Apple has acquired the UK-based digital marketing startup DataTiger in a move that could help make its digital marketing efforts more relevant to its customers.
DataTiger is known for technology that uses data to send materials and push notifications to consumers with greater accuracy. The company’s goals are helping clients increase their marketing retention as well as monetisation. Their platform allows users to individually optimise marketing flows in real time. They offer an online tool with cloud-based data, along with full in-house customisation with their APIs and open source front-end components.
According to LinkedIn, DataTiger is a small firm that employees between two and 10 individuals. Founded just two years ago, its headquarters are in London. Its CEO, Philipp Mohr, says in his LinkedIn profile that the firm’s scalable solutions are aimed at the “era of user-demanded personalization, AI-assisted marketing, large volumes of data, real-time data requirements, and tight data privacy.”
Prior to running DataTiger, Mohr was the director of CRM operations for games developer King, best known for the popular Candy Crush Saga game.
Apple looking to boost digital marketing efforts
With the acquisition, Apple is likely looking to enhance their current digital marketing use, which has not been as effective as their traditional print and TV advert campaigns. Their current approach involves tactics like emails describing new products and regional sales. They’ve also been using push notifications urging people to subscribe to Apple Music and other services through their iOS platform. In December, the Apple Store app pushed ads encouraging customers to upgrade their phones to the iPhone XS or XR. The acquisition may also be related to Apple’s Search Ads business.
Apple is believed to be trying to grow its revenue from ads as well as services to help take some of the sting out of flat iPhone sales. Last month, they indicated that advertising would play a more significant role in their future after disappointing sales. The company’s main revenue stream, the iPhone, saw a 15 per cent year on year drop in revenue for the quarter that ended in December, while their quarterly revenue from all other services rose 19 per cent. Apple announced that they plan to double services revenue by 2020.
It’s not known how much Apple paid for the company. They have yet to acknowledge their acquisition, although Bloomberg dug up a regulatory filing that shows the transfer of ownership. Other recent Apple acquisitions include music recognition app Shazam, magazine subscription service Texture, and augmented reality glasses technology firm Akonia Holographics.
