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REWARD ACQUIRES UK’S LEADING HOSPITALITY DATA INSIGHTS COMPANY (HDI) TO ENHANCE COMMERCE MEDIA OFFERING, DELIVERING DEEPER CONSUMER INSIGHTS FOR THE RETAIL SECTOR

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Reward completes acquisition of Hospitality Data Insights (HDI), a UK market-leading data insights company and longtime partnerThe acquisition will strengthen Reward’s Commerce Media proposition, enhancing consumer insights capabilities that unlock growth opportunities for global retail partnersThis acquisition follows a period of strong growth for Reward, further bolstered by recent strategic investment from Experian PLC, A FTSE 25 company, solidifying Reward’s position as a leader in Customer Engagement and Commerce Media

LONDON, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Reward, a global leader in Customer Engagement and Commerce Media, today announces the acquisition of Hospitality Data Insights (HDI), a prominent UK-based data insights company and trusted partner. This acquisition is set to further elevate Reward’s Commerce Media capabilities, driving enriched consumer insights for retail and bank partners worldwide.

HDI is known for delivering high-quality, independent data solutions to over 100 global and national brands in the hospitality and convenience sectors, including industry leaders McDonald’s, Pizza Express, and Deliveroo. With a focus on high-spend, high-frequency sectors representing over 20% of household spending, HDI strengthens Reward’s capability to deliver significant consumer value, supporting Reward’s commitment to deliver over £2 billion in rewards by 2025.

By combining HDI’s SKU-level data, product range, pricing insights, and consumer sentiment analysis with Reward’s transactional and behavioural insights, the acquisition enhances Reward’s suite of products for retail marketing, performance optimisation, and operational insights. HDI’s extensive sector expertise and talented team of data analysts add further depth to Reward’s offerings, positioning the company for growth as it establishes itself as the preferred marketing and insights partner. This strategic focus aims to help banks and retailers better understand customers while securing a larger share of marketing budgets.

The all cash acquisition reflects Reward’s period of significant growth. The recent strategic investment from Experian PLC has further enhanced Reward’s consumer insights capabilities, integrating new assets like its Mosaic product. Reward has also expanded its international footprint, with new investment directed at scaling operations in key regions such as Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Effective immediately, Darroch Bagshaw, Managing Director of HDI, will join Reward’s Leadership Team, reporting to CEO Jamie Samaha. While HDI has been primarily servicing its global brands in the UK, Reward and HDI are well-positioned to scale their enhanced capabilities internationally. The combined efforts will start in the hospitality and convenience sectors and move into other high priority spend categories including convenience and grocery.

Jamie Samaha, CEO of Reward, commented: “In today’s fast-evolving Commerce Media landscape, expanding consumer insights capabilities is more critical than ever. This acquisition of HDI marks a transformative step in our journey to deepen our understanding of consumer behaviour and amplify the value we deliver to our customers, banking partners, and retailers. HDI’s diverse portfolio of leading hospitality brands and innovative insight products opens significant opportunities for us to strengthen our retailer relationships in this key sector, all while driving toward our goal of delivering $2 billion in rewards by 2025.”

Darroch Bagshaw, Managing Director of HDI, added: “HDI’s mission has always been to provide market-leading insights to businesses across the hospitality sector using accurate and actionable data. Reward’s endorsement of our services is testament to our aligned commitment to high quality data analytics that drive investment decisions for the world’s largest retailers. We look forward to combining insights capabilities to provide enriched products and services to retailers and greater value to customers.”

ABOUT REWARD

Reward is a global leader in Customer Engagement and Commerce Media, operating in more than 15 markets across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Uniquely positioned at the intersection of banking and retail, Reward’s platform combines technology, data insights and digital marketing to deliver personalised products and services that help brands deepen connections with customers.

As businesses strive to better understand and influence customer behaviour, Reward is poised to lead in the fast-growing commerce media space, offering consumer insights that enhance omnichannel experiences, boost sales and build customer loyalty.

Beyond unifying consumer insight and commerce, Reward is on a mission to make everyday spending more rewarding and every interaction count, delivering billions in rewards to customers.

For more information, please visit www.rewardinsight.com.

ABOUT HDI

Hospitality Data Insights (HDI) is a leading UK insights business, providing independent data insight to global and national brands operating in the UK hospitality sector since 2017, supporting over 100 different clients spanning Pubs & Bars, Restaurants & Casual Dining, QSR, Coffee Shops, Delivery, Convenience, Drinks Suppliers & Manufacturers, Investors and Consulting Firms.

