Bluetooth Smart® and Apple's iBeacon technology. Swirl beacons installed in retail shopping locations throughout North America will be used to trigger delivery of value-added lifestyle content and personalized offers to over 9 million Epicurious mobile app users.

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Starting this week, the in-store digital experiences will be available to users of the Epicurious iPhone app who have opted-in to receiving local content. These in-store experiences are being piloted in select markets, where Epicurious mobile app users will receive culinary and lifestyle content and offers while they shop. 

Swirl's beacon marketing platform allows leading retailers and publishers to deliver engaging and value-added digital content to consumers' smartphones while they shop in specific areas of a retail store. Lifestyle brands like Epicurious have the ability to leverage Swirl's growing network of retail partners to extend their brand experiences with highly relevant content, services and offers that are delivered seamlessly to consumers where and when it is most valuable. With a growing network of Swirl-enabled third party mobile apps, retailers are able to engage and influence a wide audience of in-store shoppers. Mobile app users who opt-in to the service receive digital content and offers automatically based on their specific location and behavior in participating retail stores. Swirl has previously announced retail store beacon deployments at Lord & Taylor, Hudson's Bay, Alex and Ani, Timberland, and Kenneth Cole stores across North America.   

"Epicurious can now make everyday shopping experiences more rewarding by delivering our high quality lifestyle tips, ideas and content directly to consumers at the very moment decisions are being made," said Carolyn Kremins, SVP and General Manager, Epicurious. "The Swirl platform helps deliver these experiences in contextual and relevant ways while consumers shop. This new capability provides us with the opportunity to create additional value for Epicurious consumers and advertising partners alike."

"With the vast majority of consumers already using their smartphones while they shop in retail stores, our partnership with Conde Nast will create even greater value for shoppers and retailers," said Hilmi Ozguc, founder and CEO of Swirl. "Marrying the latest mobile marketing technology with highly relevant content from Conde Nast's lifestyle brands will help consumers make more informed and inspired purchasing decisions whenever and wherever they shop."

About Swirl Networks
Swirl is the leading enterprise-class beacon marketing platform provider helping large-scale retailers and publishers leverage the power of mobile to attract and influence consumers while they shop in stores. Top retailers such as Lord & Taylor, Timberland, Kenneth Cole, and Alex and Ani use Swirl's patent-pending micro-location technology to increase 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.

About Epicurious
Epicurious, published by Conde Nast, is the most trusted, authoritative, and award-winning digital voice in food.  Launched in 1995, the site offers original content on all aspects of food, entertaining, travel, and cooking, inspiring users with close to 400,000 recipes in its database.  With a history of innovation, Epicurious has a ground-breaking mobile app for brand loyalists to use anywhere—accompanying them to the store for shopping and meal planning and in the kitchen for meal preparation.  Epicurious reaches more than 38 million cross-platform users each month across their website, app, and social media channels.

About Conde Nast
Conde Nast is a premier media company renowned for producing the highest quality content for the world's most influential audiences.  Attracting 95 million consumers across its industry-leading print, digital and video brands, the company's portfolio includes some of the most iconic titles in media: Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Brides, Self, GQ, The New Yorker, Conde Nast Traveler, Details, Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appetit, Epicurious, Wired, W, Lucky, Golf Digest, Golf World, Teen Vogue and Ars Technica.

Conde Nast also owns Fairchild Fashion Media (FFM) and its comprehensive fashion journalism brands: WWD, Style.com, Footwear News, NowManifest, Beauty Inc., M and Fairchild Summits.

The company's newest division, Conde Nast Entertainment, was launched in 2011 to develop film, television and premium digital video programming.

Over the past twenty years, Conde Nast has reached record profits, tripling its topline growth and exponentially expanding its content distribution. During the same period, the company earned more editorial, design, digital, advertising, video and business awards than any competitor in the industry. In 2013, the corporation was recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in the digital video business and in 2014 was one of LinkedIn's Top 25 Most In-Demand Employers. Later this year, the company will relocate to its new global headquarters at 1 World Trade Center, where it will play a leading role in the resurgence of Lower Manhattan.

Lisa Mokaba
[email protected]
781-966-4108

SOURCE Swirl Networks