Vibes Announces Catapult Wallet Manager's™ Support for Apple's iBeacon Technology

CHICAGO, Dec. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Vibes (www.vibes.com), a mobile marketing technology leader, has announced its Catapult Wallet Manager™ platform now supports Apple's iBeacon technology, providing hyper-local marketing opportunities for retailers. The integration allows marketers to trigger timely and relevant information to their consumers based on their exact locations within a retail store.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131218/NE35177LOGO)

Launched as part of Apple's iOS 7 mobile operating system, iBeacon gives developers a framework to sense Bluetooth beacons – small devices broadcasting small amounts of data – within a 50-meter radius and trigger an action, such as a push notification. Apple's Passbook mobile wallet application is compatible with iBeacon, and when it senses a recognized iBeacon, content stored in the Passbook app can be brought to the consumer's home screen. 

"Retailers have always wanted to communicate relevant information to their customers while they shop in-store, but a major challenge has been the cost of implementing precise location-based solutions," said Alex Campbell, Vibes co-founder and chief innovation officer. "As a result, iBeacons – a cost-effective tool – will be used to change the in-store shopping experience. Retailers will now have greater ability to have highly contextual conversations with customers via their mobile devices that can really influence shopper behavior."

How iBeacon Works with Catapult Wallet Manager

Using Vibes' Catapult Wallet Manager platform, marketers can add up to 10 iBeacon IDs just as they would add locations into a mobile wallet campaign. From there, they have the ability to create a Pass that detects an iBeacon and controls the message that appears on the consumer's lock screen. For example, a consumer's loyalty card that is saved in Passbook can notify the shopper of bonus points they receive on purchases while they are in store.

"Beacons offer an innovative alternative to near field communication (NFC)," said John Haro, Vibes chief technology officer. "Three things – power, cost and range – allow it to be so. NFC has struggled to gain market adoption, so it will likely remain a niche technology that solves specific problems, whereas beacons could become a widely accepted technology that solves a range of retailers' problems."

The industry's only cross-platform mobile wallet management solution, Catapult Wallet Manager helps retailers quickly and easily create and manage mobile wallet campaigns using Google Wallet and Apple's Passbook. For more information, visit www.vibes.com/walletmanager.

About Vibes
Founded in 1998, Vibes is a mobile marketing technology leader that helps some of the world's biggest brands acquire, engage and deepen relationships throughout the customer lifecycle. Vibes' Catapult Mobile Relationship Management (MRM) platform enables marketers to drive revenue growth and loyalty through mobile messaging, mobile wallet marketing leveraging Apple's Passbook and Google Wallet, post-click engagement, and advanced segmentation, targeting and personalization. Vibes has delivered more than 4 billion mobile experiences on behalf of customers that include Sears, Home Depot, Verizon, Allstate, The Gap, Tribune, Fox, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Gannett and the Chicago Bulls. Gartner Research recently named Vibes a "Cool Vendor in Mobile Marketing" and Forrester Research, Inc. recently featured Vibes in the October 2013 Mobile Messaging Vendor Overview report. The Common Short Code Administration (CSCA) recognizes Vibes as one of only seven Tier 1 aggregators with secure, direct connections to all the major carriers. To learn more about Vibes, visit www.vibes.com or connect on Facebook.com/VibesMedia or Twitter.com/Vibes. 

Contact:
Kristin Parran Faulder                                                                                                      
InkHouse (for Vibes)                                                                                                          
781-966-4100
[email protected]        

SOURCE Vibes