VisibleBrands develops a patented, proprietary in-store digital couponing platform that lets shoppers accept offers with a single touch of an in-aisle screen; the offer is clipped to the cart via location-based, wireless and cloud technologies and redeemed automatically at checkout. The technology requires no clipping, downloading, mobile phone, registration or opting-in, and targets the moment of decision where about 70% of brand purchase decisions are made. In a year-long Spokane field test the company recorded average coupon redemption approximately twice industry norms and a typical brand lift of about 5x average sell-through. VisibleBrands plans a regional expansion, extending its original retail field test in Spokane and adding at least one other major regional grocery retailer later this quarter. To support expansion the company completed a Series B financing of approximately $2.3 million and promoted Tim Belvin to CEO, succeeding founding CEO Tim Morton. The company positions itself to disrupt the $100 billion US print coupon industry and to enable direct-to-consumer advertising at the point of purchase. VisibleBrands has developed the world’s first cloud-based, in-store digital promotions network that serves coupons, offers and virtual goods via location-aware wireless and cloud technologies. Its system delivers in-aisle, touch-enabled digital offers that require no mobile phone, downloading, registration or opt-in, with savings credited automatically at checkout via a "clipped to cloud" model. The company describes its product as a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) designed to be highly scalable and to work across web, mobile and in-store display technologies. VisibleBrands completed development, initial commercial testing and a successful deployment of its network and says it is driving consumer preference. To support growth it plans an expanded regional deployment in the second half of 2013 and is building capacity to scale through channel and managed-service partners such as HP, Microsoft and Zebra Technologies. The company positions itself to capture shifting supermarket promotion budgets away from print toward customizable, in-store digital channels. VisibleBrands has been operating in stealth with a 23-person team out of Kirkland, developing a unified ad network that delivers targeted content at home, on mobile and in the supermarket “moment of decision.” The service displays promotions on touch-screen devices in the aisle and aims to marry online behaviors with physical-store activity to deliver real-time, behaviorally targeted offers. The company says it can tailor ads based on where a shopper is in the store and whether they are on a quick or big trip, enabling CPGs such as Kraft and Procter & Gamble to serve relevant ads in real time. VisibleBrands plans customer rollouts this fall, with "multiple customers in grocery" and at least one chain in Washington state. The team also has product personnel working in San Diego. Timothy Morton, the company president, self-funded the early days; this financing marks the company’s first external raise.

Total raised

$7M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Jan 2014