Author: Rebecca

The iconic Canadian department store retailer is testing out a new way to reach its customers via smartphone.

Hudson’s Bay Company is now testing out a new mobile marketing program that is designed to give shoppers who are in the retail store locations to be able to receive messages in real time in order to enhance their overall shopping experience.

The retailer has announced that it is working with Swirl in implementing the technology for this program.

The company will be using geolocation technology at its five largest By and Lord & Taylor store locations in the United States and Canada in order to use this new mobile marketing program. This location based advertising technique will send consumers smartphone alerts when they walk into the participating stores. The use of this tech is a tremendous leap forward for Hudson’s Bay, which has had a noticeably lacking strategy in terms of general e-commerce.

Swirl uses beacons for its mobile marketing technology, to transmit popup messages via smartphones.

The beacons communicate with the smartphones by way of Bluetooth, detecting that the phone has entered into a certain location and then sending out the appropriate location based marketing message or alert.

For instance, a customer in the store who was close to the display for purses may receive a message to inform them about the Michael Kors products that have just been added to the shelves. At the brand’s flagship store in Toronto, Canada, the entire home wares floor has been completely remodeled and shoppers entering the building are encouraged to check it out.

Beacons may also be able to identify people who have never entered the store, offering them a complementary cup of coffee to enhance their overall experience and encourage them to return for another visit.

According to the executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Hudson’s Bay Company, who spoke about this geolocation technology based mobile marketing pilot, “The amount of mobile usage that our customers are engaging in has grown dramatically.” He also added that “As a retailer, if you’re not thinking about the impacts of mobile on your retail marketing, you’re really missing the boat. We saw this trend, we’ve watched the data, and we’ve been looking for ways that we can enhance the store experience through mobile.”

The antivirus software company has purchased a mobile app startup.

Avast has announced that it has acquired Inmite, a Czech-based mobile app developer, to help it become more mobile friendly and improve the mobile security it offers.

Inmite has developed several apps in the past for a variety of diverse companies.

The company has previous designed apps, particularly third party consumer apps for mobile television, mobile banking, a car purchasing app for škoda, and even apps for Google Glass. Previously it has also partner with Google and SAP.

According to Vince Steckler, Avast’s chief executive officer, Inmite’s 40 developers will essentially be revamping Avast’s user interface (UI). Steckler said that Inmite “primarily make consumer apps for third parties, so they have a heck of a lot of expertise in simplifying things.” The Avast team will grow to 80 as they hire on the additional 40 expert app developers.

Avast was founded in Prague in 1988 and has offices around the world in the U.S., China and Germany, but its main headquarters is located in the Czech Republic.

Avast is aiming to make its mobile security software more user friendly.

A problem that many mobile security companies face is creating a practical app that is easy for consumer to use. Avast is hopeful that buying a company that is known for building innovative mobile apps could help it appeal to more mobile users. The challenge will be to build an application that is quite complex but that will be easy for consumers to understand how to use.

Steckler stated that “Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting smartphones and tablets – and consumers want our solutions to protect them from Wi-Fi attacks, phishing threats, or having their device lost or stolen.” He added that consumers want the freedom to know that when they use their device, it is safe in their hands. The company believes that Inmite will be able to meet the needs of its users around the world.

In addition, even though Avast does not really have any interest in integrating its software into third party devices or apps, it is interested in developing add ons. More specifically, it is interested in creating mobile security features that will improve the security of applications.