Partnership enables retailers to instantly import product inventory into Wishpond’s RetailConnect and publish it in search engines, social networks and mobile applications
FOLSOM, CA – July 11, 2011 – 94% of shopping happens in stores, but 90% of shoppers make their buying decision based on online research. This shift in consumer behavior makes it essential for retailers to surface their product inventory online to local shoppers in all the places they look. Wishpond recently announced the launch of RetailConnect--a new shopping platform, which enables retailers to easily import & publish product data for greater online visibility.
Today, Wishpond & Retail Pro announced a strategic partnership, which is comprised of:
Wishpond’s CEO, Ali Tajsekandar was quoted as saying, “Retail Pro customers will now be able to reach more local shoppers and significantly increase in-store sales without the cost and complexity that makes product inventory publishing very challenging for small retailers. This is a huge win for local retailers, who are the backbone of the North American economy.”
“In a highly competitive market, having an easy and effective way to market online to local consumers is critical for all of our merchants,” said Kerry Lemos, Retail Pro CEO. “By partnering with Wishpond, we’re giving merchants an instant online marketing tool they can use with their POS system to instantly promote their products and deals to local shoppers. This is absolutely a game changer for merchants.”
How it Works
Merchants make a request by contacting sales@wishpond.com
They will automatically receive instructions, a download link and instructions on how to install the Wishpond RetailConnect plug-in. Once the plug-in is installed, the retailers Point of Sale system will automatically “push” product inventory data to Wishpond and keep it synchronized with no additional effort. Retailers can sign in to the Wishpond merchant centre to manage their products and publish their product inventory to Facebook (as a Facebook Storefront), push it to Google Product Search or to mobile applications instantly.
Through this strategic partnership, Retail Pro is creating strong differentiation from its competitors and embracing the new ways retailers need to market their products online. Tajsekandar added “Retail Pro is one of the fastest growing and most progressive Point of Sale companies in the world and we are excited about this strategic alliance. It’s a win four times over: for retailers, local shoppers, Retail Pro and Wishpond.”
About Retail Pro
Retail Pro International, LLC is a leading global provider of premier Point of Sale, Store Operations, Merchandising, Business Intelligence, and Multi-channel software applications for specialty retailers.
For over 20 years, Retail Pro has enabled specialty retailers to achieve their full potential through a unique, scalable, reliable, and highly customizable retail management solution. Today, Retail Pro is used by more than 52,000 retail stores globally in markets such as fashion, luggage, footwear, collectibles, gifts, home furnishings, sporting goods, and accessories. With unparalleled functionality, flexibility and ease-of-use, Retail Pro has established itself as a trusted solution for today's specialty retailers worldwide.
The company is headquartered in Folsom, California and has offices in the United States, Latin America, the United Kingdom, China and Middle East. Retail Pro is represented by Business Partners in over 40 countries.
About Wishpond
Wishpond is a local shopping search engine which helps online shoppers find products from retailers near them. Wishpond.com is one of the largest local shopping sites with over 7 million product listings from 1700 small, medium and national retailers. Wishpond’s RetailConnect platform enables merchants to easily import and publish their product inventory to search engines, social networks and mobile applications. Wishpond is a privately-held corporation with headquarters in Vancouver, British Colombia. Get more information at wishpond.com, follow @wishpond or stay connected at http://facebook.com/wishpond
More information about RetailConnect can be found at: http://www.wishpond.com/retailconnect
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Contacts:
Alexandra Frith
Marketing and Design Manager
Retail Pro International, LLC
916-605-7210
afrith@retailpro.com
Marisa Lam
TECHMarket Communications
650-544-3350
marisa@techmarket.com
To schedule a briefing or to inquire about a posted news release please contact:
Ulyana Avetisov