HDI turns vast amounts of high-quality data into meaningful products and services that help operators improve their investment decisions, offer development and customer marketing; and help manufacturers sell and support their brands more effectively

Since late 2022, HDI have extended their capabilities into the UK grocery sector, tracking online pricing for 10 national grocers and monitoring customer spending patterns within over 40,000 individual convenience & grocery stores.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/reward-acquires-uks-leading-hospitality-data-insights-company-hdi-to-enhance-commerce-media-offering-delivering-deeper-consumer-insights-for-the-retail-sector-302304659.html

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Meta, Watsons Hong Kong, Hong Kong Life and OPTICAL 88 unlocked WhatsApp potential with Omnichat

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Create end-to-end customer journeys using WhatsApp Flows and ads that click to WhatsApp with Meta to accelerate business growthRedefine customer engagement with Omnichat’s WhatsApp membership system and enhance campaign tracking and optimisation through the Conversions APIWatsons Hong Kong integrated WhatsApp into the customer journey, from initial product discovery through to final purchase and payment, thereby offering customers a more convenient O+O experienceHong Kong Life revolutionised its interactions with customers by WhatsApp marketing, streamlining the acquisition of potential customers and elevating the overall customer experienceOPTICAL 88 leveraged WhatsApp’s direct messaging capabilities to create tailored, one-on-one conversations with customers, strengthening relationships and boosting satisfaction, resulting in an impressive 26% click-through rate on messages

HONG KONG, Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Omnichat, an all-in-one omnichannel customer experience platform offering conversational commerce solutions, recently hosted a highly scalable conference titled “Unlocking Revenue Potential with Omnichannel Customer Experience”, which featured insights on delivering exceptional customer experiences via WhatsApp, with contributions from industry experts at the global social media giant Meta, international health and beauty retailer Watsons Hong Kong, the one-stop insurance and financial service provider Hong Kong Life, and the professional optical brand OPTICAL 88.

 

Omnichat, as the WhatsApp Business Solution Provider of Meta, introduced how its advanced omnichannel customer experience solutions empowered businesses to effortlessly drive customer loyalty and achieve personalisation through seamless journeys during the event. “Numerous businesses are seeking ways to streamline customer journeys, and WhatsApp Flows offers the perfect solution. Integrating WhatsApp Flows with marketing campaigns empowers businesses to design, build, and customise experiences. This provides customers a fast, simple way to complete tasks within a conversation, ultimately driving conversions and delivering better results,” said Alan Chan, Founder and CEO of Omnichat. The newly launched WhatsApp membership system offers brands and their customers a user-friendly loyalty solution by leveraging WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in Hong Kong. “When constructing end-to-end customer journeys, loyalty is a crucial element that must not be overlooked. The WhatsApp membership system is designed to strengthen customer relationships through loyalty points, coupons, and membership cards, facilitating future re-engagement and encouraging potential repurchases.” Leveraging the power of Omni AI, auto-generated message content can be customised for various customer segments, enhancing efficiency in marketing and customer service while achieving personalisation. 

WhatsApp has the highest social media platform penetration rate of 79% in Hong Kong, according to the survey conducted by GWI. Driving engagement and growth across the customer lifecycle, the WhatsApp Business Platform plays a pivotal role in connecting with customers from discovery, consideration, purchase to re-engagement. “Meta has continually expanded the capabilities of business messaging to empower companies across various sectors to drive awareness, boost conversions, and create meaningful customer relationships for remarketing,” said Vicky Yiu, APAC Strategic Partnership Manager of Meta. “By creating a customised WhatsApp experience, WhatsApp Flows has achieved measurable results in generating more leads, appointments, and revenue directly within the platform, providing increased convenience for both businesses and their customers.” Meta also offers comprehensive tracking of the entire customer journey with the Conversions API. From the initial ads that lead to WhatsApp engagement, through subsequent WhatsApp interactions, to the final conversion, businesses can now generate actionable insights and fine-tune their advertising strategies with precision.

Prolog Leung, Online Business Director of Watsons Hong Kong also shared in the seminar, “Watsons Hong Kong has successfully integrated WhatsApp commerce into its innovative O+O (Offline plus Online) retail strategy by seamlessly implementing Omnichat’s conversational commerce solution, streamlining the checkout process and delivering an unparalleled shopping experience. It bridges the gap between digital convenience and personalised service. We are now handling tremendous customer enquiries monthly via WhatsApp, minimizing the waiting time of customers to answer their enquiries. Our ‘Watsons Here For You’ service offers one-on-one consultations with pharmacists, Chinese medicine practitioners, and dietitians via WhatsApp. This seamless integration of digital and physical retail spaces allows our customers to engage with our brand at their convenience, not only boosting online engagement and sales but also driving foot traffic to our physical stores.” 

