Symphony EYC Acquires Slingshot

Symphony EYC, a global company in delivering ROI for retailers and manufacturers using customer insights to drive execution, announces the acquisition of Slingshot, a marketing communications “one click” shopping platform, for an undisclosed sum. The Slingshot acquisition facilitates Symphony EYC’s ability to offer fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands and retailers a more engaged digital experience with their customers.

Slingshot is used by 50 of the UK’s largest grocery brands, such as Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s and Amazon. Founded in 2011 by Stephen Darlington and Mitch Vidler in the UK, Slingshot allows customers to add items to their online retailer shopping baskets from anywhere in one click. For example, if a customer shops online with Tesco and they browse the Doritos Facebook page, they can click the Slingshot button to add the item to their basket at Tesco without interruption to activities. The item will be added in the background and be available in their basket when they next sign into Tesco.

A complement to Symphony EYC’s Connected Customer suite, the Slingshot solution is expected to:

• Create an impulse channel from any FMCG brand marketing communication, across social, digital and printed channels, to retailer point of sale;
• Enhance customer purchasing and engagement thereby increasing customer  Bring retailers and brands closer together by allowing customers to add items as they see them and are persuaded to buy in day-to-day life.

The Slingshot acquisition enables Symphony EYC to connect information from the entire customer journey by combining customer pre-purchase intent with retailer transaction and loyalty data, then enhancing that information with comprehensive customer insights. Symphony EYC enables FMCG brands and retailers to drive those insights through the retail execution processes, including purchasing, pricing and inventory management, product choice via assortment and space, and targeted marketing. As a result, manufacturers and retailers are able to plan the assortment, promotions, perceived price and overall shopping experience around the customers’ needs and preferences thereby improve customer loyalty.