Leading mobile marketing automation platform Upstream has entered into a strategic agreement with e-commerce martech provider Socital that will see Upstream enhance its technology and capabilities to advance its expansion into e-commerce.
“We see e-commerce as the next major industry sector to be transformed by mobile marketing and marketing automation”, said Dimitris Maniatis, CEO of Upstream. “The addition of Socital’s technology and expertise in this space will therefore enable us to speed up our go-to-market with a comprehensive solution for online retailers seeking to dynamically engage with customers across multiple channels and platforms.”
Socital’s platform helps online retailers collect valuable first-party customer data and increase sales by enabling them to deploy highly targeted promotional campaigns, alongside cart abandonment and exit intent solutions.
Socital is deeply embedded in the e-commerce ecosystem, available on numerous popular platforms, including Shopify and Wix.
Under the terms of the agreement, Upstream secures the technology and expertise of Socital in the e-commerce domain.
An extended team has already started working on integrating Socital technologies within Upstream’s ‘Grow’ mobile marketing platform via a converged Marketing Automation SaaS offering.
The aim is to support e-commerce businesses in customizing their marketing communications and convert more traffic over the mobile, which is increasingly becoming the top channel for e-com sales.
Socital will continue to operate as an independent company under a non-compete clause with Upstream.
A pilot version of the combined Upstream- Socital platform will be trialled next month with three major retailers in Greece: Sephora, Pandora and attrattivo.
The next phase of trials is scheduled to take place later in the year with selected retailers in Brazil, among the top ten markets in terms of value in the world and the second-largest in terms of growth.
“Success in online retailing is increasingly being driven by the ability to tailor customer experiences – which means retailers being able to seamlessly collect ‘first party’ data and dynamically adapt to online behaviours,” said Theofilos Vasileiadis, CEO of Socital. “Today’s partnership between Upstream and Socital is designed to capitalize on these trends and unlock new opportunities with leading brands around the world.”
Upstream’s Grow offering comprises audience management, automation, channel orchestration, insights and analytics, security, and a creative studio on a single platform. It is currently delivering successful multi-channel campaigns for mobile operators and large global brands across industries, including Amstel, Gameloft, Nokia, and Vodacom.