Hong Kong Life has revolutionised its marketing and customer service strategies by leveraging WhatsApp and Omnichat’s advanced messaging solutions. Initially implemented to manage multi-channel enquiries on social media platforms, Hong Kong Life had quickly realised the transformative potential of WhatsApp for business growth and customer experience enhancement. “We have uncovered the limitless potential of WhatsApp in our marketing and customer service. The automated chatbot can now efficiently handle over 90% of simple enquiries, allowing our team to focus on marketing and nurturing deeper customer relationships,” said Jonathan Ko, Chief Marketing Officer of Hong Kong Life. “We have strategically implemented interactive Q&A games via WhatsApp chatbots, incentivising participation with exclusive coupons. This not only enhances customer engagement but also significantly expands our WhatsApp database. Leveraging this growing database to deliver targeted marketing broadcasts, our campaigns have recorded a remarkable 70% read rate, substantially boosting business conversions.” 

OPTICAL 88 has further solidified its reputation for exceptional customer service by leveraging the WhatsApp Business Platform. This strategic move has not only enhanced communication efficiency but also instilled a greater sense of trust and convenience among customers, thanks to the platform’s authorised blue tick verification. Andrea Chan, Digital Marketing Manager of OPTICAL 88 emphasised the significance of this digital transformation, “Maintaining a close, personal connection between our sales team and customers is a cornerstone of our brand values. We have observed that regardless of demographic, our customers overwhelmingly prefer the immediacy and interactivity of WhatsApp over traditional email communications, resulting in up to 26% click-through rate on our messages.” OPTICAL 88 has also broadened its tactical approach beyond one-to-one communications. Andrea further explained, “By integrating omnichannel chatbots with our social media strategy, particularly for Facebook comment auto-replies, we have facilitated engaging social media campaigns while effectively driving online traffic to our physical stores.”

By seamlessly integrating automated systems with personalised human interactions, the comprehensive chat commerce solutions are revolutionising the way businesses interact with their customers across WhatsApp Business Platform, Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct, and setting new industry standards for customer experience excellence. 

About Omnichat:
Founded in 2017 with its headquarter in Hong Kong, Omnichat is an omnichannel chat commerce solution provider that centralises customers’ conversations from WhatsApp Business Platform, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, LINE, WeChat and website live chat into a single platform to enhance efficiency and productivity.

With a strong presence in the Asia Pacific region, the company has established a solid reputation for serving local and international retail and e-commerce brands. By offering an omnichannel social customer data platform, online-merge-offline(OMO) sales integration, marketing automation, chatbots as well as customer service platform, Omnichat strives to empower brands to deliver personalised customer journeys and drive digital transformation, ultimately converting visitors into customers through chats.

Website: https://www.omnichat.ai/
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/85291925071/?text=EnquiryForWhatsApp
LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/omnichat-easychat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OmnichatAI

For media enquiries, please contact:
Omnichat Limited
Lily Yeung
Associate Director of Communications
Tel: (852) 9803 5977
Email: lily.yeung@omnichat.ai

Macy Chun
Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 6234 9555
Email: macy.chun@omnichat.ai

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/meta-watsons-hong-kong-hong-kong-life-and-optical-88-unlocked-whatsapp-potential-with-omnichat-302315204.html

SOURCE Omnichat Limited

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AccuRadio Shields Listeners from ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ in 2024 Challenge

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CHICAGO, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — This holiday season, AccuRadio, one of the world’s leading online radio services, is stepping up to protect listeners from the ultimate seasonal pitfall: Hearing the song “The Little Drummer Boy.”

This Christmas, AccuRadio is helping music fans dodge the ultimate holiday pitfall: Hearing “The Little Drummer Boy”

“We have a foolproof plan to help our listeners stay safe from that song this holiday season,” announced Kurt Hanson, Founder and CEO of AccuRadio.

AccuRadio’s initiative supports the Little Drummer Boy Challenge — a playful annual game in which countless holiday music lovers aim to avoid hearing “The Little Drummer Boy” for as long as possible, from 12:01am local time on Black Friday through 11:59pm on December 23rd (per littledrummerboychallenge.com). The challenge, originally born in Silicon Valley tech circles, has become a cherished holiday tradition, uniting music fans across the globe.

