HENDERSON, N.C. & COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Convenience store operators wanting to connect with conventional mobile-phone users and people with smartphones will get some assistance, as two providers join forces. Verge Connect, a mobile application solution for smart phones, and the Digital Deal, a text-marketing program accessible by conventional mobile phones, have been linked to enable c-store operators to connect with their customers, regardless of their choice of mobile phones.
Providers of both the Verge Connect and Digital Deal programs say the link represents the first c-store tailored, marketing solution that allows operators a choice of a branded mobile app, a text marketing program or both, depending on their objectives. Both solutions were developed by companies with backgrounds in what convenience retailers need, the officials with the companies say.
Verge Connect, developed by the software division of MR Williams, a Henderson, N.C.-based c-store distributor, provides retailers with the ability to offer a branded, customized mobile application for their iPhone and Android customers to download for free. The mobile app features include a store locator, store-specific promotions, redemption tracking and customer-segmented push promotions.
The Digital Deal, created by Columbus, Ohio-based c-store consulting firm Convevo Partners, is a text marketing program designed specifically for the c-store operators, regardless of whether they operate one or 100-plus stores. The program is built around a text-marketing engine that is fully managed by the Digital Deal. It includes a promotional sign package that is customized for each store operator as well as a marketing program to accelerate customer sign-up and sales growth.
"While consumers who utilize smart phone apps represent some of the most loyal and tech savvy customers, we were only able to connect with about half of the mobile phone users in the United States," said Carson Kuehne, director of sales at Verge. "By partnering with the Digital Deal, we now can help our clients to connect with the other half of the population that continue to use conventional mobile phones."
Verge offers its Verge Connect clients a choice of adding a text-marketing engine at little to no additional cost or can offer Verge Connect or the Digital Deal as a standalone solution.
Greg Ehrlich, president of Convevo Partners, concurred with Kuehne. "We are excited about our partnership with Verge Connect and the ability to offer convenience store operators a menu of choices to connect with their customers to grow sales and build loyalty," he said. "The fit between Verge and Convevo Partners was a natural one, due to the extensive knowledge and expertise both firms have leveraging technology and building loyalty in the convenience store industry."
Henderson, N.C.-based Verge is the retail marketing technology arm of distributor MR Williams, while Columbus, Ohio-based Convevo Partners is a strategy, marketing and operations consulting firm serving the convenience and petroleum industry.
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