• by Ray Schultz , July 30, 2020

Inmar Intelligence has launched a data-driven platform called Retail Cloud that it says will help retailers and their CPG partners create an omnichannel experience for shoppers. 

With COVID-19 rapidly driving an increased need for digitization in retail, Inmar has been “quietly building a portfolio of technologies that addressees digital” in new ways, says Aaron Kechley, general manager, media & data at Inmar Intelligence. 

Retail Cloud is the unification of this portfolio, and “an opportunity for the retailer and brands to collaborate together and get better economics,” Kechley continues.  

Retail Cloud supports marketing at all touchpoints, including digital coupons, loyalty programs, programmatic media, onsite media, influencer marketing, in-store media, e-commerce and other activities, the company says. 

This element benefits from Inmar’s ShopperSync, described by Kechley as an intelligent data platform and a key element. ShopperSync is fed primarily by loyalty and transactional data, online and offline.

Kechley notes that retailers often send email to their loyalty customers.  

Retail Cloud also offers an attribution capability.This is especially important for CPGs that “typically do not have a way to attribute instore for offline sales with media investments,” Kechley notes. 

How does Inmar achieve this? 

“We are in the POS systems at those retailers,” Kechley answers. “We can see if consumer bought something in-store.” 

Inmar does receive personally identifiable data along the way, but anomyzes that data prior to any usage. But data is made is made richer by the existance of the PII,” even when that information is anonymized, Kechley continues. 

The firm’s pricing structure with retailers is a combination of tech fees and revenue-sharing agreements. As for CPGs, "they buy advertising and incentives either from the retailer directly or through our Retail Cloud sales force," Kechley says. 

The Retail Cloud gives them the ability to engage with shoppers and “measure and optimize their media investments based on actual in-store sales outcomes, not just count impressions and reach,” Kechley adds. 

Retail Cloud helps brands “drive sales, maximize ROI and streamline operations,” states Inmar CEO David Mounts.

Inmar Intelligence was launched 40 years ago as a paper coupon company. It provides a variety of services to organizations in retail, healthcare and financial industries.