To aid participants in their quest, AccuRadio is launching a set of “safe zone” Holiday Music channels that feature all the festive classics listeners love, with one notable exception: “The Little Drummer Boy” is completely off the playlist.

“We want holiday music fans to have a safe space to enjoy their favorite holiday songs without fear of losing the challenge,” Hanson said.

For those feeling mischievous, AccuRadio is also introducing a specially-disguised channel that will actually play nothing but dozens of versions of “The Little Drummer Boy,” perfect for pranking friends. “We call it getting drum-rolled,” explained Paul Maloney, AccuRadio’s VP/Programming.

Todd Manley, VP/Promotion at AccuRadio, emphasized the platform’s commitment to its listeners: “In a world where online safety can be challenging to find, we’re making it easy for holiday music fans to enjoy their season with true peace of mind.”

AccuRadio’s “safe zone” channels are a new addition this year to what is already the most extraordinary collection of holiday music channels available anywhere. AccuRadio offers over 125 curated (and personalizable) Christmas music channels focusing on specific genres, decades, regions, tempos, and themes—making it the ultimate destination for holiday music enthusiasts.

This amazing assortment of holiday music channels can be found on the web at www.accuradio.com/christmas-music and on AccuRadio’s iPhone and Android mobile apps.

About AccuRadio
Launched in 2000 (making it one of the earliest pioneers in online audio), AccuRadio offers over 1,400 human-curated music channels (spanning over 50 genres) to over a million adult, upscale, and loyal users each month.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/accuradio-shields-listeners-from-the-little-drummer-boy-in-2024-challenge-302315954.html

SOURCE AccuRadio

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UPS Class Action News: Robbins LLP Reminds Investors of Quickly Approaching Lead Plaintiff Deadline in the United Parcel Service, Inc. Class Action

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SAN DIEGO, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Robbins LLP reminds investors that a class action was filed on behalf of all persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS) securities between January 30, 2024 and July 22, 2024. UPS is a multinational parcel delivery and supply chain management solutions company operating in more than 200 countries and territories.

For more information, submit a form, email attorney Aaron Dumas, Jr., or give us a call at (800) 350-6003.

The Allegations: Robbins LLP is Investigating Allegations that United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) Misled Investors Regarding its Business Prospects

According to the complaint, during the class period, defendants created the false impression that they possessed reliable information pertaining to the Company’s projected revenue outlook and anticipated growth while also minimizing risk from seasonality and macroeconomic fluctuations. In truth, UPS’ optimistic reports of growth, plans to handle volume variability, upcoming profit growth, and consistent claims that the first quarter would present the worst margins of the fiscal year fell short of reality; the Company was not truly equipped to handle a volume surge without causing a corresponding significant decline in their operating margin.

Plaintiff alleges that the truth emerged on July 23, 2024, when UPS announced its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2024, provided lower-than-expected guidance for the third quarter, and reduced its margin guidance for the full fiscal year 2024. The Company attributed its results and lowered guidance on the shift in “U.S. volume mix both in terms of product and customer segmentation . . . toward value products.”  On this news, the price of UPS common stock fell from $145.18 per share on July 22, 2024, to close at $127.68 per share on July 23, 2024, a decline of $17.50 per share, or about 12.05% according to the complaint.

What Now: You may be eligible to participate in the class action against United Parcel Service, Inc. Shareholders who want to serve as lead plaintiff for the class must submit their application to the court by December 9, 2024. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.  You do not have to participate in the case to be eligible for a recovery. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. For more information, click here.

All representation is on a contingency fee basis. Shareholders pay no fees or expenses. 

About Robbins LLP: Some law firms issuing releases about this matter do not actually litigate securities class actions; Robbins LLP does. A recognized leader in shareholder rights litigation, the attorneys and staff of Robbins LLP have been dedicated to helping shareholders recover losses, improve corporate governance structures, and hold company executives accountable for their wrongdoing since 2002.  Since our inception, we have obtained over $1 billion for shareholders.

To be notified if a class action against United Parcel Service, Inc. settles or to receive free alerts when corporate executives engage in wrongdoing, sign up for Stock Watch today.

Attorney Advertising.  Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.  

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ups-class-action-news-robbins-llp-reminds-investors-of-quickly-approaching-lead-plaintiff-deadline-in-the-united-parcel-service-inc-class-action-302315966.html

SOURCE Robbins LLP

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