DALLAS, Oct. 29, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In order to equip retailers to better connect with in-store shoppers, Blue Calypso, Inc. (OTCQB:BCYP), a leading developer of mobile retail engagement solutions, today announced the release of an extensive suite of new versions and features to its KIOSentrix™ and Mobile ADvantage™ solutions. According to a retail study conducted by SessionM, 90 percent of consumers rely on their smartphones to guide them through an in-store purchasing journey. Blue Calypso's platform is designed to engage consumers, while driving store traffic, growing per-visitor sales and building affinity for brands and retailers.
"According to the US Census Bureau's most current American FactFinder data, there are 715,000 companies comprised of 1.1 million locations which accounts for $3.9 trillion in gross revenue in the US. The retail sector is in the first inning with respect to delivering an in-store mobile shopping experience to its store visitors – and that's just domestic opportunity. We believe the timing couldn't be better for Blue Calypso," said Andrew Levi, Chairman and CEO of Blue Calypso.
New to the market, the Mobile ADvantage portal includes lifecycle-based mobile marketing analytics and improved location-based intercept technology including activation, engagement, conversion metrics and influencer data. The enhanced portal enables retailers to gain real-time business intelligence on in-store engagement campaigns and the ability to convert shoppers into buyers. This technology also lays the foundation for an aggressive development roadmap that includes additional self-service content and campaign administration, activation administration tools and marketing capabilities for double opt-in opportunities while out-of-store in full compliance with FTC/FCC regulations.
Blue Calypso's solutions are unique in their support for agnostic in-store intercept and shopper activation. This allows retailers to utilize, manage, track and analyze unlimited campaigns through multiple activation methods (e.g. beacons, NFC, QR Code, short code/SMS and/or geo-fencing) across all retailer locations, from a single unified platform. The activation method is simply a means to the end – deep customer engagement while on the path-to-purchase. The company believes that this will be increasingly important as retailers start to push the envelope and experiment with several interaction methods to determine what works best to connect with their shoppers.
In addition, Blue Calypso is releasing a new iOS-based KIOSentrix Beacon Manager, an easy-to-use mobile administration app designed to configure and manage their KIOSentrix beacon technology. A recent study by RSR shows that 70 percent of retailers with the largest growth see beacons for in-store customer communications as high value. Thus, the company feels strongly that the utilization of beacons will be on the rise in the next few years. According to Jim Hunter of Tech Crunch, security is the second most important thing in the creation of an "Internet of Things" or "IoT" device behind the basic physical need of having enough power and connectivity to function.With this in mind, Blue Calypso has also made extensive improvements to the KIOSentrix beacon firmware, which includes more comprehensive security features. The company's beacons are natively AC-powered but can also be configured with a rechargeable battery, or USB, for deployment with point-of-sale systems so they are easily applicable to any physical retail scenario.
The latest version of the KIOSentrix universal shopping app for iOS and Android devices now includes a comprehensive list of retailer favorites, including loyalty, locations, reviews, deals/offers and additional retailer-driven content. Additionally, price comparison and UPC/QR scanning abilities are included in this upgrade, as well as robust shopping list management tools.
Blue Calypso is now shipping its branded KIOSentrix programmable Near Field Communication (NFC) chips which retailers can use to enable their shoppers with Android devices to find all product information on their mobile phones while on the path-to-purchase. When unable to find desired product information in-store, 75 percent of shoppers are likely to research and purchase the product online, according to MobileShopTalk. This means that retailers who are not engaging guests while they are in the store could lose those sales if the consumer purchases from another retailer online. NFC chips are one of many ways Blue Calypso can help retailers capitalize on unmet potential. While Android devices are currently offering open NFC access, developers are eagerly anticipating Apple's commitment by allowing access to its NFC chip.
"Our development team has been hard at work enhancing and expanding our platform capabilities in response to customer feedback as well as innovations designed by our team and partners. We remain committed to being a leader in delivering a platform for brands and retailers to connect with in-store shoppers and these latest technology releases are a significant leap ahead for us in the market," concluded Levi.
For more information on Blue Calypso's patented mobile engagement solutions, visit www.bluecalypso.com.
About Blue Calypso, Inc.
Dallas-based Blue Calypso, Inc. (OTCQB:BCYP) develops and delivers an innovative location-centric mobile shopper engagement platform for brands and retailers using its patented portfolio of products, including KIOSentrix™ and Mobile ADvantage™. The Company employs its unique and flexible platform to connect consumers to brands, drive local in-store traffic, increase shopper spend and shorten the consumer's path-to-purchase. For more information about the Company, please visit www.bluecalypso.com.