Canadian Retailer - Summer 2015 - 34

solUtions tEchnoloGy

reBooting for suCCess
BY SEAN C. TARRY

REtail Council of Canada (RCC) recently launched a search for the country's brightest new stars. As part of the

association's ReBoot Challenge, RCC asked start-up companies to submit their product descriptions, the problem
that their product addresses and the solution it will provide.
More than 40 companies submitted their products to the Challenge which were judged by industry and technology experts. After reviewing the submissions, the judges narrowed the field down to a list of ten finalists. The top
four companies will present their products in front of nearly 2,000 retail industry leaders at RCC's STORE 2015.
Finalists are all Canadian companies less than three years-old and have been judged on their potential to transform the retail experience and/or make a positive impact on the retail industry. The ten finalists are:

company: Flybits Inc.
Founded: 2012
ceo/Founder: Hossein Rahnama
Website: www.flybits.com

company: WorkJam
Founded: 2014
ceo/Founder: Steven Kramer
Website: www.workjam.com

Problem addressed: mobile marketing

Problem addressed: human resources management

effectiveness

Product/solution: A mobile solution

that enhances retail conversions and
increases sales while driving cost efficiency and helping retailers better
understand consumer needs. Consumer experiences are also optimized
for engagement, and operations are
provisioned quickly and easily without relying on IT. Retail malls and
stores can easily deploy and manage
a variety of contextual services, or
update existing services in real-time
using user-friendly content management console. The console also provides actionable insight into consumer behavior and engagement trends
through a robust, real-time and predictive analytics engine.
company: Digital Retail Apps
Founded: 2012
ceo/Founder: Wendy MacKinnon Keith
Website: http://digitalretailapps.com
Problem addressed: long checkout lines
Product/solution: Shop in-store, pay
in-app eliminates checkout lines by
giving shoppers the ability to pay for
their purchase from anywhere in-store
on their own mobile device. Current
integrations include multiple leading
POS systems, 450+ payment processors and in-app support for payment
methods including credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay.

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canadian REtailER | Summer 2015

Product/solution: Fully integrated workforce management mobile and
cloud-based platform designed to address the needs of employees and retailers. Retailers can hire people for open shifts, create smart schedules, facilitate ongoing shift changes, streamline staff communication, and train
workers quickly. It also integrates omnichannel solutions and to staff resources based on actual demand. Employees are empowered with flexibility, opportunity and independence in their professional and personal lives.
company: Tulip Retail
Founded: 2013
ceo/Founder: Ali Asaria
Website: www.tulip.io
Problem addressed: in-store mobile technology
Product/solution: Mobile platform for sales associates, giving them access to the information they need to deliver breakthrough customer service. Associates have access to an enhanced product catalog with detailed
product information and inventory levels that feature complete product
profiles, and customer profiles that report purchase history and available
store credit to support associates in making more personalized product
recommendations. Platform also includes point-of-sale integration to easily handle a mix of in-store and ecommerce orders.
company: Scenetag
Founded: 2014
ceo/Founder:Herman Campbell
Website: www.scenetag.com
Problem addressed: mobile marketing effectiveness
Product/solution: A mobile application which uses smartphones' built-in

microphones to gather a brief sample of audio being played from commercials, TV programming, movies, music videos etc. and compares it
against a central database for a match. Once it finds a match, it instantly
sends information to the user i.e. direct to purchase, product discounts,
exclusive offers and additional information. Consumers engage with
products and with one click can instantly purchase, find discounts, exclusive offers and additional information.

http://www.flybits.com http://www.workjam.com http://www.tulip.io http://www.digitalretailapps.com http://www.scenetag.com

Canadian Retailer - Summer 2015

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