CMO's top 8 martech stories for the week - 11 July 2019

Leadspace acquires ReachForce

Leadspace, a B2B customer data platform (CDP) provider, has acquired ReachForce, a private company with complementary B2B data solutions, like SmartSuite and SmartForms.

Leadspace will add Reachforce team members, technology, and strong customer and industry relationships. They’ll also add an Austin, Texas office to the Leadspace locations in San Francisco, CA and Hod Hasharon, Israel. Financial terms were not disclosed.

With the SmartSuite and SmartForms products, ReachForce customers will now be able to tap into the wide set of data sources and signals on the Leadspace CDP and will also benefit from Leadspace’s AI and analytics offerings for predictive and persona modelling and scoring.

Cheetah Digital buys zero-data collection firm

Cheetah Digital has acquired Wayin, a zero data collection and activation firm, a move its says will improve the way marketers using its platform collect data for hyper-personalised campaigning.

Wayin was established in 2016 and focuses on 'zero-party' data, or data that consumers own and willingly provide to brands. Its quest has been to help marketers utilise these data sets to activate personalised and permission-based marketing, and the company claims to have collected more than 1.3 billion data records so far. Clients include Bauer Media, Vodafone, Reckitt Benckiser and Air New Zealand.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Wayin is the leader in helping marketers acquire opted-in data at scale," said Cheetah Digital CEO, Sameer Kazi. "Combined with our enterprise cross-channel marketing platform, Cheetah Marketing Suite, and our industry-leading loyalty platform, Cheetah Loyalty, marketers are able to put that data to work in real-time with hyper-personalized experiences across all channels.

"We’re excited to team up with the incredibly talented team at Wayin to help marketers create lasting customer relationships – from acquisition to loyalty.”

InMobi restructures as it prepares for listing  

InMobi has reportedly established a new holding company structure with its three core businesses operating as standalone entities, a move signalling the mobile advertising platform’s intentions for an eventual public listing.  

The three businesses are InMobi UMC, which houses its flagship adtech business; data business, TruFactor, based on its acquisition of Pinsight Media; and consumer content platform, Glance. According to founder and CEO, Naveen Tewari, as quoted in the Economic Times, each of the businesses is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity in its own right and requires the autonomy to enact its own growth strategy. He also stated the new structure paved the way for an eventual public listing.  

InMobi’s core marketing platform uses global carrier and digital audience data to create segments in order to better target advertising on mobile devices. These include groups such as fashionistas, college students and high-end urban consumers.  

HubSpot and WP Engine partner up

HubSpot and WP Engine have confirmed the newly updated HubSpot plugin for WordPress will be integrated with all of WP Engine’s StudioPress themes.

With the launch of this partnership, users can now leverage HubSpot’s powerful free CRM and marketing software without leaving WordPress.

“Pairing a powerful CMS with an equally powerful CRM is an essential catalyst for a growing business,” said Brian Halligan, CEO and co-founder of HubSpot. “With integrated data and the right tools, you can do more than just store information — you can start more personalised conversations with prospects, understand and then tailor your site to be what visitors are looking for, and create an overall improved customer experience.”

For those that choose to grow their business on WordPress, using this plugin means fewer tools to manage, fewer code conflicts, and a centralised source of customer and prospect data — including contact details and interaction history.

Showpad secures US$70 million in funding

Showpad, a sales enablement solution, has secured US$70 million in Series D funding, a combination of debt and equity.

The latest funding round was led by Dawn Capital and Insight Partners with participation from existing investor Hummingbird Ventures and new investor Korelya Capital. Silicon Valley Bank provided the debt financing for the deal.

The investment will fuel Showpad’s continued global expansion and new product development as the company looks to accelerates delivery of its solution. For example, the company plans to add more than 200 new jobs to its global workforce of 400 in 2019. This investment will also drive geographic and platform expansion, including deeper penetration into the European market.

Criteo unveils App Install

Criteo has taken the wrappers off App Install, a new mobile advertising solution that takes advantage of its recent Manage acquisition.

Criteo App Install is based on Manage’s data-driven mobile app platform, which aims to help marketers reach and acquire new customers, as well as re-engage with existing customers in one platform. It does this in combination with Criteo’s retargeting and re-engagement solution. Key functionality includes machine learning and predictive optimisation to find and target the right users, campaign management, and access to mobile-first video inventory.

“Criteo’s acquisition of Manage allows us to demonstrate our commitment to the fast-growing mobile app ecosystem and expand our app offerings,” Criteo executive MD for Asia-Pacific, Kenneth Pao. “We want to be the best-in-class across the full marketing journey for our adtech solutions – to help brands get noticed, garner traffic and increase conversion and sales. Criteo App Install will help marketers address their full-funnel objectives with maximum efficiency and at scale.”

Doddle makes its debut in Australia

Global ecommerce tech provider, Doddle, has set up shop in Sydney and Melbourne in order to make the most of growth opportunities in this region.

The company’s offering aims to help retailers improve the delivery and returns logistics experience from ecommerce fulfilment to in-stock click-and-connect management and self-service returns. Its backers include founder of Travelex, Sir Lloyd Dorfman, while its customers include Marks & Spencer and Sports Unlimited retail.

The local launch follows recent expansion into the US, and there are more plans to expand across APAC in the next 12 months. To assist locally, the company has brought on APAC CEO, Justin Dery; COO, Liam Mallett; and sales and marketing director, Rachel Caton. The company claims to have enjoyed 114 per cent year-on-year transaction growth driven in part by the growth of click-and-collect in the UK. 

Discussions are now underway with partners locally. “The arrival of major international giants such as Amazon, growth in online and consumers demanding greater speed and convenience, are shining the spotlight firmly on customer experience - particularly the last mile and how retailers can optimise that experience to deliver a competitive advantage,” Dery said.

"Doddle's technology platform helps retailers - including major multi-channel retail chains such as Marks & Spencer - increase competitiveness through more compelling delivery and returns propositions and generate more sales.  On average, 58 per cent of consumers collecting or returning orders in the stores of Doddle’s retail partners go on to make additional purchases in-store.”  

Signpost raises US$52 million for automated marketing technology

US-based Signpost has secured US$52 million in late-stage financing for its CRM and marketing automation platform.

The company’s offering is aimed at helping local businesses bolster customer reviews and engagement and offers data collection and cross-channel marketing capabilities. The latest funding comes from HighBar Partners and BMO Bank of Montreal with participation from previous investors, Georgian Partners and Spark Capital.

The new investment will help the company scale its footprint in the US and comes after the company achieved cashflow break even in early 2019 off the back of 43 per cent year-on-year growth in its core product. SignPost also boasts of a customer churn rate of under 1 per cent.  

“HighBar’s investment is a vote of confidence in the right approach to applying technology to level the playing field for local businesses,” said HighBar Partners MD, Brian Peters, who joins Signpost’s board of directors. “The turnkey setup and level of automation in Signpost’s platform, as well as its ability to follow through on reviews and engage the modern customer well beyond their first interaction, is what really sets it apart.”  

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