Powered By Swirl, Hudson's Bay And Lord & Taylor Become First Major Department Store Chains To Roll Out Beacon Technology In North America
Wide-scale deployment to enhance shopping experience for customers
BOSTON and TORONTO, July 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- HBC Department Store Group is deploying the Swirl in-store beacon marketing platform to deliver digital experiences to consumers' smartphones while they shop in the company's department stores in Canada and the US. Using beacons installed in merchandising areas throughout its stores, Hudson's Bay and Lord & Taylor will automatically deliver branded content and personalized offers to in-store shoppers through an array of company-owned and third party mobile apps.
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The HBC Department Store Group operates more than 130 Hudson's Bay and Lord & Taylor department stores across North America. Starting today, the new in-store mobile experiences will be available to shoppers at select malls and free-standing Hudson's Bay stores including its 850,000+ square foot Toronto flagship store which sees thousands of customers each day, as well as Lord & Taylor stores in the US.
HBC is using the Swirl beacon marketing platform to create more personalized and engaging in-store mobile shopping experiences. Swirl beacons will be used to trigger delivery of unique and relevant content to shoppers at multiple locations and departments within its stores. HBC Department Store Group selected Swirl for its end-to-end beacon marketing capabilities, as well as its ability to meet the security and scalability requirements of its large-scale department stores. The Swirl platform leverages Bluetooth® Smart and Apple's iBeacon technology to deliver targeted content and offers to consumers based on their specific location and behavior at the store. By utilizing the Swirl technology across various popular lifestyle and shopping apps, HBC Department Store Group can deliver compelling in-store mobile experiences to millions of shoppers who choose to opt-in to the service.
Beacon marketing represents the latest in a series of mobile enablement capabilities that HBC has developed in an effort to meet rapidly evolving consumer behaviors. With consumers increasingly using their smartphones for shopping-related activities, in-store mobile engagement is quickly becoming a retailer imperative.
"We recognize the appetite for mobile experiences that cater to our customers' immediate needs and preferences while also providing a seamless and effortless experience," said Michael Crotty, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Hudson's Bay Company and Lord & Taylor. "Beacon technology is the future of retail marketing and Swirl's platform will assist us to make every visit to Hudson's Bay or Lord & Taylor even more rewarding for our customers."
"With this new capability, Hudson's Bay and Lord & Taylor are taking their reputation for quality and customer service to the next level," said Hilmi Ozguc, founder and CEO of Swirl. "We are proud to be working with one of North America's premier retailers to reinvent the in-store shopping experience with the latest mobile marketing technology. This multi-category, multi-floor beacon deployment represents the most ambitious application of beacon marketing in the retail industry to date."
About Swirl Networks
Swirl is the leading enterprise-class beacon marketing platform provider helping large-scale retailers leverage the power of mobile to attract and influence consumers while they shop in stores. Top retailers such as 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 Hudson's Bay Company Department Store Group
Hudson's Bay Company Department Store Group comprises Hudson's Bay in Canada and Lord & Taylor in the United States. Hudson's Bay, founded in 1670, is North America's longest continually operated company as well as Canada's largest department store with 90 locations, unsurpassed in its fashion, beauty, home and accessory designers and brands, as well as thebay.com. Hudson's Bay provides stylish, quality merchandise at great value, with a dedicated focus on service excellence. Lord & Taylor, founded in 1826, is America's oldest department store and one of America's premier retailers, with 49 full-line store locations throughout the Northeastern United States, two major cities in the Midwest, one major city in Florida, and lordandtaylor.com. Lord & Taylor has built a reputation for attentive customer service and high-quality merchandise focused on apparel and accessories. Hudson's Bay Company trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "HBC".
About Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor is an upscale specialty department store that has built a reputation for attentive customer service and high-quality merchandise focused on apparel and accessories. Founded in 1826, Lord & Taylor is America's oldest department store and one of America's premier retailers. Today, Lord & Taylor operates 49 full-line stores in ten states and the District of Columbia, four Lord & Taylor outlet stores and lordandtaylor.com, the company's online store.
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