bestfitmobile enables GameStop to make the shopping experience more engaging and personalized
GameStop Technology Institute Builds On IT Technology Innovation To Drive Positive Customer Experiences
New Partnerships with Shelfbucks, BestFit Mobile, and Dynamic Signal to Help GameStop Address the Needs of Today’s Empowered and Informed Consumer
GRAPEVINE, Texas–GameStop (NYSE: GME), a family of specialty retail brands that makes consumers favorite technologies affordable and simple, announced today that its GameStop Technology Institute (GTI) business unit has entered into strategic partnerships with Shelfbucks, BestFit Mobile, and Dynamic Signal to further extend its focus on driving technological innovation and change within its store environments.
Dedicated to harnessing the power of new and emerging technologies to better address the needs of today’s empowered and informed consumer, GTI was launched by GameStop to pursue an open innovation strategy whereby the Company partners with leading organizations and institutions to explore and build best-in-class research and development capabilities.
GTI was created to understand the drivers surrounding the evolution of the retail industry and advance the pace of change – always keeping the customer experience in mind. With these new partnerships, the company is further executing against this overarching goal to create and implement, within its global retail locations, the next generation of business applications for the sector as a whole.
Ongoing Commitment to Innovation to Meet Evolving Needs of Consumers
Working to develop retail solutions that create a positive in-store experience is a key priority for GTI. With this focus in mind, GameStop is partnering to bring Shelfbucks’ iBeacon Platform and BestFit Mobile’s ProxDK solution, into its brick and mortar retail locations. Through the deployment of these new communication capabilities, the retailer is launching a big differentiator in consumer engagement technology – putting the customer in control of the shopping experience. While today’s customers are traditionally bombarded with promotional offers the minute they enter a retail location, GameStop shoppers will need to take proactive steps, moving smartphones close to beacons installed on store shelving to instantly receive real-time, customized offers via the retailer’s app. As a result, customers will be able to receive digital content that is specifically tailored to their areas of interest when they need it most – shopping inside a physical GameStop store.
Under the terms of the agreement with GTI, the Shelfbucks iBeacon Platform will provide the configuration, deployment, and ongoing operation/support for the in-store beacons, as well as the platform to integrate with GameStop’s promotions; while BestFit’s Mobile ProxDK solution will enable for seamless consumer engagement based on a user’s proximity to beacons. Moving forward the collaboration between the three technology providers will also serve as a basis for future retail innovations related to enhancing customer experiences in physical stores.
“Digitization of the physical retail space has always been a top priority of GTI as we look to further GameStop’s evolution as a technology provider,” said Charlie Larkin, senior director, technology innovation at GameStop. “Through our partnership with Shelfbucks and our initial deployment of their iBeacon Platform, there are numerous ways to leverage the emerging technology to deliver a next-generation shopping experience.”
Beginning this September, GTI will formally deploy the Beacon Platform in approximately 36 locations in its Austin and College Station, Texas test markets. Following the initial test period, GameStop will assess the customer adoption and business value of the promotional capabilities with the potential for the possibility of an additional roll-out in another 60 stores by the end of the year.
About GameStop Corp.
GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, is a global, multichannel video game, consumer electronics, and wireless services, retailer. GameStop operates more than 6,600 stores across 15 countries. The company’s consumer product network also includes www.gamestop.com; www.Kongregate.com, a leading browser-based game site; Game Informer® magazine, the world’s leading print and digital video game publication; and www.buymytronics.com, an online consumer electronics trade-in platform. In addition, our Technology Brands segment includes our Simply Mac, Spring Mobile, and Cricket stores. Simply Mac, www.simplymac.com, operates 23 stores, selling the full line of Apple products, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, and offering Apple-certified warranty and repair services. Spring Mobile, http://springmobile.com, sells post-paid AT&T services and wireless products through its 210 AT&T branded stores. Cricket Wireless, www.cricketwireless.com, is a new AT&T brand offering pre-paid wireless services, devices, and related accessories. We operate 37 Cricket stores in select markets throughout the United States.
General information about GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company’s corporate website. Follow GameStop on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/GameStop and find GameStop on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/GameStop.
BestFit Mobile specializes in the design and implementation of mobile-centric custom solutions for retail and other industries. The company’s ProxDK solution enables seamless engagement based on a user’s proximity to beacons, providing value before, during, and after a transaction by delivering actionable insights from customer, employee, manager, and operational touchpoints.
Bret Cunningham, president of BestFit Mobile, believes the two companies have a shared vision of the retail “store of the future” and engaging omnichannel experiences.
“We’re extremely happy to be working with such a forward-thinking organization like the GameStop Technology Institute; their vision for in-store engagement matches our philosophy that real value comes from more than simply pushing mobile coupons,” he said. “By selecting our ProxDK as the basis for Beacon engagement, they will achieve a deep understanding of category engagement while increasing their level of service and improving customer loyalty.”