British supermarket behemoth, Tesco, has acquired performance display technology firm Sociomantic for a figure reported to be in the low hundreds of millions of dollars.
Carried out by the retailer’s subsidiary, dunnhumby, the deal will give the retailer access to Sociomantic’s real-time data from more than 700 million online consumers, allowing it to improve how it plans, personalises and improves display advertising.
Dunnhumby had a big input into Tesco’s Clubcard loyalty programme and, along with this, it also houses extensive insights on the shopping preferences of 400 million consumers, having worked with brands such as Coca Cola and Macy’s.
Personalisation breeds loyalty
Simon Hay, CEO of dunnhumby, spoke of how important personalisation was to capturing the attention of shoppers to ensure they returned to that same retailer time and again.
“Our strategic priority is to engage consumers and earn their loyalty wherever they shop, in-store and online, with personalised communications that are valuable and meaningful,” Hay said.
“Applying this approach to make online media a better experience for consumers and marketers is paramount to us.”
Sociomantic’s main proposition, performance display, has seemingly struck a chord with its brands that cover electronics, retail, fashion and travel services in more than 60 markets spanning six continents. In 2013 it earned revenue of $100 million.
Keeping communication relevant
Buoyed by the sale, Thomas Brandhoff, managing director and co-founder of Sociomantic, reiterated Hay’s own words in saying that today’s brands needed to ensure consumer messaging remained pertinent.
“dunnhumby is a global leader in building consumer loyalty and has pioneered new ways for marketers to interact with consumers,” Brandhoff enthused.
“Together, we can help brands improve the relevance of their messages to create more personal interactions with their customers online and across mobile devices.”