A BELFAST-based technology firm which is a leader in retail solutions has held an event to showcase how the future of shopping has already arrived.
Velocity Worldwide’s clients include retail property management firms Standard Life Investments and Cushman and Wakefield, plus brands such as L’Occitane, Topshop and major food retail outlets in the UK and US, including Spar, Family Shopper and Dairy Queen.
It has developed Darius for Retail, a shopper data, personalisation and insight software platform that integrates with mobile and in-store proximity technology, such as wi-fi and beacons. It can be used to create personalised shopping experiences and marketing campaigns for shoppers who opt in.
The technology has the ability to integrate with new and existing in-store infrastructure such as automatic number plate recognition, point of sales systems and even dynamic lighting. It can use digital signage to recognise customers nearby and display tailored messages according to their preferences.
Products can also be equipped with beacon sensors that detect who picks up a product, prompting a discount offer to be sent directly to their mobile phone in-box.
And the results have been dramatic with retailers achieving double-digit growth in footfall, basket spend and the quality of their customer data.
Enda McShane, chief executive and founder of Velocity Worldwide, said: “While the perceived wisdom is that we’re seeing the death of the high street, nothing could be further from the truth. Some 94 per cent of retail happens in-store and while the public values the convenience of online shopping, they still want the traditional shopping experience.
“The problem for many retailers is that they don’t really understand who their customers are. They’re also unsure about how best to utilise technology to enhance their shopping experience and create an ongoing conversation with them.
“We have built and developed a $20m bespoke platform that allows retailers to develop a granular understanding of customers’ preferences and behaviours, and then create a personalised shopping experience using in-store displays, e-mail, mobile and other multi-channel communications. Darius not only allows retailers to collect and segment shopper data, but to do something meaningful with it. The end result is more customers, spending more, more often.”
Belfast fashion retailer Rio-Brazil adopted Velocity’s Darius platform in 2016 and its customer database has grown by 36 per cent as a result.
Velocity employs 40 staff at offices in Dublin, London, New York and Tokyo, and its customer base now includes stadiums, convenience stores and fuel retailers.
