shopkick in Germany Douglas, Media Markt, Saturn, OBI, Karstadt, Procter & Gamble and Henkel usher in the future of retail with the US market leader in shopping apps / ProSiebenSat.1 is the strategic partner
With over 1,400 locations in Germany and eight major strategic partners, shopkick launches the worlds most extensive mobile rewards system. Germany is the first port of call in the successful US companys international expansion.
Berlin, 23 October 2014_ shopkick, the trailblazer and US market leader in the field of mobile shopping, has launched its eponymous shopping app in Germany: the shopping app ranked as the most widely used in the real world by Nielsen rewards trendy shoppers simply for entering a store with attractive reward points, known as kicks, and prizes. And whats more, active users are also attracted into stores by the best special deals and products.
In the USA shopkick already has over eight million fans who regularly use the reward app for iOS and Android - the two operating systems which account for over 90% of all smartphones - and claim prizes, for instance when trying on the latest fashions at Macys or American Eagle Outfitters. Anyone scanning Procter & Gamble product barcodes at Target or calling up further product information at Best Buy will also swiftly amass kicks. Since its launch in the US shopkick has driven more than one billion dollars in revenue for its partner retailers.
The pioneering live in store reward system is now being rolled out in Germany too: at over 1,400 locations nationwide of the German participating partners Douglas, Media Markt, Saturn, OBI and Karstadt users can collect reward points and prizes such as vouchers for a host of retailers or iTunes song downloads. Anyone with the app switched on can start adding the first kicks to their account as soon as they enter a store. Customers who also use the app to scan the barcodes of certain brand partner products in the store receive additional reward points too. Procter & Gamble and Henkel are the launch brand partners in Germany. In the USA shopkick is already working with around 15 retail and over 150 brand partners.
With shopkick Douglas is further extending its cross-channel strategy for the seamless integration of its sales channels. The employment of such innovative technologies enables us to cater even better for the constantly growing demands of our customers. Each customer is individual - as is evidenced by their specific preferences, personal favorite products and specific purchasing behavior. With shopkick we are now even better able to take this individuality into account. Every customer is guaranteed to find something suitable among the plethora of prizes with which we will reward a visit to our stores through the collection of kicks. And in addition we can make our customers much more familiar with the diverse world of our perfumeries. By linking the real and the digital world we can deliver a unique and innovative shopping experience, says Dr. Henning Kreke, Chairman of the Executive Board of Douglas Holding AG.
Dr. Nils Daecke, Corporate Vice President International Digital Marketing at Henkel Beauty Care, adds: In the beauty care category in particular many purchasing decisions are made by the point of purchase. Direct contact with the product prior to purchase is very important. For example, when a consumer wants to smell the aroma of a shampoo or shower or to read the text on the packaging to find out more about the product. Shopkick can help us to achieve precisely this product contact by the point of sale.
We are absolutely delighted to be teaming up with shopkick at the launch of its eponymous shopping app in Germany. The young company is a pioneer in this field, the market leader in the USA and a digital trendsetter in the sphere of mobile shopping. So its all set to repeat its success in this country, explains Christian Wegner, Member of the Executive Board Digital at ProSiebenSat.1 Group.
Accrued kicks can be digitally retrieved and redeemed with one click - for example, for Douglas or Media Markt gift cards or for a download of the customers current favorite song. The shopkick rewards mall offers an array of choices from the outset and more features will follow. The app - for iOS and Android - is available for download now in participating stores.
The presence technology behind the shopkick app is completely unique: Its patented ultrasound technology enables shopkick to send an inaudible signal in each store to the app on the customers mobile end device. So when a shopkick user enters a partners store and switches on the app, this receives and decodes the patented ultrasound signal in the store. In the same device this in-store technology is fused with Apples iBeacon technology. For the launch over 2000 shopBeacon devices will be installed in the entrance areas of the shopkick partner stores.
With shopkick everyone is a winner: The user benefits from information on deals and when they redeem their bonus points, the retailer increases their footfall and gains loyal customers and the brand partner gets valuable product interactions directly by the point of purchase.
The launch in Germany will be accompanied in a few weeks time by a major TV campaign through the strategic partner ProSiebenSat.1., which will inform consumers about the benefits of the app and provide an overview of the participating partners. The ProSiebenSat.1 subsidiary SevenVentures SevenVentures identified shopkick as a beacon investment in the USA and established the company in Germany with an office in Berlin.
Shopkick is in 35th position on the Forbes List of Americas Most Promising Companies, while the World Economic Forum named the company a Technology Partner for 2013. The successful US company was acquired in October 2014 by SK Planet, South Koreas largest mobile commerce playe
